Event Summary
Digital Conversation – Relations between the US, China and the EU during the COVID-19 crisis
The Munich Security Conference brought together high-ranking experts from Europe, China and the United States to discuss relations between the three powers during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Among the distinguished group of participants were Norbert Röttgen, Chairman of the Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee, Fu Ying, China's former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations, who provided impulses for the discussion.
On July 2, 2020, the Munich Security Conference (MSC) hosted a Digital Conversation titled "Fevered Tempers – US-China-EU Relations and the Global Response to COVID-19". The virtual event brought together high-ranking European, Chinese and US experts from politics, business and academia. In a small, confidential discussion session, they exchanged views on the relations between the US, China and the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Norbert Röttgen, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag, Fu Ying, former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, and Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations, kicked off the discussion with introductory statements.
We are really at a crossroads in international relations. If we fail to cooperate on a pandemic, I can't see any other area in which we would cooperate. This is a rare opportunity to find a significant area of international cooperation, which includes the United States, China, and the European Union.Norbert Röttgen•Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag
Participants from all sides reaffirmed the importance of cooperation in the COVID-19 crisis, not only for combating the immediate effects of the pandemic, but also as a crossroads for the future of trilateral relations between the United States, China and Europe. It was stressed that, in the spirit of cooperation, the pandemic should not be politicized or conflated with political differences in other areas. Particular attention was also paid to discussing the role of the World Health Organization in addressing the current and future health crises. When a vaccine for the coronavirus is eventually developed, international coordination – especially between the US, China and the EU – will be indispensable to ensure its production and distribution globally, participants agreed.
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the Munich Security Conference has created a new event format: the MSC Digital Conversations. Here, decision-makers and experts regularly discuss challenges and possible solutions to security implications emerging from the COVID-19 crisis as well as other pressing issues. Learn more about the Digital Conversation.
