Russia believes that weakness narrative, and not just about Biden, not even primarily about Biden, about the West, about the United States and Europe
Media mentions – China
China’s influence in the region, according to ECFR, is nowhere near as strong as some Arab states would have the rest of the world believe
ECFR’s research on China’s influence in the Arab world is mentioned
By Europeanising the problem, China has turned this into a test for the entire EU
Business with and in China is no longer ‘just business’
Apart from classical sanctions, it’s really hard to see what else France or the European Commission could do
Germany’s attitude towards China has slowly changed over the past years, as more and more actors, including business, are beginning to see China as a threat rather than just a trading partner
Since news emerged in September that the government of Mali was negotiating a contract with Russian private military company Wagner Group, France and other European states have made the issue a focus
While China’s Belt and Road Initiative is massive, bigger does not always mean better when it comes to strategically significant partnerships
On China talk of the country as ‘a strategic partner is definitely gone,’ with much more emphasis on Beijing as ‘a systemic rival’ and economic competitor
We have never really understood what the world looks like through Chinese eyes and what China is up to