China and the European Union: Potential beneficiaries of Bush's global coalition

While it appears probable that China and the EU will each increase its global power without reference to the other, it is also possible that they might do so jointly in specified areas of common interest. This is likely to occur through institutional and networking means. A China-EU concert for now does not suggest the development of a special relationship, as both have their regions of influence and the EU's natural 'cooperators' are the US and Russia. However, even if the prevailing evidence suggests separate trajectories of influence, geostrategic logic would argue in favour of a Eurasian concert-of-power. Admittedly, it can only be hypothesised at this early stage of the 'war against terrorism', though postwar region-building efforts in the 'emerging Eurasian agenda' (Ferguson 2001) should provide clues as to efforts in this direction.