A silver lining to Europe's imperfect deal with China?

Brussels must develop a more active approach to dealings with Asia

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20210105 Emmanuel Macron video conference.jpg

Emmanuel Macron attends an EU-China video conference along with Xi Jinping, Angela Merkel and others on Dec. 30: there is an air of unreality about the agreement. © AP

James Crabtree is an associate professor in practice at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. He is author of "The Billionaire Raj."

The European Union's recent investment agreement with China was at best one-sided. The deal handed Beijing a public relations coup. In return, the EU got terms that are hardly transformative for European businesses in China, let alone for the Chinese economic model.

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