#Security
China Holds a Kill Switch to European Power Grids
As the EU leans into its ambitious climate goals, solar energy has become the poster child of the energy transition. On the surface, it appears to be a success story in the global race…
From Chips to Mercenaries: China’s Role in Russia’s War
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to disclose the capture of Chinese nationals fighting alongside Russian forces in occupied Donbas, along with his statements regarding Beijing’s military assistance to Moscow, underscores two key dynamics. First, it…
Ghosts of FDI Past: Rethinking Poland’s China Strategy
This article is based on the research paper “Red Flags or Economic Gains? The Reality of Chinese FDI in Poland” by Joanna Nawrotkiewicz, published by the Association for International Affairs (AMO) in April 2025. As Poland…
What Beijing’s Multipolar World Means for Ukraine and Europe
While recent shifts in the US position on Russia’s war against Ukraine have been met with considerable anxiety, leading to calls for rapid rearmament in Europe, Beijing has a radically different perspective. For China,…
Voice for CHOICE #53: Countering the “Axis of Evil” Alliance with Kateryna Musiienko
When discussing Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, we often focus on its broader, pan-European implications. In doing so, we sometimes overlook the profound local impact on Ukrainian communities, with individual stories only occasionally…
China’s Narrative Warfare in Africa: Influence and Mechanisms
This article is based on a research report titled ‘Strings attached: China’s narrative influence in Sub-Saharan Africa’ originally published on January 30, 2025, by Hybrid CoE. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is frustrated that its economic and…
Voice for CHOICE #52: Future of Japan’s Defense with Nobushige Takamizawa
As China continues to speak about “peaceful reunification” while raising regional tensions, and Donald Trump’s new administration takes full effect, Japan faces growing uncertainty. Despite maintaining a strong working relationship with President Trump during…
Interlinked Instability: Central and Eastern Europe and the Indo-Pacific in a Changing Geopolitical Landscape
The “Interlinked Instability: Central and Eastern Europe and the Indo-Pacific in a Changing Geopolitical Landscape” conference, held in Prague on March 3–4, 2025, brought together policymakers, academics, and security experts to discuss shared challenges…
Beyond TikTok: The National Security Risks of Chinese Agricultural Drones
This article was originally published by War on the Rocks and is republished here with the permission of the authors. While Washington fixates on TikTok’s potential to share personal data with Chinese intelligence for disinformation…
Voice for CHOICE #48: Combatting Malign Influence in Cyberspace with Puma Shen
In recent years, countries like Russia, Iran and China have started to ramp up their efforts to influence public opinion, interfere in democratic process, and undermine democratic regimes. Influence operations, including propaganda, disinformation, and…
Why the EU Must Keep Talking with China about Russia
It seems that recently, there have been growing doubts as to whether there is still a need to talk to China about Russia and their ‘no-limits’ friendship. This was noticeable during Scholz’s visit to China, whose request to Xi Jinping to put pressure on Putin to withdraw Russian troops from Ukraine was met with harsh criticism. While Scholz’s visit deserves to be scrutinized, mainly because his stance undermines the EU China agenda, including the German China strategy, his comments on Ukraine should not be assessed so negatively. Raising the Russia issue and asking China to put pressure on Putin is an important factor in the Western delicate deterrence-assurance game with Beijing.
Could China Be the Key to Palestinian Unity?
In April 2024, Beijing hosted reconciliation talks between two rival Palestinian factions, the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). Although the meeting brought no concrete results, the two sides seemingly showed willingness to continue working towards internal Palestinian unity and solidarity. This comes as China tries to establish a firm footing in the Middle East by aiding with the mediation of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, who have been at war since the October 7 massacre.