You may not know what the Opium Wars were but the Chinese remember.

China has decimated European manufacturing. Europe is addicted to the low cost imports China provides. Europe has not enjoyed a trade surplus for decades. China is reverse engineering the global monetary system via Hong Kong.

The Chinese are now receiving the Russian oil and gas that was formerly fueling Europe- and China gets it at a nice discount while the payments for it make possible Putins attack on Eastern Europe. Russia is Chinas military proxy challenging NATO at its periphery...and dependent upon Chinas support.

China is the threat to US hegemony and Europe is monetarily and militarily subservient and tributary to the US.