"I think that yes, we, Europeans, we have to have our own way of facing China. On the EU-US-China triangle, we are closer to Washington, certainly, but we have to have our own way and we are working on that," Borrell told a conference in Florence, Sputnik reported.
The chief EU diplomat said at an EU event in Italy entitled "Building Europe in Times of Uncertainty" that the 27-nation bloc should not stand in the way of China's ascent to global power status.
"I think we should not be against the rise of China. China will become a great power, like it or not. The important thing is how China will manage its power," Borrell explained.
The United States has been nudging Europe to take a tougher stance on China, its economic rival and a growing military power, to contain its rising global influence. This is despite the fact that the three remain the world's largest trading partners.