How China could push Europe and India closer together (Commentary)

Manisha Reuter - 12 October 2020

India and Europe are both looking to free themselves from dependence on China. On questions of health and technology, they should be natural allies.

After Abe: How Japan’s new prime minister should handle diplomacy (Commentary)

Elli Pohlkamp - 16 September 2020

Shinzo Abe’s aggressive and successful diplomacy has helped make Japan a pillar of liberal democracy and a beneficiary of the rules-based international order. His successor has vowed to protect these interests.

China, Europe, and covid-19 headwinds (Commentary)

Janka Oertel - 20 July 2020

China’s attempts to divide Europeans during the crisis, along with its fierce and openly hostile rhetoric targeting the capacity of Western democracy to effectively respond to the health emergency, have served as a wake-up call.

Russia showed Turkey and China how to bully the EU (Commentary)

Nicu Popescu - 17 July 2020

The more meekly the EU handles other powers’ aggressive tactics, the more they will be tempted to imitate each other in novel ways to ignore, challenge, and openly attack European interests.

A pragmatic partnership: Why China and Iran try to collaborate (Commentary)

Ellie Geranmayeh - 17 July 2020

Iran’s rumoured talks with China on a partnership agreement could have significant economic benefits and provide it with valuable geopolitical bargaining chips.

In times of strategic confusion, deeper dialogue is a must (Commentary)

Carl Bildt - 15 July 2020

The relationship between the EU and India has vast potential in areas ranging from multilateral institutions to global health.

Putting China in its place: Britain prepares to sack Huawei (Commentary)

Nick Witney - 14 July 2020

Whatever good reasons the British government may have to reverse its position on Huawei, the key factor has been a rebellion on its backbenches and a mood of righteous indignation about the behaviour of Xi Jinping’s China.

It’s complicated: Europe-China relations in a world of superpower competition

Can Europe compete in today’s new geopolitical realities? Does the Union find itself in a technology war with China? And are at least cooperative solutions with China on climate policies possible? In this week’s podcast, Mark Leonard is joined by Agatha Kratz, Associate Director at Rhodium Group and expert on EU-China relations, Janka Oertel head of ECFR´s Asia programme as well as ECFR co-chair Carl Bildt, former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Sweden. Together, they answer these questions and discuss if and how Germany – as current EU Council Presidency holder – can find ways to recalibrate the EU’s handling and approach to China.

A Europe Ready to Compete? EU-China relations and new geopolitical realities, Annual Council Meeting 2020

“Europe, China, and Hong Kong: Why new red lines will be worth the cost” by Janka Oertel

“Booster or Brake? COVID and the Belt and Road Initiative” by Agatha Kratz et al.

“In times of strategic confusion, deeper dialogue is a must” by Carl Bildt.

This podcast was recorded on 13 July 2020.

Bookshelf:

• “The Paladin: A Spy Novel” by David Ignatius
• “Counting the Infected” “The Daily” Podcast by The New York Times
• “The Adriatic Sea” by Harry Hodgkinson

Listen online   

A triangle deal - How covid-19 is reshaping the global order and EU-China relations

Last year, the European Union published a strategic outlook in which it reviewed China as a partner, competitor and a strategic rival, creating a lively debate about the nature of the EU-China relations. However, this outlook was designed for a pre-corona world. How has covid-19 reshaped the EU-China relations? What changes to the global order will the pandemic bring? Who will be the main actors in the international arena? In this week’s podcast Mark Leonard welcomed Lanxin Xiang, Professor in International History and Politics at the Graduate Institute in Geneva and Director of the Centre of One And One Road Studies, who shares his insights on the changing global order, China’s attitude towards the EU and the Chinese “wolf warrior diplomacy”

This podcast was recorded on 20 May 2020.

Bookshelf:

• "John Maynard Keynes 1883-1946: Economist, Philosopher, Statesman" by Robert Skidelsky
• "The meaning of systemic rivalry: Europe and China beyond the pandemic" by Andrew Small 
• "The post-coronavirus world is already here" by Josep Borrell

Listen online   

EU-China relations in times of covid-19

Covid-19 has upended life as we know it. While affecting business and politics within Europe, it also brings about a new set of questions with regard to our relationship with China. In this spiral of current events and increasing international mistrust, the Chinese leadership is trying very hard to shift the international narrative in its favour. The broader question of the future of EU-China relations predates the coronavirus crisis and has not disappeared, but becomes more urgent and existing fault lines become even more pronounced.

We discussed all these issues in a Virtual Pan-European Roundtable organized by ECFR Rome office with Janka Oertel, Director of ECFR Asia program with the participation of Mauro Petriccione, Director-General DG Climate Action and ECFR Council Member; Michele Geraci, Economist and former Economy Undersecretary and Filippo Fasulo, Director of the Italy-China research centre. The discussion was moderated by Alessandro Speciale, Head of Bloomber Rome Bureau.

Listen online   

Geopolitics in the coronavirus era – who will be crowned winner?

Last week’s episode saw our experts dissecting the coronavirus’ implications for Europe. In today's episode, we’re breaking down how the crisis is unfolding in the rest of the world. From the Middle East to Russia and Asia, and all over across the Atlantic – what long-term effects could it have on these regions? And what does it mean for geopolitics, the global system and its institutions?
Our Host Mark Leonard is joined by the ECFR heads of programme Julien Barnes-Dacey, Susi Dennison, Janka Oertel & Nicu Popescu to discuss how the virus is manifesting in these regions, and the implications it carries with it – and it doesn’t look too good. For all the gloominess this podcast will create, our experts recommend turning to poetry for some soul-healing. Recommendations below!

This podcast was recorded on 25 March 2020.

Bookshelf:

• "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S.Elliot
• "Happy Everyday" by Benjamin Zephaniah
   
• "MBS: The Rise to Power of Mohammed Bin Salman" by Ben Hubbard
• "Sandworm" by Andy Greenberg
• "The Pursuit of Power" by William H. McNeill
• "Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy" by Cathy O'Neil
• "The Psychology of Pandemics. Preparing for the Next Global Outbreak of Infectious Disease" by Steven Taylor
• "The Coronavirus pandemic and the new world it is creating" by Josep Borrell

Listen online   

To Huawei or not to Huawei?

Last week the European Commission published its EU Toolbox on 5G Cyber Security, with the aim of aiding the member states in evaluating the risks associated with future usage of 5G infrastructure and networks. This was a step forward given the polarising debate surrounding the role of Chinese telecommunications firms like Huawei and ZTE within a future 5G network in Europe. The decision, however, will ultimately be a national one taken by individual member states. Our Director Mark Leonard is joined by Asia Programme Director Janka Oertel and Project Director of Stiftung Neue Verantwortung Jan-Peter Kleinhans to discuss the significance and implications of the toolbox and what this might mean for the EU.

This podcast was recorded on 5 February 2020.

Bookshelf:

• "The logic of strategic assets" by Jeffrey Ding and Allan Dafoe
• "The Path to Power" by Robert Caro
• "Clash of Empires: Currencies and Power in a Multipolar World" by Charles Gave and Louis Vincent Gave
• "All the Names" by Jose Saramago

Listen online   

China's 1989

Anthony Dworkin stands in for host Mark Leonard to talk about how China experienced 1989 back then and today. In some ways, it is more comparable to the changes 1968 provoked in the West, claims podcast guest and China expert Jeff Wasserstrom. Looking beyond the dreadful Tiananmen Square Massacre, how did China change after 1989 politically and socially? And can we draw a line from the protests back then to the ones in Hong Kong right now?

This podcast was recorded on 2 December 2019.

Bookshelf:

• "Vigil: Hong Kong on the Brink" by Jeffrey Wasserstrom
• "Minjian: The Rise of China’s Grassroots Intellectuals" by Sebastian Veg
• Follow: Yangyang Cheng @yangyang_chen

Listen online   

What is Europe's maritime security role in the South China Sea?

Le podcast de notre BCM du 24 juin « What is Europe's maritime security role in the South China Sea? » en présence de Mathieu Duchâtel, directeur du programme Asie à l’Institut Montaigne, Delphine O, ambassadrice et secrétaire générale de la Conférence mondiale de l’ONU et John Nilsson-Wright, senior fellow au programme AsiaPacific de Chatman House.

Listen online