The End of Unipolarity: How China's 'Post-American' Narrative Tests EU Strategic Autonomy
As Beijing amplifies messaging declaring the end of US hegemony, the European Union faces pressure to accelerate defence and economic independence in the emerging multipolar order.
Chinese officials and state media are amplifying a narrative that American hegemony is ending, challenging the European Union to accelerate its pursuit of strategic autonomy or risk being caught between rival powers.
"This is probably the darkest moment in US history," declared Professor Gao in comments broadcast by Chinese state television. "The US talks about values as if their values are superior to other countries. Where are those values now?"
The messaging intensified after China's Foreign Ministry rejected any country acting as "world judge or world policeman." The statement accumulated over 175,000 engagements as it spread across social media platforms.
Testing European Resolve
Beijing's narrative of American decline poses a direct challenge to European strategic calculations that have long assumed US leadership of the Western alliance.
The Trump administration's threats against Greenland, withdrawal from the WHO, and pressure on European allies have provided ample material for Chinese messaging. Beijing's response to Trump's Arctic claims was blunt: "We urge the United States to stop using the so-called threat from China as a pretext to pursue its own selfish interests."
The comment resonated with Europeans watching Washington invoke Chinese influence to justify territorial demands on a NATO ally.
Economic Dimensions
Chinese officials have signalled confidence in their ability to weather any trade confrontation with the United States. "China will lose the US market," one interviewer suggested. "We don't care," responded Victor Gao. "The world is big enough that the US is not the totality of the world's market."
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a new strategic partnership with Beijing, describing it as beneficial for both nations after a decade of distant relations. The move positions Canada closer to China precisely as relations with its southern neighbour deteriorate.
For the EU, the shifting alignments create both risks and opportunities. European industry depends on Chinese supply chains and markets, but also competes with Chinese firms in sectors from electric vehicles to renewable energy.
The Path Forward
EU leaders have spoken of strategic autonomy for years. The current moment may force translation of rhetoric into reality.
Building European defence capacity, securing critical supply chains, and developing independent diplomatic channels all require sustained investment and political will. The alternative is remaining dependent on an American alliance that looks increasingly unpredictable.
China's multipolar messaging may serve Beijing's interests, but the underlying analysis of shifting power dynamics is not wrong. The question for Europe is whether it will shape the emerging order or merely adapt to it.
The Commission's plans for defence industrial cooperation and critical materials security suggest awareness of the challenge. Whether implementation can match ambition remains to be seen.
One thing is clear: the comfortable assumptions of the post-Cold War era are gone. Europe must chart its own course in a world where great powers compete and old alliances fray.
January 25, 2026