China’s new investment deal with the European Union may have given Beijing the opportunity to drive a wedge between Brussels and Washington, allowing it to emerge the “winner in geopolitics,” according to the U.S.-based Rhodium Group.

The EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment was signed on Wednesday, after almost seven years of often-tense negotiations. The pact promises European companies greater access to Chinese markets, as well as assurances on fair competition and state-subsidies, among other issues.

State-owned Xinhua News Agency said on Thursday that the deal was a milestone in Sino-Europe relations, and that it would help the world economy recover in the post-pandemic age and boost confidence in globalization and free trade.

However, it comes as the incoming administration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden had been hoping to maintain a united front in the West’s approach to China.

Noah Barkin, a Sino-Europe expert at Rhodium, warned that once the agreement comes into force it would mark a victory for Beijing’s geopolitics as it could see the EU and China align in handling the U.S.

In recent years, tensions between the U.S. and China have been escalating at a dizzying pace due to trade disputes and Beijing’s increasing technological and military threat.

Jake Sullivan, nominated by Biden as a national security adviser, said on Twitter that the new president was eager to discuss shared concerns with America’s “European partners” regarding China’s economic activities.

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