The European Union and China are entering a new, more turbulent era in trade relations, as China has evolved from Europe’s favoured customer into a sophisticated competitor, a Brussels lobbyist has said.

Chinese businesses are likely to face tougher scrutiny in the EU market as a result, with Brussels already taking steps to diversify its trade and mulling more robust measures to shield local industry from Chinese competition, according to Michael Koplovsky, a senior adviser at the strategic communications firm Kreab International.

“There was a recognition of China as a partner some years ago, and China is a very important market for European goods,” Koplovsky said during an interview at the UBS Asian Investment Conference in Hong Kong on Thursday.

“Now, Europeans have become a little more sceptical, a little more wary of China.”

The shift in perception has been partly driven by China’s rapid strides in strategic sectors including solar, wind, batteries and electric vehicles, where Chinese firms now present a challenge to European industry, said the lobbyist, who is also a visiting professor at the College of Europe.

So far, the shift in attitudes towards China has not been as pronounced in Europe as in the United States, according to Koplovsky – a former senior US diplomat. Brussels tends to view its relationship with Beijing in terms of competition, whereas Washington is gravitating towards a concept of “strategic rivalry”.

However, he cautioned that the rift could deepen further. “I don’t know how far Europe will go, but I do see the movement,” he said.