The Long Council
Who was selected, and why
Should the EU tighten its partnership with China in light of the deteriorating relations?
The central tension
Strategic autonomy versus alliance solidarity — whether Europe can maintain economic partnership with China while preserving transatlantic security relationships and avoiding dangerous dependencies.
Selected members
Helmut Schmidt
Will argue: Europe must preserve strategic flexibility and avoid binary choices imposed by great powers; economic interdependence can be a stability instrument if managed reciprocally
Architect of European strategic autonomy who navigated between US and Soviet pressures during the Cold War · His consistent advocacy for European sovereignty in T3, management of US pressure over Soviet gas pipeline, and framework for small/medium power coalitions in multipolar systems
Sun Tzu
Will argue: The EU should maintain economic engagement while strengthening defensive capabilities; strategic deception and multiple options prevent being cornered into unfavorable binary choices
Strategic framework for managing adversarial relationships and avoiding direct confrontation · Core principles on knowing both self and adversary, achieving objectives without fighting, and strategic positioning under competitive pressure
Lee Kuan Yew
Will argue: The EU should make itself useful to both powers while building independent capabilities; choosing sides early reduces leverage and strategic options
Practitioner experience of small state strategy navigating US-China competition without choosing sides · Extensive record on managing great power competition, making Singapore indispensable to multiple powers simultaneously, and avoiding forced binary choices
Konrad Adenauer
Will argue: European unity and institutional deepening are prerequisites for effective China strategy; fragmented European approaches will be defeated by Chinese divide-and-rule tactics
Architect of European integration as a response to great power pressure and model for institutional sovereignty through pooled authority · His Westintegration strategy, Franco-German reconciliation as foundation for European autonomy, and framework for anchoring sovereignty through institutional commitments
Deng Xiaoping
Will argue: China's primary focus remains domestic development; partnership opportunities exist if Europe avoids treating China as an ideological threat and focuses on mutual economic benefit
Architect of China's economic opening and strategic patience doctrine; essential for understanding Chinese strategic thinking and motivations · His "hide and bide" strategy, selective opening to foreign investment while maintaining political control, and framework for asymmetric development under great power pressure
Considered but not selected
Mahathir Mohamad: Relevant experience with resisting Western pressure, but his confrontational approach less applicable to EU's institutional constraints
Franklin D. Roosevelt: Institutional architect but his framework assumes US leadership role rather than middle power strategy
Margaret Thatcher: Strong views on sovereignty but her framework prioritizes bilateral US relationship over European autonomy