At the same time, it is not inevitable that China’s influence among poorer European countries, like those in the 17+1 grouping, will continue to increase. Many of these countries have already complained that some of China’s past promises have gone unfulfilled. In reality, Chinese flows of foreign direct investment into Europe have fallen over the past three years. Beijing’s long-term prospects in Europe consequently depend both on how its own economy bounces back from the pandemic, and EU leaders’ ability to maintain cohesion in the post-coronavirus era.
