A majority of Europeans want to maintain an equal distance from the United States and China rather than aligning with one of the two superpowers over the other, a survey published on Thursday shows.
While just 4 per cent of Europeans polled would prioritise alignment with China over the US, 55 per cent preferred to keep “the same distance between the two”, according to the result of the Eurobazooka, a survey published by Le Grand Continent, a French magazine.
One-fifth of those polled across nine EU member countries would prefer to align with the US over China, with the highest number (25 per cent) in Spain – perhaps surprisingly, given that its government has pursued close ties with Beijing over the past two years.
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The results come towards the end of a year in which Europe has had to closely consider its position between the two giants. Since the return of US President Donald Trump at the beginning of 2025, relations with Washington have been on the rocks.
The US leader has slapped punitive tariffs on the European Union and attempted to force Brussels to change its laws to accommodate American firms. It has also downgraded its military support for Ukraine, amid broad fears that it will cut the cord on a security arrangement that has largely protected Europe since World War II.
But despite this, Europe’s ties with China have scarcely improved as a result. With Beijing considered to have sided with Moscow in its invasion of Ukraine and a years-long string of trade disputes, the relationship is considered by EU officials to be at its lowest ebb.