European leaders have singled out a new assertiveness by China, particularly its Belt and Road Initiative, as a spur to develop a joint foreign policy that could see Europe contest China's infrastructure drive into central Asia.

Despite a range of major foreign policy headaches closer to home including Russian aggression, a flailing defence relationship with the United States and Brexit, European leaders attending a major security summit in Munich on the weekend made time to speak of the challenges posed by China's Belt and Road initiative – a massive infrastructure play that is pushing Chinese development of road and sea lanes towards Europe across Central Asia.