On 19 March 2025, the European Commission published the Joint White Paper for European Defence Readiness 2030, an action plan aimed at strengthening the European defence industry and advancing collective security mechanisms.
According to the White Paper, the international order established after World War II is transforming. Strategic competition among major global powers is intensifying in the EU’s broader neighborhood, including the Middle East and West Africa. Transatlantic unity faces new challenges from increasingly authoritarian regimes. Accordingly, the document emphasizes that reinforcing Europe’s collective security necessitates greater investment and enhanced solidarity among member states.
The introductory section of the White Paper outlines the principal challenges to Europe’s collective security. Notably, the document devotes particular attention to China when addressing threats posed by authoritarian states:
The White Paper designates the Russian Federation as a fundamental threat to European security, asserting that Moscow will retain this status for the foreseeable future. According to the document, Russia remains a destabilizing force in the EU’s immediate neighborhood, including Georgia.
Furthermore, the White Paper identifies China as the second most significant challenge to the EU’s collective security. Notably, it asserts that the nature of the threats posed by China’s influence is strategically similar to those stemming from Russian expansionism. Consequently, the European Commission regards China as a challenge of similar magnitude to Russia.
The document characterizes the threat posed by China as systemic, rooted in several key factors:
- It emanates from a state governed by an authoritarian and undemocratic system.
- It arises from a state that seeks to attain primacy and, in some cases, supremacy through trade, investment, and technological dominance.
The document underscores that China’s status as one of the EU’s principal trading partners does not mitigate the reality of the threat posed by Beijing. Specifically:
- China ranks second globally in defense expenditures, with a budget surpassing the combined military spending of all East Asian nations.
- China is actively advancing military capabilities, particularly in nuclear, space, and cyber domains.
- The opacity of China’s military expansion remains a concern, as Beijing does not publicly disclose comprehensive information about its defense capabilities.
- The modernization of China’s military-industrial complex exhibits both quantitative and qualitative enhancement.
- China increasingly employs political, economic, military, cognitive, and cyber strategies to assert influence over Taiwan.
According to the White Paper, China’s expanding military capabilities are significantly altering the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region. Additionally, Beijing’s actions are contributing to instability across multiple regions, including the East and South China Seas, as well as the Indo-Pacific as a whole. The document warns that an escalation of tensions in the Taiwan Strait could severely impact the European Union, potentially restricting access to critical resources and key technologies. Thus, China’s maneuvers in this geographical sphere have profound implications for European security.
The White Paper underscores the necessity of enhancing the EU’s collective defense capabilities in response to escalating threats from Russia and China. It outlines a comprehensive strategy for developing the European defense industry by 2030, including measures to strengthen military cooperation among member states.
