De-risking
Etymology
From "de-" (reduce) plus "risk." The EU and G7 adopted it around 2023 as a milder alternative to "decoupling," which implied a full economic split from China. It also has an older banking sense: dropping clients deemed too risky to serve.
noun · /dee-RISK-ing/
Reducing dependence on a strategic rival without cutting ties entirely.
What it names
The middle path in great-power economics — trimming vulnerability while keeping trade — and a deliberate softening of harsher language.
Example
Brussels insists its policy is de-risking, not decoupling — narrowing exposure in key sectors while trade overall continues.
Related idea
Deliberately weaker than decoupling: de-risking trims specific dependencies, where decoupling seeks to sever the whole economic relationship.