When Xi Jinping visited Europe in late March, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker portrayed the future of EU-China relations in mixed terms: “We are strategic partners, and yes, rivals,” he said, “but competition among us is a good thing.”

On April 9, China’s Premier Li Keqiang will visit Brussels for the EU-China Summit, as European nations debate where to draw the line on investment, national security, and emerging technologies. How should Europe, and various European nations, handle their relationship with China?

Many countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) realize that even a close relationship with China will bring them little benefit. A recent report by the Mercator Institute for China Studies, a German think tank, shows how Chinese investment in CEE countries is still negligible when compared to Western Europe, and some states are beginning to realize this, writes Václav Kopecký in his comment for China File.