The European Council on Foreign Relations

China plays hard ball

2011-09-20T10:10:00+00:00

Europe's economic troubles have forced it to continue looking to China for financing. But Beijing, which is thought to hold up to 30 percent of its reserves in euros, is driving an increasingly hard bargain.

The euro crisis as seen from China

2011-08-01T12:10:27+00:00

Working out what Beijing really thinks about the euro crisis is not easy. There are Chinese voices warning that buying the debt of troubled European states is "throwing good money after bad," but others know that China cannot pour its money solely into the dollar. Ultimately, Beijing’s attitude to the euro will be determined by China’s own internal economic logic.

The EU in the doldrums: we need to hit the right nails

2011-05-19T10:31:31+00:00

In a response to José Ignacio Torreblanca's recent article, 'Five reasons why Europe is cracking', Francois Godement argues that Europeans do have a chance to tackle the current malaise, but only if they search hard and identify the real causes of the continent's woes.

Western sovereign debt and China: the great guessing game

2011-03-02T12:06:44+00:00

China's huge currency reserves, and the indebted West's need for them, have created a new game. The object for Europe is to secure investment from Beijing, while also attempting to see through the veil of secrecy to find out exactly where the Chinese are spending their money.

Is Jasmine a Chinese flower?

2011-03-01T09:30:26+00:00

For Chinese leaders who lived through 1989, events in the Middle East are bringing back worrying memories. But the Arab revolutions could also present an opportunity for Beijing to increase its influence in the region.

Beijing’s Nile Fever

2011-02-14T10:11:06+00:00

The Chinese authorities are watching events in Egypt with concern: faced with an urban protest movement in an economically-growing nation, the Mubarak regime used tactics from Beijing's book, to no avail. But China also has advantages in the race to woo the emerging Arab democracies.

Taking stock for the Lunar New Year: eight issues for the year ahead

2011-02-03T09:20:31+00:00

Eight trends to watch out for in the Year of the Rabbit: ECFR's China experts cut through the buzz of news and comment to highlight key trends and debates that could define China’s future relationship with Europe and the world.

It isn?t only about North Korea

2010-11-29T11:26:43+00:00

North Korea's attack on Yeonpyong Island last week, and reaction to it from Seoul to Washington, highlighted the power shift that has taken place within Asia. Arguments that the shelling represented a "last gasp" by Kim Jong-il's regime are wishful thinking, and events on the Korean peninsula can no longer been seen in isolation from the complex balance of power in the region.

Europe in the G20: Where’s the beef?

2010-11-10T09:58:39+00:00

Europe is playing for big stakes at the G20 in Seoul. The summit is not just about opening up to the major emerging economies, but about how the West - including Europe - deal with the challenges of staving off the economic crisis and reconfiguring international institutions.

Making sense of Europe’s puzzling China policy

2010-10-12T14:35:19+00:00

A trade deal with South Korea proves that Europe can get things done when it wants. So why is the EU's policy with China such a puzzle? Perhaps it should learn from Germany, which is showing how to talk tough to Beijing while still achieving its aims.

Europe meets China: time for the mouse to roar

2010-10-05T12:42:33+00:00

On Wednesday Brussels hosts an EU-China Summit. Will Europe be able to take advantage of the opportunity? Or will it lack a real sense of urgency, like the Chinese Qing court in the middle of the 19th century, and see the rest of the world move on without it?

Europe and the China Challenge

2010-09-07T13:44:20+00:00

Could the dream of a “G3” between the EU, China and the US ever become a reality? Or will the EU remain in the sidelines? Francois Godement argues in a piece for Le Monde that to avoid irrelevance, the EU needs to decide what it wants from China. (article in French)

GlobalChinacommentary

2010-06-17T07:53:24+00:00

The economic crisis has strengthened Chinese power relative to the rest of the world. Now, if Europe is to make its limited influence count on issues ranging from Iranian proliferation to climate change and the Dalai Lama, it needs to develop a global China policy.

KorskiGodementVolcano

2010-04-20T08:56:00+00:00

The eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano has created transport chaos, but the EU can lead the way in finding a trans-national solution to a cross-border crisis.

GodementChinaOverplayingHand

2010-03-25T15:21:08+00:00

The Copenhagen Climate Conference showed the world that China was willing to use its power aggresively. But although it walked away without having given an inch, Beijing should worry about over-playing a strong hand

The United States and Asia in 2009: public diplomacy and strategic continuity

2010-03-11T11:04:53+00:00

"Whatever works". Is this Obama's key Asia policy?

Has the EU escaped a Chinese rescue francois godement

2010-02-17T09:17:07+00:00

There is one worrying element to Greece's financial tragedy that people seem to have forgotten: Greece first turned to Beijing for help.

Once again, the China arms embargo issue godement

2010-02-03T15:36:04+00:00

Spain's call for the EU to lift the arms embargo against China suffers from bad timing and blundering diplomacy.

godementeuchinasummit

2009-12-08T17:54:56+00:00

Did anybody notice the recent EU-China summit that took place at the end of November in Nanjing? No? The summit only lasted an hour and forty-five minutes.

yaleglobal Obama in Asia godement

2009-11-16T17:48:58+00:00

Despite dissimilarities between them, a G2 of China and the US haunts Europe.

le figaro godement china

2009-09-30T12:04:02+00:00

Nous sommes face ? la cons?cration d'un mythe fondateur, celui d'une superpuissance.

Asia-Pacific Security Forum 2009 Godement

2009-08-25T10:17:19+00:00

The world crisis and its impact on Asian regional integration and economic security: An article for the Asia-Pacific Security Forum 2009.

ABC Godement Iran

2009-06-19T10:46:32+00:00

Iran's political fate carries great implications for Europeans, and the EU's traditional negotiation methods might not be enough.

Godement China Yale

2009-04-24T14:40:15+00:00

China isn?t ready to play the big boy on the world?s stage, argues Francois Godement.

china analysis

2009-03-31T16:26:21+00:00

The latest 'China Analysis' bulletin examines China's role in ending the global financial crisis.

Nuke Proliferation Stirs Godement

2009-03-23T10:20:21+00:00

As the world is approaching a new chapter in the proliferation of nuclear weapons, Iran and North Korea require a coordinated response, warns Fran?ois Godement.

China EU Godement Wen

2009-01-29T09:08:58+00:00

Fran?ois Godement argues the Chinese Premier's European trip will do little to mask recent diplomatic disputes.

Godement Europe Repeating errors of Asia

2008-10-09T15:30:52+00:00

Even if global action by central banks saves the day, Europe will have taken a step backwards. Yet crises are opportunities for political creativity.

Sarkozy’s tightrope act on China

2008-07-20T17:39:00+00:00

Sarkozy's attempts to establish a solid basis for a strategic partnership with China are useful to the EU as a whole. In French.

Sarkozy and the Olympics

2008-07-03T13:19:00+00:00

Nicolas Sarkozy will soon announce whether he will attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics. He should definitely go.