Collaborations urged amid turbulence

For Vuk Jeremic, former president of the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly and former Serbian foreign minister, the storm is no longer distant — the world is in the midst of geopolitical turbulence, and while the roof is leaking, the time for structural reforms has passed — at least for now.

"You gotta wait for the rain to stop in order to fix the roof," he said in an exclusive interview with China Daily, adding that Europe had been under anesthesia for decades. "Europe should have woken up many, many years ago. Sadly, it hasn't," he said, referring to Europe-US relations.

He said the awakening did not come through self-reflection but through external events, beginning with United States President Donald Trump's shake-up of the foundational links of the transatlantic alliance, followed by the evolving Ukraine conflict, where the US has left its European allies watching from the sidelines. Jeremic said he believes this might set off a chaotic search for relevance and strategic direction.

Yet the problem is not only political. Beneath the surface lie deeper structural issues, such as economic stagnation, demographic imbalance, migration pressures, and most crucially, a growing technological gap, he said. In a world increasingly driven by artificial intelligence, green innovation, and digital infrastructure, Jeremic warned that Europe risks falling irreversibly behind. Global leadership in these areas is no longer confined to its traditional Western allies, as China is emerging as a key player.

If Europe is to maintain global competitiveness, Jeremic argued, it must engage, not retreat, which requires a fundamental recalibration of strategic relationships. "Europe needs to rethink its relationship with the United States," he said. "And it must seriously consider how it engages with China." In his view, cooperation with China is not only pragmatic but essential, particularly in key areas such as green transition.

"I can hardly see zero emissions by 2050 happening without real engagement with China," he said, pointing to China's leadership in electric vehicles, battery production, and high-speed rail. He sees Europe's current trajectory — shaped by past transatlantic politics and its economic disengagement from China — as short-sighted and in need of reassessment. "You can turn your head and say, 'I don't want to cooperate with China on high-speed rail'," he said. "But then, who are you going to work with? At what cost? And will it be as good as what the Chinese can deliver? Probably not."

Jeremic expressed concerns over Europe's growing security anxiety and the rapid increase in defense spending. While acknowledging that such a choice is legitimate, he warned that it would come at a high cost, especially for Europe, since it, unlike the US, cannot print money infinitely. "If they decide to spend it on defense, then I fear that it becomes a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy," he continued. "If two sides are hyper busy beefing up their defense and preparing for war, producing arms and so on, then eventually the likelihood of them getting into a conflict ...is much higher."

Meanwhile, the international system built to mediate such tensions is faltering. Calls for reform of global governance have been persistent, but largely rhetorical. "Reform happens when times are good, when cooperation is thriving," Jeremic said. "And now it's raining, and raining quite badly," he said, using a metaphor. In his view, meaningful renovation of institutions like the United Nations or the Bretton Woods system cannot happen amid geopolitical storm clouds. What is possible, perhaps, is to patch up what can be patched up, that is, to prevent collapse until clearer skies return. But systemic overhaul will have to wait.

What worries Jeremic more is the direction in which global politics may evolve in the meantime. He foresees a complex, overlapping future: limited institutional reforms on one hand; growing reliance on alternative platforms such as BRICS, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the European Union on the other; and a disturbing rise in unilateralism as states grow frustrated with multilateral paralysis. He called this a "geopolitical recession", and warned that it could deepen unless strategic thinking is restored.

As a Serbian, Jeremic speaks from both personal and national experience. Reflecting on the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999, he called it "one of the most dramatic mistakes of the US administration".It was, in his eyes, a violation of sovereignty, especially considering Kosovo's deep ties to Serbia's national identity. Citing the US-led war in Iraq, he said he believes this reflects a broader trend in which successive US governments missed crucial moments to reform global governance, while choosing coercion over cooperation. Now, with little appetite for reform in Washington, he said the world must navigate its way through the storm without illusions.

Jeremic said he believes that turbulence can lead to transformation, not fatalism — if Europe is willing to adapt. That means embracing global cooperation, recognizing that multipolarity is not a threat but a reality, and understanding that countries like China are not peripheral actors but central partners in addressing shared challenges. "The next few years will be years of transformations," he said. "I hope that out of those transformations, we're going to see a different Europe — one that is more open to global cooperation with everyone, starting with and including China."

Having visited China nearly 50 times during the past two decades, Jeremic spoke with recognition of the country's fast and stable development. He called it "perhaps the most dramatically successful experiment in the history of human development", citing both the speed and scale of China's transformation. From lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty to leading in technological innovation, he sees China as a critical player in the global future.

He noted that Serbia was the first European country to join China in building a community with a shared future in the new era, describing it as a logical extension of decades of strategic partnership. He said he believes such a framework would grow in importance as the world becomes increasingly interconnected and dependent on shared solutions.