La Cina guarda alla NATO. Le relazioni tra Pechino e l’Alleanza dalla fine della Guerra Fredda

This paper aims to analyze how the People’s Republic of China (PRC) views the North Atlantic Alliance, focusing on the evolution of relations between Beijing and Brussels in the post-Cold War period when both parties were seeking new legitimacy and roles on the global stage. The first part examines the initial phase of mutual indifference, reflected in the near-total absence of NATO in Chinese government communications and documents (addressed in the second part), despite a limited collaboration and some moments of tension. The third part dwells on the shift in relations and perceptions in the mid-2010s, coinciding with Donald Trump’s election in the U.S., which sparked increasing tensions between China and the West – further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic – thus influencing Beijing’s relations with both the European Union and NATO. The final section focuses on the results of a study by three Chinese researchers on the online platform Zhihu, exploring the Chinese middle class’s perception of NATO. This group, representing about 50% of the population and characterized by high urbanization, education, and income levels, is deeply influenced by nationalist sentiments stemming from China’s semi-colonial past.