Chinese utilities are stripping European technology out of their critical infrastructure on security grounds, while Chinese suppliers are trying to expand across Europe. Closing that gap means treating Beijing’s own risk assessments as a guide to Europe’s vulnerabilities
Europeans should defend their rules on trade, investment and infrastructure—and, in so doing, change the logic that encourages Chinese retaliation
As global power becomes more dispersed, the relationship between Europe (and the West) and China is increasingly shaped not only by trade and security but by differing conceptions of order, legitimacy, and development. This event brings together two prominent voices to explore those conceptions in frank and balanced terms. Professor Zhang Weiwei is one…
Xi Jinping’s attendance at the BRICS summit in New Delhi underlines the recent normalisation in Sino-Indian relations. This should encourage the EU to speed up its efforts to deepen ties with India
The world is undergoing a historical and cultural rupture. Just as Hollywood and other American exports once gave the rest of the world a glimpse of modern life and the future that awaited them, China is now doing the same for African, Latin American and even American young people
Mark Leonard welcomes Janka Oertel and Andrew Small to discuss how China’s industrial rise is shaking Germany—and Europe’s—economic foundations
Europe is learning to adapt to a hotter climate. It should take the same approach to economic dependencies: manage the consequences, but also change the conditions that created them
China is already the undisputed champion of traditional manufacturing. But China’s leadership wants more: it aspires to lead in the next generation of production by 2035 – and biomanufacturing has emerged as a priority for China’s economic security, resilience and strategic autonomy. Europe has seen this movie before. As with solar panels or…
Mark Leonard welcomes Adriana Abdenur and Jorge Castañeda to discuss how China is reshaping the political imagination of Latin America
ECFR polling suggests significant public support not only for tougher German policy on China but also for investment in renewables—tackling twin problems together
The next industrial revolution will be built with microbes as much as machines. China understands this. Europe still has the science to compete but must act quickly before industrial leadership slips away again
The EU can exploit its system to say no to China—now, and long into the future
Europe has a China problem and pretending otherwise is making it worse. Chinese cheap exports and a monopoly on rare earths are not just economic irritants, but leverage wielded deliberately. Europeans can no longer just de-risk. They need a deterrence strategy with teeth
Chinese electric vehicle brands are adapting to Western trade barriers by increasing their presence in the Middle East and North Africa. Europe’s response must go beyond merely closing the loopholes
Chinese foreign manipulation and interference are rising in Europe. Five techniques feature in Beijing’s playbook, communicating messages about China’s place in the world and support for Russian positions.
As American leadership wanes, middle powers are stitching a patchwork order through new approaches to conflict mediation, connectivity and development. Although these formats are fragmented and opportunistic, Europe should engage with them pragmatically
Europeans must adapt their approach to supporting Africa’s energy transitions—or risk losing out to China and other competitors
China’s manufacturing surge and trade tactics are dampening Europe’s clean-tech goals. Europeans need to forge coalitions across wary member states to secure their energy independence
A post-Western world is learning to love China, while Europeans are starting to fear America
China’s military capabilities are growing and its actions in Europe are becoming more disruptive. The EU should support Taiwan with dual-use technologies and defence cooperation to send a clear signal to Beijing
Chinese utilities are stripping European technology out of their critical infrastructure on security grounds, while Chinese suppliers are trying to expand across Europe. Closing that gap means treating Beijing’s own risk assessments as a guide to Europe’s vulnerabilities
Europeans should defend their rules on trade, investment and infrastructure—and, in so doing, change the logic that encourages Chinese retaliation
Xi Jinping’s attendance at the BRICS summit in New Delhi underlines the recent normalisation in Sino-Indian relations. This should encourage the EU to speed up its efforts to deepen ties with India
The world is undergoing a historical and cultural rupture. Just as Hollywood and other American exports once gave the rest of the world a glimpse of modern life and the future that awaited them, China is now doing the same for African, Latin American and even American young people
Europe is learning to adapt to a hotter climate. It should take the same approach to economic dependencies: manage the consequences, but also change the conditions that created them
ECFR polling suggests significant public support not only for tougher German policy on China but also for investment in renewables—tackling twin problems together
Beijing no longer needs to actively deploy economic coercion to shape Europe’s economic agenda in its interest
Donald Trump is in Beijing, but Europeans should not expect decisive guidance or a grand bargain with Xi Jinping. They should instead focus on managing their own exposure to Chinese risks
China is trending on Western social media. While rooted in disillusionment with America, the trend is making it far easier for Beijing to build soft power among Europe’s youth
Russia’s oil bonanza will hardly bridge its huge fiscal gap. China’s current pains are real, but its gains could last
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
Mark Leonard welcomes Janka Oertel and Andrew Small to discuss how China’s industrial rise is shaking Germany—and Europe’s—economic foundations
Mark Leonard welcomes Adriana Abdenur and Jorge Castañeda to discuss how China is reshaping the political imagination of Latin America
Mark Leonard welcomes Mike Kuiken and Randy Schriver to examine the evolving US-China relationship and what it means for Europe
Mark Leonard welcomes Tobias Gehrke and Andrew Small to discuss how Europeans can combat varieties of Chinese economic coercion
Mark Leonard welcomes Dan Wang to explore China’s evolving technological dominance and how its rivalry with the US and Europe will look in the future
Mark Leonard welcomes Camille Grand and Janka Oertel to unpack Taiwan’s strategic calculus amid rising global tensions, and Europe’s role in the Indo-Pacific
In recent years, China has overtaken the United States as the largest trading partner of the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Not only…
Mark Leonard welcomes Angela Zhang to discuss China’s big tech regulation
Mark Leonard welcomes Janka Oertel to discuss her new book “End of the China illusion” and the West’s biggest misconceptions about China
Mark Leonard welcomes Duan Jiuzhou to talk about China’s role in the MENA region
As global power becomes more dispersed, the relationship between Europe (and the West) and China is increasingly shaped not only by trade and security but by differing conceptions of order, legitimacy, and development. This event brings together two prominent voices to explore those conceptions in frank and balanced terms. Professor Zhang Weiwei is one…
China is already the undisputed champion of traditional manufacturing. But China’s leadership wants more: it aspires to lead in the next generation of production by 2035 – and biomanufacturing has emerged as a priority for China’s economic security, resilience and strategic autonomy. Europe has seen this movie before. As with solar panels or…
La chiusura dello Stretto di Hormuz ha posto l’Europa di fronte a una doppia sfida: ripensare la transizione energetica in un contesto di forte incertezza sugli idrocarburi e sviluppare nuove rotte di connettività per ridurre la vulnerabilità a shock geopolitici. Tra i temi al centro del confronto: l’elettrificazione come pilastro necessario ma non sufficiente,…
L’Ufficio di Roma dello European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) ha organizzato un briefing online dal titolo “From vulnerability to leverage: Europe’s defenses against Chinese economic coercion”, che si è tenuto il 21 maggio 2026 dalle ore 17:00 alle 18:00. Alla base del confronto c’era il policy brief “Beijing hold’em: European cards against Chinese…
While the war with Iran continues to escalate, Donald Trump is still set to visit China with which the stakes extend from tariffs and intensifying geopolitical rivalry. Under its latest 5-year plan, Beijing is doubling down on a centralised, export-dominated system that will intensify competition with both the US and Europe. Trump and Xi…
This week at the European Parliament, the Sofia office of the European Council on Foreign Relations, together with the office of Radan Kanev, Member of the European Parliament from the EPP Group, convened a policy discussion on the role of the energy transition in advancing the Western Balkan countries’ path toward full EU…
China now poses a deindustrialisation-level shock to Europe’s economic future. The external impact of Chinese overcapacity, involution, and Beijing’s technological leadership and supply-chain dominance in critical future technologies is presenting an existential threat to Europe’s industrial base. The EU is weighing new measures in response, including stricter investment screening, European preference in procurement, a…
This event will again bring together a diverse group of high-level policymakers and experts from all over Europe to discuss responses to the challenges posed by China’s economic, technology, foreign and security policies. In 2025, these discussions take place at a moment of unprecedented stress and uncertainty. With China and the US locked in…
As Africa becomes an increasingly central arena for Russia’s interests, the role of the United States and China is undergoing significant transformation. With Trump’s return to the White House, a broader US economic-military repositioning in Africa to contain external influences seems to occur, while Beijing continues to deepen its structural economic presence across the…
Die Beziehungen zur Volksrepublik China prägen maßgeblich die Außenpolitik der EU. Trotz strategischer Kooperationsansätze und Chinas Rolle als wichtigster Handelspartner der EU bestehen erhebliche Ungleichgewichte und politische Spannungen. Während die EU Chinas größter Absatzmarkt ist, führt das Handelsverhältnis zu einem deutlichen Defizit auf europäischer Seite. Zudem belasten Differenzen in Fragen von Demokratie, Rechtsstaatlichkeit…
