#China
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fishy Promises
CEE-China cooperation could be quite different after Lithuania’s withdrawal from the 17+1 platform. As Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz and his crew of demolition spaceships were nearing Earth to make space for a galactic bypass, the…
China Seeks to Boost its Role in the Arctic
As of late, China has increased its engagement within the Arctic region. Natural resources, as well as new, trans-oceanic trade routes motivate Beijing to seek larger space for itself. As the region is effectively…
Czechia: A Case Study of China’s Changing Overseas Propaganda Efforts
This article originally appeared in The Diplomat. As China steps up its efforts to manage global opinions, it increasingly customizes its message to local audiences, including via cooperation with disinformation outlets. Notably, as thoroughly explored…
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…