#China
A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed – Belgrade Leans Closer to Beijing in the Fight Against the COVID-19 Epidemic
As Serbia fights the coronavirus outbreak it is once again looking to China for support. Coupled with the indignation with the EU’s response, Serbia seems to be moving even closer to Beijing’s orbit. However,…
Inside of China’s Global Propaganda Campaign on COVID-19
The coronavirus epidemic has become a major test for China’s global image. While Beijing has faced criticism for its mismanagement of the epidemic in the beginning, its seeming success in containing the outbreak contrasted with…
Berlin Muddles Through Again: Why Lack of Germany’s China Strategy Should Make CEE Countries Worried
Much talk has been in the media recently about China gaining the upper hand in the Sino-German relationship. Facing economic disruptions stemming from the coronavirus epidemic in China, it is a good time to…
Sister-City Relations and Identity Politics: The Case of Prague, Beijing, Taipei, and Shanghai
When the Prague City Council approved a sister city agreement with Taiwan in January 2020, Shanghai responded by canceling its own partnership with Prague, which was established back in 2017. The cancellation came after a similar…
Countering China’s Influence Campaigns at European Universities
This article was originally published at The Diplomat and is reposted here with the permission of the author. China’s efforts to manipulate academic discourse in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) cannot be easily discerned,…
Chinese Investments in the Czech Republic: Opportunity or Threat?
Before 2015, the idea of China-Czech cooperation was a non-issue. Relations hung in a post-1989 fog of mutual disinterest and distrust, dominated by the Czech preference for prioritising Havelian anti-communism and human rights and…
Proposed EU Criteria for New Members Show Wary Europe Has China on Its Mind
The communications of the European Commission rarely receive international media attention, even on days when they do not have to compete with a possible pandemic and the impeachment drama of an American president. It has to be admitted…
Chile: The Door to China’s Influence in Latin America?
Beijing’s alleged media strategy against Hong Kong’s demonstrators through diplomatic statements and an aggressive defense on its geopolitical domains is not limited to Central and Eastern Europe, but it is rather a worldwide strategy…
Political Connectedness of Chinese Companies: A Perspective from CEE
Over the recent years, the most attention-drawing topic related to China in Europe seems to have been its inbound investment in the region. Alerted by the growing FDI inflow from China along with its…
Facing the China Challenge in the Balkans
For years, concerns in Brussels and Western European capitals about the security of southeastern Europe have centered on the threat posed by Putin’s Russia. But behind these fears the question of China looms large. Russia’s…
The EU’s Shield
With the surge of Chinese investments into sensitive sectors of the economy, some EU states have moved to enact investment screening mechanisms to manage the risks.
Estonia in the Middle of Europe’s China Debate
The appearance of China on the world stage has heated up emotions in national and transnational power corridors as well as created headlines in media and vigorous debates in public space. Recently, even in…