Analysen Und Diskussionen Über China

Wie versucht Beijing das Chinabild in Deutschland und Europa zu prägen? Was unternimmt die chinesische Regierung, um Kritik zu unterbinden? Und wo hört legitime Eigenwerbung auf und fängt Propaganda an? Zu diesen und anderen Fragen spricht Johannes Heller-John mit Katja Drinhausen, Leiterin des Programms Politik und Gesellschaft am MERICS, und Mareike Ohlberg, Senior Fellow im Indopazifik Programm des German Marshall Funds. Sie geben Einblicke in die Formen chinesischer Einflussnahme in Deutschland und einen möglichen Umgang damit.Zusammen mit MERICS Analyst Grzegorz Stec und European China Policy Fellow Ivana Karásková sind sie Mitautorinnen einer neuen Studie zu chinesischer Einflussnahme mit dem Titel Studie „Image control: How China struggles for discourse power“. Diese Podcastfolge wie auch die MERICS-Studie sind Teil eines vom Auswärtigen Amt geförderten Forschungsprojekts.

China’s efforts to advance national innovation face difficulties in times of decoupling and de-risking. Together with Tai Ming Cheung, Director of the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation and Professor at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at University of California, San Diego, and Jeroen Groenewegen-Lau, Head of the Science, Technology and Innovation Program at MERICS, Johannes Heller-John discusses China’s national innovation system, the threat of the militarization of science and technology, the role of science diplomacy and the importance of more clarity with regards to what does and what does not fall under national security.The conversation was recorded during the conference on Chinese National Innovation and Techno-Industrial Eco-Systems, which was held on September 5 and 6, 2023 at MERICS in Berlin. 

The share of electric vehicles (EVs) in Europe that are imported from China could reach 15 percent in 2025, up from six percent in 2022, projected the European Commission in an announcement on September 13, where it also launched an investigation into whether Chinese EV-imports are benefiting from unfair state subsidies and should be imposed with tariffs. Ilaria Mazzocco, Senior Fellow with the Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and Gregor Sebastian, Analyst at MERICS, talk to Johannes Heller-John about how Chinese EV-manufacturers have become so important, current trends in the country’s EV industry, and implications for European governments and manufacturers. They are the co-authors of a new CSIS report called “Electric shock: Interpreting China’s electric vehicle export boom”.

The different interpretations of de-risking, the need for cooperation and the next steps on the EU agenda on economic security are the topics of the final part of our series on de-risking. Johannes Heller-John is joined by Francesca Ghiretti, an Analyst at MERICS focusing on EU-China relations and economic security. Francesca hosted the previous episodes with Emily Benson, Director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, on the US and de-risking, and with Kazuto Suzuki, Director of the Institute of Geo-economics in Tokyo, on Japan and de-risking. This podcast series was recorded at the sidelines of the Advancing Economic Security Forum in Berlin in July 2023.

Tokyo’s approach to de-risking, the role of Japan’s Minister for Economic Security and the specific challenges of and the need for multilateral cooperation in economic security issues are the topics in this episode of the MERICS China Podcast. MERICS Analyst Francesca Ghiretti talked to Kazuto Suzuki, Director of the Institute of Geoeconomics and professor at University of Tokyo, on the sidelines of the Advancing Economic Security Forum  in July 2023.This is the second episode of our short series on de-risking. You can listen to the first episode on the US and de-risking featuring Emily Benson (CSIS) here. 

In July 2023, MERICS hosted the Advancing Economic Security Forum, previously known as the Allied Economic Forum. The discussions on what goods and investments should flow freely and which should be put under more scrutiny, on what constitutes military or civilian uses of goods and services and on how the global economic landscape is changing, are part of an ongoing and expanding field concerned with economic security. Due to its global power and influence, China is a major factor in the discussions between the US and its allies and partners around the world.In this first episode of our short series on de-risking, MERICS Analyst Francesca Ghiretti talks to Emily Benson, Director of the Project on Trade and Technology at CSIS, about the US’ understanding of de-risking, export controls and the importance of Europe for the US in the area of economic security. The interview was recorded at the sidelines of the Advancing Economic Security Forum.

International sanctions have become a common tool in the relationship between the US, the EU, and China in the last decade. If we add the sanctions on Russia in connection with its full-scale invasion of Ukraine into the mix and the question of Chinese adherence or circumvention of them, it seems high time that we devote some time to talking about Chinese thinking on this tool of international coercion. In this episode of the MERICS China Podcast, we talk to MERICS Analyst Francesca Ghiretti, who has recently written a report on the evolution of China’s sanction regime, and IISS Senior Fellow Maria Shagina, who among other topics focusses her research on the issues of Russia and international sanctions. Questions by Johannes Heller-John.Recommended reading:How China imposes sanctions – A guide to the evolution of Beijing’s new policy tool, MERICS Report by Francesca GhirettiThe imperative to build and sustain sanctioning coalitions. IISS Analysis by Maria ShaginaRussia faces the slow burn of economic sanction

China has extended its High-Speed Rail network from about 9.000 to 42.000 km of tracks with a fleet of Chinese made trains running on it. The first fully domestically engineered passenger aircraft C919 has started its commercial service and on June 6, the first domestically built large cruise ship has left Shanghai for sea trials. China is undoubtedly making rapid progress in air, sea and rail transportation.What are China’s aims and what challenges does it face on the way? And what does this mean for European industries? To answer these questions, Alexander Brown and Gregor Sebastian, analysts at the economic team at MERICS, join Johannes Heller-John for a conversation. This podcast episode is part of the “Dealing with a Resurgent China” (DWARC) project, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement number 101061700.Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the Euro

Dealing with China is becoming increasingly difficult for German and European politics and business. In this episode MERICS Director Communications and Publications Claudia Wessling talks to MERICS Director External Relations Bernhard Bartsch and lead author of a new study titled “Shaky China – Five scenarios for Xi Jinping’s third term” which looks at five different pathways for how China could develop in the next five years. They discuss the aim of the study, the main scenarios used for the paper and the value of scenario exercises, especially in the case of China.

Im Dezember 2022 beendete die chinesische Regierung jäh ihre Null-Covid Politik. Wie hat sich der Raum für öffentliche Debatten im letzten Jahr verändert? Wie werden Chinas Ambitionen und Herausforderungen diskutiert? Und warum sollten wir Debatten in China genauer erforschen? Antworten dazu liefern die Projektleiterinnen von China Spektrum: Kristin Shi-Kupfer, Professorin für Sinologie an der Universität Trier mit Schwerpunkt Digitales China, und Katja Drinhausen, Leiterin des Programms Innenpolitik und Gesellschaft am MERICS. Das Interview führte Johannes Heller-John.

In this episode of the MERICS China Podcast, former MERICS German Chancellor fellow Michael Laha talks to Prof. Taylor Fravel, Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor in Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), about the recently published MIT China Strategy. The document puts forth a set of guidelines for one of the world’s most important research university’s engagement with China. 

In 2022, Chinese global outbound foreign direct investment (or FDI) has fallen to an 8-year low. Accordingly, figures for Chinese investment in Europe are also down, hitting the lowest mark since 2013. This episode accompanies a new report by MERICS and Rhodium Group on Chinese FDI in Europe.Two of its authors, Agatha Kratz, Director at Rhodium Group and leader of its research on Europe-China relations and China’s economic statecraft, and Gregor Sebastian, Analyst at MERICS, talk about the scope and distribution of Chinese FDI in Europe, the reasons for the lowest FDI figures in the last decade, and how the key role of Europe in China’s electric vehicle expansion served as a saving grace. The conversation was led by Johannes Heller-John.

How to handle relations with China is an important aspect of the trade and tech coordination between the EU and the US. Ahead of the coming Trade and Technology Council (TTC) meeting in late May, we ask where the transatlantic cooperation on trade and technology currently stands, what de-risking and decoupling relations with China would mean for Europe, and how the EU and the US aim to promote tech innovation.To answer these questions, we are joined by Rebecca Arcesati, Lead Analyst at MERICS working on Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, as well as Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, Director of the European Centre for International Political Economy. He has advised European member states on issues relating to the United Nations and the World Trade Organization and published on Chinese digital trade and its Information and Communication Technology sector. Johannes Heller-John moderated the conversation. 

The internet is the great connector that brings together people from around the world. For now, it is governed by a fairly standardized set of rules and principles of technology. However, this may be subject to change as China is actively pushing to create a version of the internet more amenable to the central control of the one-party state and national sovereignty. This may lead to a fragmentation of the internet – where different internets would coexist alongside each other.To talk about this issue, Johannes Heller-John is joined by Kai von Carnap, Analyst at MERICS and leader of the project on the future of the internet. A series of articles by experts from this project can be found here.

The Chinese Communist Party has long shaped China’s domestic debates and its value system. At the same time, Beijing increasingly acts as an important norm-entrepreneur in international forums and presents itself as an alternative systemic model. When China’s leadership uses terms like multilateralism, development or security it employs its own interpretations of them. To understand those, we turn to the Decoding China Dictionary – a tool to decipher the official Chinese narrative. In this episode of the MERICS China Podcast two of its editors, Katja Drinhausen, Head of Program Politics and Society at MERICS, and Malin Oud, Director of the Stockholm office of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, talk to Johannes Heller-John about China’s discursive power.The Decoding China Dictionary is compiled and edited by Malin Oud, Katja Drinhausen, Marina Rudyak, David Bandurski and Jerker Hellström. Back on popular demand, the second edition published in March 2023 now covers 26 terms. I

On February 24, 2022 – one year ago – Russia started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine – escalating a territorial conflict that has been simmering since the occupation of Crimea and the Donbas region in 2014. The Kremlin’s aims of a swift occupation of Ukraine did not materialize and after 12 months of aerial bombardments, civilian suffering and trench warfare, Ukraine is still defending its country and West is still keeping up sanctions and support for Ukraine. This episode looks at China’s role in the conflict and its impact in China’s global standing and agency. Johannes Heller-John discusses these issues with Helena Legarda, Lead Analyst at MERICS, and Jakub Jakóbowski, Deputy Director of the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) in Warsaw. Since the recording of the episode a 12-point Chinese peace plan has been put forth. Accordingly, its contents do not feature in the discussion.-----This episode has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agree

Following a breakdown in direct diplomatic exchanges during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, China and Europe have stepped up their diplomatic activity again leading to various high-level meetings in the last months like German chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit to Beijing. In this episode we look at the chances for a reestablishment of closer ties between China and the EU with a special focus on the view from and role of the Central and Eastern European member states. To discuss this issue, Johannes Heller-John is joined by Katja Drinhausen, Head of Program Politics and Society at MERICS, and former MERICS Futures Fellow Alicja Bachulska.

2022 war ein turbulentes Jahr für Chinas Wirtschaft, die strikte Null-Covid-Politik der chinesischen Regierung und sich ständig ändernde Vorgaben und Regeln sorgten für Unsicherheit. Mit dem Ende der Corona-Lockdowns wächst nun die Hoffnung auf eine Erholung. Mit MERICS Chief Economist Max J. Zenglein blickt Johannes Heller-John auf die wirtschaftliche Entwicklung im vierten Quartal 2022, die Aussichten für Chinas Wirtschaft in den kommenden Monaten und die Auswirkungen auf deutsche und europäische Unternehmen. Chinas Wirtschaftsentwicklung ist auch Thema der MERICS Economic Indicators. MERICS Members haben Zugriff auf die gesamte Analyse und Veranstaltungen zum Thema.

2023 will be a critical year for China. The party leadership around Xi Jinping is faced with an unprecedented health crisis and a troubled economy, while it must balance its relationships with the US and Europe with its "no-limits" partnership with Russia.To anticipate what 2023 might have in store for us, we conducted the 4th MERICS China Forecast Survey involving 880 China experts and members of the public. In a conference on January 18, 2023, our experts and a line-up of high-level speakers discussed the survey’s findings and their expectations.Roderick Kefferpütz, Senior Analyst at MERICS who led the compilation of this year’s forecast, joins Johannes Heller-John to discuss the results.  -----The MERICS China Forecast 2023 has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement number 101061700. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the

Since the invasion by Russia in February 2022, the quality and focus of Ukraine’s relationship with China has undergone important changes. China’s “pro-Russian neutrality” has given rise to a more critical perception of China in Ukraine. However, the government in Kyiv refrains from being too confrontational. To trace the development of Ukraine’s relationship with China, the impact of the war and the effect on relations with Taiwan, we are joined by MERICS Futures Fellow Yurii Poita. He heads the Asia-Pacific Section at the Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies (CACDS) in Kyiv and is head of the Asian Section at the New Geopolitics Research Network (NGRN). The episode was recorded by Johannes Heller-John.