How China’s silent coercion has Europe sanctioning itself (ecfr.eu)

• China leverages structural dependencies rather than active economic coercion.
• Europe imposes self-restrictive measures without direct Chinese pressure.
• The phenomenon undermines Europe's strategic autonomy and competitiveness.

"Beijing no longer needs to actively deploy economic coercion to shape Europe’s economic agenda in its interest. Instead, structural dependencies and anticipated retaliation lead Europe to impose restrictive measures against Chinese actors without direct pressure from Peking. This self-sanctioning phenomenon amplifies geopolitical tensions and undermines European strategic autonomy."