Sea sore: Europe’s dilemmas in the Indian Ocean
The best security guarantees for the EU’s sea lines of communication lie in the convergence between its interests and those of India and the United States
Asia
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
Shared interests: Why both China and the West support the Iran nuclear deal
China’s economic support for Iran in recent years encouraged Tehran to come back to the negotiating table. Instability in the Middle East is as little in Beijing’s interests as it is in the West’s
Corridor to nowhere: The Gwadar protests and the Pakistan-China relationship
The Gwadar protests are more than just a story of manipulation of the food insecurity and frustrations of the local population. They also illustrate the failure of an economic development strategy based on fallacies
The rule-maker race
In the coming decades, the question of who sets the global rules, standards, and norms guiding technology, trade, and economic development will be paramount. Having lost their exclusive prerogative in this domain, some Western governments have begun to rethink the universality of the rules-based order
Critical mass: Raw materials, economic coercion, and transatlantic cooperation
The EU and the US lack a shared strategy for tackling economic coercion involving critical raw materials, and it could increase transatlantic competition during severe supply disruptions
Germany, Europe, and the coming battle over 6G
Germany is right to view 6G through the lens of growing geopolitical competition. But, instead of investing in its own 6G programme, the country could better serve its interests by supporting EU efforts to develop standards in this area
China’s new military base in Africa: What it means for Europe and America
A permanent Chinese military installation in Equatorial Guinea is the culmination of nearly a decade’s investment in Africa – and will not be the last of such bases on the continent’s Atlantic coast
Germany’s new China policy
ECFR’s Janka Oertel and Andrew Small discuss how the new government in Berlin will adjust Germany’s approach to China
European trade and strategy in the Indo-Pacific: Why the EU should join the CPTPP
The EU’s strongest asset remains trade. If it makes the most of this, it could prove highly welcome to Indo-Pacific countries considering China’s application to join the regional CPTPP trade agreement