The Image of the European Union in Perception of Chinese Establishment and Think Tanks

The article analyzes the perception of the EU within Chinese official and expert discourses and traces its evolution between 2003 and 2023. Grounded in the image theory developed by R. Herrmann and M. Fischerkeller, the study reconstructs shifts in China’s representation of the EU and examines how these shifts informed Beijing’s policy toward the Union. The research proceeds from the premise that expert discourse offers a more analytically sensitive reflection of foreign-policy adjustments while also influencing policymaking. The empirical base includes 56 official sources – statements by the President of the PRC, the Premier, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Head of the Mission to the EU, and strategic documents – and 101 publications from six major Chinese think tanks. Alongside five classical ideal-typical images of the “Other†(enemy, ally, degenerate, empire, colony), the study employs the additional category of rival, enabling a more precise conceptualization of China–EU relations. The findings reveal a progression from an initially allied image toward those of rival and degenerate, though elements of allied rhetoric remain. A systematic comparison of official and expert narratives identifies turning points in the EU’s evolving image and demonstrates a consistent relationship between these transformations and China’s policy toward the European Union.