Setting the course: Japan’s new security strategy
Japan’s new security strategy sends a powerful signal to current and future allies – and to possible adversaries
Asia
Dancing with wolf warriors: China’s covid U-turn and its implications for Europe
Both China’s zero-covid U-turn and gentler diplomatic tone are politically useful for Xi Jinping. European leaders should remain vigilant in the face of a potential new charm offensive
Davos world: Alexander Stubb and Mark Leonard live from the WEF
Mark Leonard and Alexander Stubb give us their take on this year’s World Economic Forum
In:Sight China with Liu Hongqiao
Janka Oertel and Liu Hongqiao discuss China’s role at COP27 and the outlook of the country’s energy transition
From 5G hardware to apps and data: How Huawei has adapted to survive
Huawei’s new approach is allowing the company to secure positions at the very core of the future data economy
Still a sceptic: How Italy’s new government could influence the EU’s approach to China
Rome’s ‘Italy First’ approach to China will not necessarily undermine EU strategy on the country, and it could even strengthen it
Introducing: In:Sight China with Wang Jisi
Introducing our new podcast mini-series In:Sight China. Subscribe now!
The global race for semiconductor hegemony
How do chips decide power in today’s geopolitical competition?
The Clash of Orders with Pratap Bhanu Mehta on India
Mark Leonard is joined by Pratap Bhanu Mehta to discuss the Indian perspective on order
Publications
A question of balance: India and Europe after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Europeans have found India’s position on the Ukraine war frustrating. But, although it is dependent on Russia for its arms, and has huge worries about China, India is actually moving inexorably closer to the West.
Circuit breakers: Securing Europe’s green energy supply chains
Europeans risk over-dependence on China for the green technologies needed to build the low-carbon economy of the future. They should take steps to reduce their exposure – while recognising they will have to work with Chinese suppliers in some instances.
Let a thousand contacts bloom: How China competes for influence in Bulgaria
China is expanding its presence in Bulgaria through a strategy of engagement with state and non-state actors. This has concerning implications in areas such as technology transfer, critical infrastructure, and public procurement.
What Europeans think about the US-China Cold War
A majority of European citizens believe a new cold war with both China and Russia is under way – but they mostly do not think that their own country is involved
The fall of the Afghan government and what it means for Europe
ECFR’s policy experts examine what the Taliban takeover means for countries and regions around the world: Europe, the US, the Middle East, Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, and the Sahel
Fish and ships: Chinese fishing and Europe’s Indo-Pacific strategy
Beijing instrumentalises its fishing fleet for geopolitical gain, as evidenced by its policy on the South China Sea. Europe cannot be a bystander on the issue.
Network effects: Europe’s digital sovereignty in the Mediterranean
The EU has the ambition and potential to become a sovereign digital power, but it lacks an all-encompassing strategy for the sector, in which individual governments are still the key players
Home advantage: How China’s protected market threatens Europe’s economic power
The EU urgently needs to incorporate the concept and reality of the ‘protected home market advantage’ into its thinking on China
Decade of patience: How China became a power in the Western Balkans
As European and US ambivalence towards the Western Balkans persists, the region will be in increasing danger of falling into an endless spiral of competition between various foreign actors
Climate superpowers: How the EU and China can compete and cooperate for a green future
As climate action becomes more material to economic interests, Europe and China will both compete and cooperate with each other, against the backdrop of an overarching systemic rivalry
Articles
Setting the course: Japan’s new security strategy
Japan’s new security strategy sends a powerful signal to current and future allies – and to possible adversaries
Dancing with wolf warriors: China’s covid U-turn and its implications for Europe
Both China’s zero-covid U-turn and gentler diplomatic tone are politically useful for Xi Jinping. European leaders should remain vigilant in the face of a potential new charm offensive
From 5G hardware to apps and data: How Huawei has adapted to survive
Huawei’s new approach is allowing the company to secure positions at the very core of the future data economy
Still a sceptic: How Italy’s new government could influence the EU’s approach to China
Rome’s ‘Italy First’ approach to China will not necessarily undermine EU strategy on the country, and it could even strengthen it
China’s wolf warriors and feminist foreign policy: A German approach
In a new world of strongmen and power politics, German policymakers should look beyond existing feminist foreign policy guidelines to develop a new China policy
Rogue NATO: The new face of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
The SCO is often seen as the anti-NATO, but Putin will struggle to convince the other members – especially the Central Asian states – that his war is more important than Chinese investment
Democratic deterrence: Why Europeans should challenge China’s narrative on Taiwan
Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan is no deviation from established protocols as China claims. Rather, it is a sign of a fundamental change in lawmakers’ ability to support democracy.
Russia’s war on Ukraine viewed from China
Westerners regard Russia’s war as an attack on the rules-based order, but Chinese scholars see it as another harbinger of the denouement of US hegemony. While Americans and Europeans can argue with this position, it would be a mistake not to take it seriously.
Tokyo drift: War in Europe and Japan’s shifting strategy
Japan has clearly signalled that it will not stand on the sidelines of global crises. It is now committed to bold diplomacy and the protection of the rules-based international order.
Ambitions and access: The new economic framework for the Indo-Pacific
The new US-led economic framework for the Indo-Pacific may have limited power to manage China’s ascendence. But the EU has good reasons to pay attention to the discussions around it.
Specials
Mapping China’s rise in the Western Balkans
China is building up its influence in the Western Balkans through projects focused on everything from energy and infrastructure to culture, education, and media. If the European Union is to achieve its geopolitical goals in the region, it will need to understand the nature of competition with Beijing in all these areas.
Moving closer: European views of the Indo-Pacific
It will take more than just strong support from France, Germany, and the Netherlands to ensure that the new EU strategy for the Indo-Pacific is effective in the long term
What does India think?
Indians are many, as are their demands, aspirations, and ideas
Podcasts
Davos world: Alexander Stubb and Mark Leonard live from the WEF
Mark Leonard and Alexander Stubb give us their take on this year’s World Economic Forum
In:Sight China with Liu Hongqiao
Janka Oertel and Liu Hongqiao discuss China’s role at COP27 and the outlook of the country’s energy transition
Introducing: In:Sight China with Wang Jisi
Introducing our new podcast mini-series In:Sight China. Subscribe now!
The global race for semiconductor hegemony
How do chips decide power in today’s geopolitical competition?
The Clash of Orders with Pratap Bhanu Mehta on India
Mark Leonard is joined by Pratap Bhanu Mehta to discuss the Indian perspective on order
The Clash of Orders with Rana Mitter on China
In this first episode of our mini-series, Mark Leonard talks to Rana Mitter about the Chinese understanding of order
Rogue NATO: The new face of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
In this week’s episode, Jeremy Shapiro joins an all-star ECFR panel of experts to discuss the SCO summit’s geopolitical implications
Sino-Russian relations after the Kremlin’s attack on Ukraine
How is Russia’s attack on Ukraine perceived in China? Will Russia and China be joining forces in an ‘alliance of autocracies’? What does Russian and Chinese policymakers planning look like now – and what should Europeans do?
The Age of Unpeace: Therapy for internationalists | Session 5 with Anu Bradford, Tom Wright and Feng Zhang
Join us on this journey to a more therapeutic approach to international relations. The mini-series brings you five special episodes with guests including today’s Anu Bradford, Thomas Wright, and Feng Zhang.
Events
12 Oct
2022 European Caucus on China
The European Caucus on China is a collaborative project between the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS)
21 Jun
India-China Luncheon Lectures – India and the new geopolitics of technology
In this session, Pramit Pal Chaudhuri will elaborate on India’s role in shaping the new geopolitics of technology
17 May
It’s complicated: The Russia-China Axis
This event is part of the German Forum on Security Policy, organised by the Federal Academy for Security Policy (BAKS).
12 May
Green energy and China: How to avoid new dependencies?
Rhodium Group are delighted to invite you to the virtual launch event of our new policy paper “Circuit Breakers: Securing the Green Energy Supply Chain”
11 May
India-China Luncheon Lectures – Sino-Indian competition in the Indian Ocean
The ECFR Asia Programme is delighted to invite you to our online webinar which is part of our virtual luncheon series dedicated to the future of India-China relations. …
20 Apr
India-China Luncheon Lectures – Ukraine and India’s great power relations
In our sixth India-China Luncheon Lecture, Professor C. Raja Mohan will discuss the implications of Russia’s war in Ukraine on India’s relations with China, the US, and the EU.
14 Apr
Представяне на доклад – Да разцъфтят хиляди контакти: Как Китай се съревновава за влияние в България
Софийският офис на Европейския съвет за външна политика има удоволствието да Ви покани на представянето на новия доклад на Владимир Шопов, „Да разцъфтят хиляди…
23 Mar
India-China Luncheon Lectures – An Indian vision of China’s political trajectory under Xi Jinping
In the latest iteration of our India-China Luncheon Series, Jayadeva Ranade will shed light on the Indian perspective of China’s radical policy shift under Xi Jinping
11 Mar
Identifying and countering China’s global digital strategy
NBR, Institut Montaigne (IM), and ECFR partner for a joint virtual event to discuss China’s global digital strategy
10 Mar
The EU and Japan: Strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific
In collaboration with the Embassy of Japan in Madrid, ECFR has organised a public virtual debate to explore how the EU and the Indo-Pacific can build a strategic alliance and how the EU-Japan relationship can drive this process
In the media
It is another example of a broader shift in the perception of China not only as an economic opportunity, but also as a political responsibility
China’s ‘wolf warrior’ diplomacy and its tacit approval of Russia’s war in Ukraine have not only affected the country’s economy, but also its image in the eyes of its European partners
Marie Dumoulin gave an interview to the Vatican news about the early parliamentary elections that will take place in Kazakhstan in March
Due to the decades-long one-child policy, the only children migrating to the cities are also theoretically responsible for caring for their elderly parents
Meanwhile, some segments of Chinese society were burdened by the economic costs of the zero-covid policy