#China
China’s Soft Power Debacle in Eastern Europe
This article was originally published by International Politics and Society. The article is also available in Russian. Over the past ten years, China’s growing power, as well as its increasing geopolitical engagement has become…
The US, China, and the Race for 5G in the South Caucasus
As the US-China geopolitical divide looms ever larger and competing visions for global order are yet to crystallize, the technological realm and the spread of 5G is one area where both Beijing and Washington…
Why Ukraine is Reassessing its Defense Cooperation with China
In January, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview that he would not allow China to take control of Ukrainian enterprise Motor Sich. “Never… not under me. I am not here for life……
Why a United Front of CEE Countries Against China is Not in the Cards
The February summit of the 17+1 initiative has been rightfully portrayed as a failure of Chinese attempts to revive the cooperation and raise its image through the inaugural presence of Xi Jinping. For the…
Latvians Still Believe in Economic Cooperation with China
This article is based on the author’s work on the Central European Institute of Asian Studies 2021 research project “European public opinion on China in the age of COVID-19. It was originally published by…
Sino-Czech Honeymoon, Five Years On
“I want to apologize that I do not have a working golden chariot for you to take, as Elizabeth II had for you,” quipped the Czech President Zeman welcoming Chinese leader Xi Jinping on…
China, the 17+1 Platform, and Taiwan: a ‘New Stage’?
At the occasion of the 17+1 virtual summit held in February, Chinese President Xi Jinping confidently declared that ties between China and the 17 Central Eastern European countries entered a new stage. By now…
Why the EU Must Deal with Montenegro’s Chinese Debt
Dritan Abazović, Montenegro’s deputy prime minister, formally requested the European Union’s help in repaying the debt to the Exim Bank of China in late March. The appeal not only renewed the EU’s focus on…
Can European AML Laws Reveal Who Owns Huawei?
To improve the transparency of Chinese companies, the EU needs to change how it approaches beneficial ownership registration under the block’s Anti Money Laundering (AML) rules. A large part of the discussions surrounding security…
China’s Rapidly Developing Disinformation Requires a European Response
As China’s ‘mask diplomacy’ has receded, ‘vaccine diplomacy’ has quickly taken its place and added vigor to China’s efforts to “tell the China story well” in Europe. Amidst these efforts, Brussels has been caught…
Watchdogs Detail Damage Done by China in the Western Balkans
Construction of the Bar – Boljare highway in Montenegro by China’s China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) has brought irreversible damage to the UNESCO-protected Tara River. Known as the “Tear of Europe”, its riverbanks…
Serbia Turns Multi-Vector Foreign Policy into Development Model… With China’s Help
Few people following international affairs will have missed the now infamous photo of the Serbian President, Alexander Vucic, kissing the Chinese flag at Belgrade Airport a year ago. In the global scramble for protective…