At the end of 2020, the European Union and China concluded negotiations on the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), their first bilateral investment treaty, after seven years of negotiations. The treaty enjoys broad support among EU member-state governments and will likely speed through the European Council.
But public opinion in Europe is rapidly shifting against China. The European Parliament, which also has to ratify the deal, is on the fence. If the Biden administration wants to scuttle the deal in an attempt to isolate China, it should lobby members of the EU parliament to take a tougher stand on Chinese forced labor practices.
