A trade deal with South Korea proves that Europe can get things done when it wants. So why is the EU's policy with China such a puzzle? Perhaps it should learn from Germany, which is showing how to talk tough to Beijing while still achieving its aims.

China's anger over the award of the Nobel peace prize to Liu Xiaobo leaves the EU with a hard question to answer: Should it stick to its human rights principles or should it look to compromise on its values in pursuit of the world's most important rising power?

On Wednesday Brussels hosts an EU-China Summit. Will Europe be able to take advantage of the opportunity? Or will it lack a real sense of urgency, like the Chinese Qing court in the middle of the 19th century, and see the rest of the world move on without it?

Many European economies might be struggling, but when it comes to trade it still counts. A new agreement over trade with South Korea has sent a strong signal, ahead of this week's EU-Korea summit, that Europe is still a serious and important global player.

The question of how the EU should deal with the world's rising powers will dominate the informal Gymnich foreign ministers' meeting and the European Council meeting over the next week. In a memo to European leaders, François Godement and Mark Leonard argue that the financial crisis may have increased Europe's leverage when it deals with Beijing