Working with others

This chapter explores how European cities coordinate, or fail to coordinate, their international activities with regional, national, and EU-level authorities in their relations with China. Building on multi-level governance theory, it conceptualises coordination as both a vertical and horizontal process that shapes the coherence and credibility of European external action. Drawing on a survey of over 200 municipalities across 24 EU countries and detailed case studies of France, Germany, and Poland, the chapter reveals a striking diversity of approaches. Coordination is neither automatic nor uniform – while France exemplifies a soft yet institutionalised model, Germany operates through informal and fragmented dialogue, and Poland illustrates a highly centralised but politically volatile setting. Across cases, the extent of coordination depends less on formal structures than on political culture, trust, and the perceived strategic value of cooperation with China. The chapter concludes that effective multi-level coordination enhances Europe's diplomatic capacity without undermining local autonomy. Rather than imposing control, coordination should be understood as a flexible and dialogical partnership, supported by connective infrastructures, i.e. shared data, regular consultations, and advisory mechanisms, that allow cities to act as legitimate and strategic contributors to Europe's collective engagement with China.