The global race for semiconductor hegemony
How do chips decide power in today’s geopolitical competition?
China
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)
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
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
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
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.
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
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.
Publications
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
The new China consensus: How Europe is growing wary of Beijing
In its remaining months, the German Council presidency could use this momentum to create institutional structures to improve the EU’s capacity to act
Articles
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.
Cold reality: How Europe is adjusting to China’s support for Putin
To address the systemic challenge China poses, the EU will also need to address the fallout in the global south of Russia’s war on Ukraine
Southern discomfort: The West’s competition with China in the Balkans
The West has only recently started to develop a coordinated strategy to compete with China in the Balkans. This contest has now begun in earnest.
Russia’s escalation in Ukraine: Views from Asia
Asia’s three largest powers all have a stake in the Russia-Ukraine crisis. China hopes to change the global order, Japan aims to resist this effort, and India is eager not to alienate Russia or the West.
Games changer: How China is rewriting global rules and Russia is playing along
Beijing and Moscow are unlikely to rush to each other’s aid during a military escalation, be it in Ukraine or over Taiwan. But the enabling environment of their mutual diplomatic support matters greatly.
Net positive: Europe, Japan, and the benefits of small-scale cyber-security cooperation
Japan supports an open, free, and secure internet, as well as the application of international norms to state activities in cyberspace. The country should be the primary focus of EU efforts to develop a shared cyber-security agenda in the Indo-Pacific.
Coercion with Chinese characteristics: How Europe should respond to interference in its internal trade
China is pressuring EU companies to cease trading with Lithuanian firms. This is a critical moment for the European Union – it should build up defences for its internal market and protect member states and companies from political coercion.
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.
Podcasts
The global race for semiconductor hegemony
How do chips decide power in today’s geopolitical competition?
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.
Jamil Anderlini: Inside scoop on POLITICO Europe
Mark Leonard talks to POLITICO Europe’s Editor-in-Chief Jamil Anderlini to discuss China, and Anderlini’s plans for POLITICO
The transatlantic meaning of AUKUS
What does AUKUS mean for the future of transatlantic relations?
Lead time: How Germany should move on from Merkel | Episode 2 – China Policy
How should the next German government concretely shape its China policy, and its approach to the Indo-Pacific?
The fall of the Afghan government and what it means for Europe
How will the Western withdrawal impact on the state of European defence and military capabilities?
China’s strategic approach to the Western Balkans
How much influence does China already have in the Western Balkans and how should European policymakers react?
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
15 Feb
India-China Luncheon Lectures – The 2020 Galwan crisis and the future of India-China relations
Lt Gen SL Narasimhan will discuss how India can enhance its security and promote its national interest in an unbalanced strategic environment with China.
In the media
The Zero Covid policy was not only implemented to save lives in light of low vaccination rates, but it also helped to reinforce Xi Jinping’s approach towards the absolute control of society
The zero-covid strategy has strengthened China’s control mechanisms
Janka Oertel on China’s zero-covid strategy and what impact last week’s protests have had on the government
Washington spends two to three times more on its defence than all its allies combined, which explains its power. Not to mention its intelligence and cyber capabilities…
This idea that China can play a role as a mediator is based on zero empirical facts, it is instead more wishful thinking on the part of European leaders
Janka Oertel comments on Macron’s trip to seek China’s help mediating Russia’s war on Ukraine