Tomasz Kamiński: “Cities as Actors in the EU Policy Towards China”

Tomasz Kamiński

by Kelsi Quick, Political Science PhD Student & Research Assistant at the European Union Center

The European Union Center recently hosted political scientist and Associate Professor of the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Łódź, Tomasz Kamiński, for his lecture entitled “Cities as Actors in the EU Policy Towards China.” In this lecture drawing on a multitude of his previous research, Kamiński makes the argument that the European Union is majorly underutilizing cities and regions in their framework of foreign policy. Given his assertion that cities and regions are in fact vital components of relations between the EU and their non-EU partners, Kamiński advocates that the EU should do more in the future to actively utilize cities and regions as actors when it comes to implementing EU foreign policy. He explains this through the lens of ‘paradiplomacy’ and applies it to the crucial case of EU-China relations.

Paradiplomacy and Cities as Actors

A vital component of Kamiński’s emphasis on cities and regions can be understood through the lens of ‘paradiplomacy,’ which argues that diplomatic-adjacent interactions occur on the subnational level between regions and cities. As a result, the power of cities and regions have grown, increasing their influence, building their power, and so on in a cycle of ever-increasing importance. Kamiński provided the audience with an example in the American context of California Governor Gavin Newsom having a formal meeting with President Xi Xinping of the People’s Republic of China. Such a meeting between a regional/substate leader and a national leader is rather rare, underlining the importance of such an event. Kamiński uses this example to highlight how impactful California — the fifth largest economy in the world — has become. The occurrence extends beyond California, with other major cities and regions becoming major global players in all aspects of policy from climate preservation initiatives to the economy. Cities and regions, Kamiński argues, already conduct influential business with cities and regions from other countries that shape relations between the two countries. Why would the EU not, then, capitalize on the capacity of subnational units to implement a more cohesive foreign policy?

The European Union and China

The European Union, Kamiński argues, has not been utilizing cities and other subnational units to their maximum potential, especially when it comes to the EU’s relationship with China. He points to the fact that 2021 was the first time that the European Parliament, with their "New EU-China Strategy," mentioned the importance of coordinating policy with “regional and local actors.” China, in contrast, has been fully aware of and actively utilizing the power of subnational units for quite some time, seen most obviously in China’s Belt and Road Initiative. In China’s case, paradiplomacy is coordinated with Beijing, a level of coordination and cohesion in which the EU is sorely lacking in comparison. Drawing on extensive research done on over 400 cities between 2020-2021, Kamiński demonstrates empirically that cooperation with China is important in at least 40% of their sample, and that, in large cities especially, the importance of such a connection is standard across the EU. In order to be a better counterpart to China and to be on more level ground, Kamiński argues, the EU must work to coordinate supranational, national, and subnational policy in ways they have failed to do in the past.

Policy Implications for the EU

Kamiński argues that in order for the EU to better develop paradiplomatic structures that enhance the cohesiveness of the EU’s foreign policy, whether it be with China or other partners, that purposeful, coordinating exercises must be conducted. One such suggestion is the "mapping" out of where in the EU there exists strong subnational ties with foreign countries, making explicit the connection that the EU could utilize when needed. Another suggestion is purposeful inclusion of subnational units when writing and conducting foreign policy. And lastly, Kamiński also stresses the importance of subnational units receiving funding from the EU for their cooperation and coordination in meeting foreign policy goals. One of the biggest challenges to moving forward with greater subnational integration in EU foreign policy is the "mental nationalism" framework, where a state-centric view takes over and the capacity and even the existence of subnational power is overlooked. Ultimately, Kamiński makes a compelling case that the EU needs to catch up with China in integrating subnational units in foreign policy—and they may even need to look to China to see just how to do that. 

A recording of the lecture may be found here.

Posted in: China,EU-China relations,European Union,foreign policy,Kelsi Quick,paradiplomacy,Tomasz Kamiński