Caught in Crossfire Between US and China, EU Seeks Role

Caption: (L to R) Ashley Tellis, Senior Fellow and Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Randall G. Schriver, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, U.S. Department of Defense, Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen ,Secretary-General, European Council of Ministers, Thomas J. Duesterberg, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute, Liselotte Odgaard, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute, at "Caught in the Crossfire: Balancing EU relations with the U.S. and China" discussion at Hudson Institute in Washington on April 16, 2019. Jennifer Zeng/The Epoch Times

WASHINGTON—Statesmen and experts recently wrestled with what role Europe should play as it confronts an increasingly competitive dynamic between the United States and China.

After being entangled with internal crises and problems for 10 years, Europe has awakened to find itself in a totally different world, and is trying to find its new role while balancing relations with the United States and China, according to Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen, secretary-general of the Council of the European Union.