The EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI)
One Deal, Two Realities
In the CAI, the EU sees mostly a business deal, while China sees mostly a strategic win that isolates the United States. Two days after it was agreed, China defined “defending development interests” as a casus belli, highlighting the risks of ever-deepening economic interconnectedness. The European Parliament should reject the CAI deal. Instead, the EU should coordinate its negotiating position on trade with global democracies, including the administration of US President Biden.