What Europeans got wrong about the China-Russia friendship
Europeans have misunderstood the Sino-Russian friendship and its implications. But how can we change course? This episode delve into the complex relationship between China and Russia, particularly in the context of the Ukraine war and European perceptions. In discussion with host Emma Belmonte, China-experts Ivana Karaskova (CHOICE) and Alicja Bachulska (ECFR) discuss how Central and Eastern European countries have a different understanding of this relationship compared to Western Europe, emphasizing the mentality of fear that drives Chinese leadership.
This month’s guests:
Dr. Alicja Bachulska is a Research Fellow at CHOICE and Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations where she focuses on Chinese foreign policy and China-EU relations.
Ivana Karásková, Ph.D., is a Founder and Lead of CHOICE & China Projects Lead at the Association for International Affairs (AMO) in Prague, Czech Republic. She is a an ex-Fulbright scholar at Columbia University, NYC, a member of Hybrid CoE in Helsinki and European China Policy Fellow at MERICS in Berlin. She advised the Vice-President of the European Commission, Věra Jourová, on Defense of Democracy Package.
This episode is part of the project “Central and Eastern Europe and the Future of the European China Debate” by AMO (CHOICE), ECFR and OSW, generously supported by Stiftung Mercator.
Link to the report: https://ecfr.eu/publication/great-changes-unseen-the-china-russia-nexus-and-european-security/
Written by
Emma Belmonte
Emma Belmonte is China Projects Analyst at AMO, specializing in Beijing’s influence on European political discourse, Chinese security and law enforcement activities in Europe, and Taiwan-Europe cooperation initiatives. Emma has been working as a reporter specialized on Chinese speaking regions and has written multiple feature articles and conducted on the ground reporting in both Taiwan and China. She reported on topics ranging from China’s presence in the DR Congo, life in Taiwan’s Matsu Islands amidst cross-strait tensions, and the contrasting realities behind China’s manufacturing industry. Her work has been published in various media outlets including GEO magazine, Figaro Magazine, Asialyst and the Green European Journal. She holds a Master’s degree in Modern Chinese Studies from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon.
