The art of the swarm: Systemic rivalry with China on European terms
The European Council on Foreign Relations argues that Europe should adopt a "swarm" strategy—coordinated, decentralised competition across multiple domains—to effectively rival China systemically while maintaining its own values and interests. Rather than mirroring China's state-centric model, the EU should leverage its strengths in networks, rules, and technology to compete flexibly.
Background
- The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is a pan-European think tank that argues for a more strategically autonomous EU foreign policy.
- This piece proposes "systemic rivalry" as a middle ground for EU-China relations — between out-right decoupling and the old assumption that trade would liberalise China.
- "Art of the swarm" means using many small, coordinated actions across trade, tech and diplomacy instead of a single big confrontation.
- Since 2019, the EU has called China a "systemic rival" alongside a partner and competitor. The debate has intensified over Chinese overcapacity in green tech, rare earth dependence, and Huawei in 5G.
- Presumes familiarity with EU institutional terms and "de-risking" (reducing vulnerability without full decoupling).