For decades, European countries assumed that China is a benign force in international relations.
Biden administration
Daniel Kritenbrink, Nominee to be Asst. Secretary of State for East Asia, June 15, 2021

Daniel Kritenbrink opened his testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in June 2021 with these remarks. He was confirmed as Assistant Secretary in September. He joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1994. Among his roles Kritenbrink was deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in Beijing (2013-2015) and senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council (2015-2017) before serving as ambassador to Vietnam (2017-2021). 72 senators voted to confirm him in this position. 28, all Republicans, opposed his nomination or did not vote.
Ely Ratner, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Affairs, June 15, 2021
Ely Ratner offered the comments below at the start of his testimony before the Senate Armed Forces Committee. Ratner was confirmed by unanimous consent in July 2021.
Featured Articles
European views toward China are not uniform. Europeans recognize China's economic prowess and clearly favor continued ties, but majorities in much of Europe now have a negative view towards China.
Events
Tensions evident in the recent European Union-China virtual summit reflect the increasing skepticism in Europe toward China and the worries over Ukraine and economic ties as well as human rights and environmental issues.