The increase in visits to China by Western politicians reflects their pragmatic adaptation to the current situation, not a strategic turn towards China, according to a commentary published by China Daily.

As the newspaper notes, visits to Beijing by Western politicians and heads of large corporations have increased significantly in recent times. However, this activity does not reflect a change of course or a weakening of transatlantic ties, but a pragmatic adaptation to the realities of a multipolar world and a desire to reduce risks in relations with China.

“On the other hand, what these visits also show is not a Western strategic turn toward China, but Western strategic adaptation. Some US allies are learning how to cooperate with China where they can, hedge where they must, and distance themselves where they believe their core interests — ‘security’ and ‘values’ — are at stake,” the China Daily editorial added.

The newspaper notes also the continued strength of transatlantic institutions.

“The transatlantic relationship has proven resilient precisely because it is not built on sentiment, but on binding pacts, institutional depth and ‘shared interests’ that transcend any single US administration. NATO, the EU-US Trade and Technology Council and the Five Eyes intelligence framework are not loose political understandings; they are bureaucratic and operational systems with enormous inertia,” the China Daily wrote.

As for Western countries’ economic ties with China, the track record of the past few years shows that the relevant arrangements can be revised under the pressure of allied commitments, the article says.

“These reversals reveal a hard truth: economic cooperation with China is often conditional, reversible and politically fragile for some US allies. When US pressure rises, alliance discipline tends to prevail,” writes China Daily.

Thus, the newspaper concludes that cooperation with China will remain selective, subject to the influence of foreign political conjuncture and transatlantic solidarity.