Europe has lost one superpower ally – can it afford to be in the crosshairs of two? | Nathalie Tocci

For years, the EU followed the US's lead when it came to China. That is no longer an option and Beijing has other priorities

Europe's relationship with the US is unmoored, but it has also lost its bearings with regard to China, caught by competing forces that pull and push in opposite directions.

Europe's China policy used to be a function of Washington's. When Barack Obama tried and then failed to pivot to Asia in 2011, sucked into turmoil in the Middle East instead, Europeans lulled themselves into the belief that their relationship with Asia could continue to be driven by trade, with security an afterthought.

Nathalie Tocci is a Guardian Europe columnist