MERICS China Podcast

China in 26: Krieg im Iran + 15. Fünfjahrplan + Hausaufgaben für Europa

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 16:00:00 +0100

China im Jahr 2026 – diskutiert in 26 Minuten: In dieser Folge des deutschsprachigen MERICS-Podcasts sprechen Bernhard Bartsch, Mikko Huotari und Claudia Wessling darüber, wie der Krieg im Iran China betrifft, über die Inhalte des 15. Fünfjahrplans der Kommunistischen Partei und was Europa unternehmen müsste, um mitzuhalten.

China and Russia – a deepening relationship? With Minna Ålander, Filip Rudnik and Eva Seiwert

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0100

In these uncertain times of historic geopolitical tensions, it is all the more important to understand the nature and elements of the relationship of two of the world’s most influential powers: China and Russia.

Three researchers that investigate the relationship of these two countries join Johannes Heller-John in this episode: Minna Ålander, Analyst at the Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI), Filip Rudnik Senior Specialist at the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) in Poland and Eva Seiwert, Senior Analyst at MERICS.

All three of them contribute to the China-Russia Dashboard, which aims to foster a better understanding by tracking and analyzing the economic, political, security, and societal dimensions of China-Russia relations and their changing quality over time. The Dashboard is a collaboration of MERICS, OSW and UI, which also includes the Swedish National China Centre.

China in 26: Nachlese Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz - Reise des Bundeskanzlers

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:00:00 +0100

China im Jahr 2026 – diskutiert in 26 Minuten: In dieser Folge des deutschsprachigen MERICS-Podcasts sprechen Bernhard Bartsch, Mikko Huotari und Claudia Wessling über China auf der Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz, bei der auch MERICS als Mitorganisator des „China Tracks“ vertreten war. Sie diskutieren auch über die bevorstehende Reise von Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz nach China, bei der einige herausfordernde Themen auf der Agenda stehen dürften.

Orbital geopolitics, with Antonia Hmaidi and Altynay Junusova

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0100

Satellite internet has attracted increased attention in the last years and the possibility for its civilian as well as miliary use makes it a so called “dual use” technology. Antonia Hmaidi and Altynay Junusova, Senior Analyst and Analyst in the Science, Technology and Innovation Program at MERICS, join Johannes Heller-John to talk about China in the race for satellite internet, its competition with the US and what it will take for Europe to catch up.

More on this topic:

Orbital Geopolitics: China’s dual-use space internet, Rebecca Arcesati, Antonia Hmaidi, Altynay Junusova
China Tech Observatory

EU-China relations in 2026, with Grzegorz Stec

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:00:00 +0100

Europe has found itself between a rock and a hard place in the last couple of months – between China leveraging export controls on rare earth elements and the US stating its desire to incorporate Greenland. Where does this leave the EU’s China policy? Do we continue to de-risk or do we reconnect with China to hedge in this great power confrontation? Grzegorz Stec, Senior Analyst and Head of the MERICS Brussels Office, joins Johannes Heller-John to talk about EU-China relations in 2026.

More on this issue:

Resilient engagement playbook: How Europe can navigate relations with a more confrontational Beijing
MERICS Europe-China Resilience Audit - Dashboard collecting graphics and analyses

Xi Zhongxun and party history, with Joseph Torigian and Alexander Davey

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 13:00:00 +0100

To understand the Communist Party today requires an understanding of its history. To that end, Joseph Torigian and MERICS Analyst Alexander Davey join Johannes Heller-John to talk about a person who devoted more than 70 years of his life to the cause of the CCP, namely Xi Zhongxun, father of China’s party and state leader Xi Jinping.

Joseph Torigian is an Associate Professor at the School of International Service at American University and Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the author of the book “The Party’s Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping”.

Domestic debates on China’s global impact, with Alexander Davey and Kristin Shi-Kupfer

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 13:00:00 +0100

2025 has seen the Chinese government act with increasing confidence in its own power and agency on the international stage. Is this confidence mirrored in Chinese self-perceptions? MERICS Analyst Alexander Davey and professor for sinology at the University of Trier Kristin Shi-Kupfer join Johannes Heller-John to cast a spotlight on domestic debates in China.

Together with Christina Sadeler from MERICS and Wutao Wen from the University of Trier they are the co-authors of the report “China’s domestic debates under the shadow of geopolitics: How views about the economy, commercial culture, and trending topics reveal self-perceptions”.

The report and this podcast are part of the China Spektrum, a joint project of the China institute of the University of Trier (CIUT) and MERICS, supported by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.

China's global vision, with Katja Drinhausen and Manoj Kewalramani

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 16:00:00 +0100

Eighty years after its foundation, calls for a reform of the United Nations are abundant. Since 2021, China has put forth ideas for such reforms and a different world order in the form of international initiatives like the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative or Beijing’s most recent addition, the Global Governance Initiative launched in September 2025.

Katja Drinhausen, Head of the MERICS Politics and Society Program, and Manoj Kewalramani, chairperson of the Indo-Pacific Studies Program at the Takshashila Institution, non-resident Senior Associate at the Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS, and until the end of November 2025 Senior Associate Fellow at MERICS, join Johannes Heller-John to examine China's vision for the global order as it is aspired by the government, discussed by think tankers, and operationalized by policymakers.

This podcast episode is part of China Spektrum, a joint project of the China institute of the University of Trier (CIUT) and the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS). The project is made possible by a grant from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.

China in 25: MERICS China Forecast + Ausblick 2026 + Macron und Wadephul in China

Fri, 05 Dec 2025 16:00:00 +0100

In dieser Folge des "China in 25"-Podcasts wagen Bernhard Bartsch, Mikko Huotari und Claudia Wessling einen Blick ins Jahr 2026. Dabei schauen sie auf die Ergebnisse unseres MERICS China Forecast, die anstehenden Themen des kommenden Jahres und die Chinareisen des französischen Präsidenten Macron und des deutschen Außenministers Wadephul.

Für Mikko Huotari haben die Beziehungen zu China eine neue Dimension: „Das ist ein China, mit dem wir uns noch auf Jahre, Jahrzehnte auseinandersetzen müssen. Ein China, das einen ganz anderen Anspruch hat, die Welt zu steuern und zu definieren, unter welchen Bedingungen die Beziehung mit uns ablaufen können.“

Mehr Informationen:

China in 25: Klingbeil in China + Handelsüberschuss + Chinas Inlandsinvestitionen

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 16:00:00 +0100

In dieser Folge des "China in 25"-Podcasts sprechen Bernhard Bartsch, Mikko Huotari und Claudia Wessling über die China-Reise von Finanzminister und Vize-Kanzler Lars Klingbeil, über Chinas globale Handelsüberschüsse und über den Einbruch der chinesischen Inlandsinvestitionen.

Während die Reise von Vize-Kanzler Klingbeil eine Art Rückkehr zur Normalität in Zeiten turbulenter internationaler Beziehungen suggerierte, mahnt Bernhard Bartsch nicht zu vergessen, dass sich Dynamik der Beziehungen gerade grundlegend verändert. „Wir haben gesehen, wie verletzlich wir sind und China hat uns gezeigt, dass es unsere Verletzlichkeiten auch ganz hart politisch ausspielt.“

Mikko Huotari sagt hinsichtlich der Werbung der chinesischen Regierung um mehr Importe: „das symbolisiert alles Offenheit, aber ändert überhaupt nicht die strukturellen Probleme, weil die Ursachen dieser schwachen Importe unangetastet bleiben.“

US China policy under Trump 2.0, with George Yin

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 17:00:00 +0100

The relationship between the US and China has been fraud with conflict for many years and its twists and turns have global effects. In this episode, George Yin joins Johannes Heller-John to decipher the China policy of the US and its continuities and changes over the last administrations. They also discuss what the EU can do to find its place amidst the rivalling superpowers.

George is a Senior Fellow at MERICS and a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for China Studies, National Taiwan University. He is also Senior Advisor to the Straits Exchange Foundation and holds research affiliations with Harvard and Oxford Universities. Among other topics he looks at the China policy of the US.

The conversation was recorded on September 26.

For more on the topic, read George's comment piece "Art of the deal meets great power politics: Trump 2.0’s approach to China" here.

China in 25: Das Treffen von Trump und Xi - Deutsch-chinesische Beziehungen + Chinas nächster Fünfjahrplan

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 16:00:00 +0100

In dieser Folge des "China in 25"-Podcasts sprechen Bernhard Bartsch, Mikko Huotari und Claudia Wessling über die mit Spannung erwartete Begegnung von Donald Trump und Xi Jinping in Südkorea, über den Stand der deutsch-chinesischen Beziehungen nach der Absage der China-Reise von Außenminister Wadephul und den nächsten Fünfjahrplan, dessen Schwerpunkte die chinesische Führung gerade auf dem Vierten Plenum des Zentralkomitees der KPC vorgezeichnet hat.

Mikko Huotari sagt, China und die USA hätten sich durch die Einigung auf eine Aussetzung der von China erlassenen Exportkontrollen Zeit gekauft. "Jetzt ist die Frage, wofür sie diese Zeit verwenden." Europa sei in dem Kontext nur "Zuschauer", merkt er kritisch an.

Auch in den deutsch-chinesischen Beziehungen knirscht es, und die Bundesregierung muss sich strategisch klug auf schwierige Gespräche einstellen, wie Bernhard Bartsch sagt. Beijing sehe, wie europäische Staatsführer nach Washington pilgerten um Trump zu schmeicheln, und wolle "genauso respektiert und gefürchtet werden".

Auch Chinas Entwurf für den nächsten Fünfjahrplan macht deutlich, Europa muss dringend seine Hausaufgaben machen, wie unsere Diskutanten sagen: Er reflektiert die Kontinuität, mit der Beijing industrielle Innovation ins Zentrum seiner Wirtschaftsstrategie stellt. "Der Rest der Welt muss reagieren", sagt Mikko Huotari.

Zu Resilienz und Verletzlichkeiten von EU-Mitgliedstaaten im Verhältnis zu China lesen Sie mehr in unserem am 29. Oktober 2025 veröffentlichten "Europe China Resilience Audit". Analysen zum nächsten Fünfjahrplan und dem Vierten Plenum finden Sie im aktuellen "MERICS China Essentials".

Exploring strategic new frontiers, with Helena Legarda

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 16:00:00 +0200

China has designated cyberspace, outer space, the polar regions and the deep sea as “strategic new frontiers”. It sees competition with the US and Europe extending into these areas as well. Helena Legarda, Head of the Foreign Relations Program at MERICS, joins Johannes Heller-John to talk about what interests China has in these areas and how Europe can catch up ground it has lost over time. Helena is the author of a new MERICS Report titled "The Arctic, outer space and influence-building: China and Russia join forces to expand in new strategic frontiers". Read the report here.

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Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

CCP priorities and the Fourth Plenum, with Alexander Davey

Sat, 18 Oct 2025 09:00:00 +0200

Ahead of the Fourth Plenum of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), this episode of the MERICS China Podcast looks at three issues that are high on the priority list for Chinese decisionmakers, namely urban development, social welfare and global trade tensions. Alexander Davey, Analyst in the Politics and Society Program at MERICS, joins Johannes Heller-John to talk about some of the CCP’s priorities for the next months, the upcoming Fourth Plenum from October 20 to 23 and the 15th Five-Year Plan.

You can also watch our media briefing on the Fourth Plenum and 15th Five-Year Plan or read our latest MERICS China Essentials for more coverage.

The local reassertion of the Communist Party, with Katja Drinhausen and Nis Grünberg

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0200

Governing the people and keeping society “harmonious”, stable and united is seen by the CCP leadership as a core task. The party is now systematically inserting itself into all layers and spheres of society. Johannes Heller-John talks to MERICS Experts Katja Drinhausen, Head of the Politics and Society Program, and Nis Grünberg, Lead Analyst. Together with Alexander Davey they are the authors of the report “Serving the people by controlling them: How the party is reinserting itself into daily life”.

From their observations, the CCP is merging public service and control at the very local level. In their view “this is something that Xi Jinping really has put a lot of effort and resources into it since he came to power: to put the party as an organizing and structuring factor into social organization.”

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China in 25: USA und China bei der UN + TikTok + EUCCC-Positionspapier

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 09:00:00 +0200

„China in 25“ – in rund 25 Minuten sprechen Mikko Huotari, Bernhard Bartsch und Claudia Wessling über aktuelle Entwicklungen in China.

In dieser Folge geht es darum, wie China seine Position als globaler Akteur bei der UN-Generalversammlung in New York stärkte, wie Washington und China versuchen, einen Deal für TikTok aufzusetzen und wie europäische Firmen ihr Geschäft in China in einem neuen Positionspapier der EUCCC beurteilen.

„Vor zehn Jahren hat Beijing mit seiner ‚Made in China 2025‘ Strategie einen industriellen Führungsanspruch formuliert, vor acht Jahren wurde angekündigt, dass man auch zukünftig in internationalen Institutionen eine globale Führungsrolle spielen möchte, und heute kann man an beiden Stellen sagen: China erreicht Ziele.“

Mehr über die Themen in dieser Ausgabe erfahren Sie hier:

UN-Generalversammlung + TikTok + Positionspapier der EU-Handelskammer, MERICS China Essentials

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a vehicle to promote narratives of China and Russia, with Claus Soong

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 13:00:00 +0200

From August 31 until September 1, China’s party and state leader Xi Jinping will chair the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the Chinese port city Tianjin. Among the leaders expected at the summit is Russian president Vladimir Putin. In a new episode of our podcast, MERICS Analyst Claus Soong explores the role of the group in China-Russia relations. He argues that the SCO, which has significantly widened its mandate since it was founded in 2001 as a regional forum for security issues, has become a prototype for Beijing and Moscow to institutionalize their coordination on geopolitical affairs and promote their own narratives as an alternative to the Western-led global order.

Recommended reading:

China and Russia are using the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to push alternative global order, MERICS Comment by Claus Soong
China-Russia Dashboard: Facts and figures on a special relationship

China’s rise in biotechnology, with Alexander Brown and Jeroen Groenewegen-Lau

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 11:00:00 +0200

Biotechnology is strategically important because of its potential to transform humanity’s control over nature. Governments worldwide are racing to secure their positions in the field – and China is no exception.

MERICS experts Alexander Brown and Jeroen Groenewegen-Lau join Johannes Heller-John to discuss the rise of China in biotechnology. They are the authors of the report “Lab leader, market ascender: China's rise in biotechnology”, published earlier this year. Research for the report is part of the MERICS China Tech Observatory (CTO), a project funded by the Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) under funding reference number 01DO24001.

China's rise to global tech leadership, with James Kynge

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 14:00:00 +0200

In this episode, long-time Financial Times journalist and former MERICS Senior Fellow James Kynge joins Johannes Heller-John to look at China’s technological development in the last decades and ahead into the next ones. He talks about his work as a journalist in China since the mid-1980s and China’s rise as a technological power. James argues that “China is now leading the world as a technological power, having surpassed the US and left Europe far behind.”

More about the topics covered in this episode here:

Streets ahead: China is winning the technology war with the US (The Observer)
Global Tech Wars: China’s Race to Dominate (Pushkin)

China aims for self-reliance in AI, with Wendy Chang and Antonia Hmaidi

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 11:00:00 +0200

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the way we live and work, and its potential use in military applications could alter the global balance of power. The Chinese Communist Party is taking note of this development. During a Politburo study session focused on AI in April, China’s party and state leader Xi Jinping urged a nationwide mobilization to achieve “self-reliance and self-strengthening” in AI.

Wendy Chang and Antonia Hmaidi – analysts in the Science, Technology and Innovation Program at MERICS – join Johannes Heller-John to assess China’s aims and progress on its self-sufficiency drive in AI. Together with Rebecca Arcesati, Antonia and Wendy have authored our new report “China’s drive toward self-reliance in artificial intelligence: from chips to large language models”. Research for the report is part of the MERICS China Tech Observatory (CTO), a project funded by the Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) under funding reference number 01DO24001.

More about the topics covered in this episode here:

“China’s drive toward self-reliance in artificial intelligence: from chips to large language models,” MERICS Report by Wendy Chang, Rebecca Arcesati and Antonia Hmaidi
DeepSeek and the upcoming AI Action Summit, MERICS Podcast with Rebecca Arcesati
More China Tech Observatory analyses on Artificial Intelligence

„China in 25“: EU-China Beziehungen + BRICS-Gipfel + KI in China

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 11:00:00 +0200

„China in 25“ – in maximal 25 Minuten sprechen Mikko Huotari, Bernhard Bartsch und Claudia Wessling über aktuelle Entwicklungen in China.

In dieser Folge geht es um die Beziehungen zwischen China und der EU im Licht der Europareise des chinesischen Außenministers Wang Yi und vor dem EU-China Gipfel in Beijing, um Xi Jinpings Abwesenheit auf dem BRICS-Gipfel und um Chinas wachsende Fähigkeiten in Künstlicher Intelligenz.

Die Experten sehen in Chinas Austausch mit Europa „kein Angebot für eine Partnerschaft auf Augenhöhe, sondern eine geopolitische Aufforderung, sich den Realitäten anzupassen.“ Für Europa bedeutet das, dass es sich strategisch notwendig machen muss „und dafür braucht

Mehr über die Themen in dieser Ausgabe erfahren Sie hier:

Medizintechnik + Handelsspannungen vor EU-China-Gipfel + BRICS, MERICS China Essentials

The 2025 EU-China summit, with Abigaël Vasselier

Mon, 07 Jul 2025 15:00:00 +0200

The next EU-China Summit will take place in Beijing at the end of this month. In this episode of our podcast, Abigaël Vasselier, Director of Policy and European Affairs and Head of Program for Foreign Relations at MERICS, joins Claudia Wessling, Director Communications and Publications, to talk about her expectations for the summit, the state of EU-China relations and outcomes of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s recent visit to Europe.

China’s National Security White Paper, with Katja Drinhausen und Helena Legarda

Fri, 04 Jul 2025 16:00:00 +0200

With an uncertain geopolitical environment and ongoing competition with the US and Europe, national security has become even more important than before in China. So much so that a National Security White Paper, the first of its kind, was published in May of 2025.

How has China’s approach to security changed under the changing international environment? What new risks does the paper identify domestically and internationally? And what implications does it have for Europe? In this episode Katja Drinhausen, Head of Program Politics and Society at MERICS, and Helena Legarda, Lead Analyst at MERICS, join Johannes Heller-John to answer these questions.

Read more about the topics covered in this episode here:

MERICS China Security and Risk Tracker 01/2025

China in 25: China und der Nahost-Krieg + Grundlagenforschung + EU-China-Gipfel

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 15:00:00 +0200

„China in 25“ – in maximal 25 Minuten sprechen Mikko Huotari, Bernhard Bartsch und Claudia Wessling über aktuelle Entwicklungen in China.

In dieser Folge geht es um die Eskalation zwischen dem Iran und Israel und wie Chinas Reaktionen darauf einzuschätzen sind, um die Forschungsinvestitionen des chinesischen Telekom Riesen Huawei sowie um die EU-chinesischen Beziehungen.

Mehr über die Themen in dieser Ausgabe erfahren Sie hier:

Iran-China- Beziehungen + China senkt Zölle für afrikanische Länder + Roboter für die Altenpflege | Merics China Essentials

The party and the private economy, with Kasper Ingeman Beck and Nis Grünberg

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 13:00:00 +0200

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is widening its influence over private companies. Since Xi Jinping took office as party and state leader, the CCP has increased its control over the private economy by guiding capital, controlling shares and engaging in corporate governance.

In this episode, Kasper Ingeman Beck, Postdoc at the Copenhagen Business School, and Nis Grünberg, Lead Analyst at MERICS, join Johannes Heller-John to discuss the role of the CCP in the private sector and what it means for decision makers in Europe.

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This podcast is part of the project “Dealing with a Resurgent China” (DWARC) 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 European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Chinese FDI in Europe rebounds, with Armand Meyer and Andreas Mischer

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 11:00:00 +0200

Chinese outbound foreign direct investment in the EU and UK rose for the first time in 2024 after seven consecutive years of decline. In this episode we look at what has changed, where the money is going, and what is happening in the particularly important sector of electric vehicles.

Armand Meyer, Senior Research Analyst with Rhodium Group’s China Data Services team, and Andreas Mischer, Analyst with the Economics team at MERICS, are co-authors of a recent report on Chinese FDI in Europe, published by Rhodium Group and MERICS. They share its results with Johannes Heller-John.

What to expect from the UK’s China Audit, with Charles Parton

Wed, 28 May 2025 16:00:00 +0200

The Labor government in the UK launched an audit of the country’s relations with China in 2024. The results are set to be released in June. In this episode of the MERICS China Podcast, Charles Parton joins Johannes Heller-John to talk about the UK’s China Audit and the importance of science and technology in the China context. Charles Parton is a member of the UK think tank Council on Geostrategy, the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies (RUSI), and a Senior Associate Fellow at MERICS.

Read more about the topics covered in this episode here:

Publications of Charles Parton at the Council on Geostrategy
Publications of the Coalition on Secure Technology

„China in 25“: KI-Chips, nationale Sicherheit und Chinas Investitionen in Europa

Fri, 23 May 2025 12:00:00 +0200

„China in 25“ – in maximal 25 Minuten sprechen Mikko Huotari, Bernhard Bartsch und Claudia Wessling über aktuelle Entwicklungen in China.

In dieser Folge geht es um eine neue Eskalation zwischen den USA und China im Bereich Hochleistungschips und Künstliche Intelligenz, um Chinas Sicherheits- und Rüstungspolitik sowie um Chinas erstmals seit Jahren wieder gestiegene Investitionen in Europa. Die Diskussion dreht sich um eine zentrale Beobachtung: Ob Technologie-, Sicherheits- oder Investitionspolitik, die strategischen Grundlagen für aktuelle Entwicklungen wurden von Beijing mit langem Atem vor mehr als einem Jahrzehnt angelegt, in Initiativen wie „Made in China 2025“ oder der „Neuen Seidenstraße“, in Xi Jinpings kontinuierlicher Ausweitung des Sicherheitsbegriffs sowie gezielten Investitionen in Chinas militärische Fähigkeiten.

Mehr über die Themen in dieser Ausgabe erfahren Sie hier:

Studie von MERICS und Rhodium Group: Chinese investment rebounds despite growing frictions - Chinese FDI in Europe: 2024 Update
MERICS China Essentials: Weißbuch zur Nationalen Sicherheit + China und Lateinamerika + US-China-Beziehungen

„China in 25“: Einigung im Zollstreit und Xi in Moskau

Tue, 13 May 2025 15:00:00 +0200

„China in 25“ – in maximal 25 Minuten sprechen Mikko Huotari, Bernhard Bartsch und Claudia Wessling über aktuelle Entwicklungen in China. In dieser Folge geht es um die überraschende Einigung im Zollstreit zwischen den USA und China in Genf, die eine Senkung der gegenseitigen Zölle für 90 Tage vorsieht. Außerdem beleuchten wir die enge Beziehung zwischen China und Russland, die während der Feierlichkeiten zum Ende des zweiten Weltkriegs in Moskau medienwirksam zelebriert wurde.

Mehr über die Themen in dieser Ausgabe erfahren Sie hier:

China-Russia Dashboard: a special relationship in facts and figures

US-China policy under Trump 2.0, with Thomas E. Kellogg

Fri, 09 May 2025 17:00:00 +0200

After weeks of fierce confrontations, the US and China are making first steps to negotiate in the ongoing tariff row. Ahead of a meeting of representatives of both sides in Geneva, MERICS Director Communications and Publications Claudia Wessling talked with Thomas E. Kellogg, Executive Director of the Georgetown Center for Asian Law. In the new episode of our podcast, Thomas shares his expectations regarding the future of US-China relations and the role European actors could take in shapting the future US China policy, even under the current challenging circumstances. The expert for China’s legal system also shares insights talks about the current situation in Hong Kong and the increasingly rigid imposition of the National Security Law.

Recommended reading:

Beyond overcapacity: Chinese-style modernization and the clash of economic models, MERICS Report

China’s overcapacities, with Max J. Zenglein and Jacob Gunter

Fri, 02 May 2025 15:00:00 +0200

High US tariffs on China have raised concerns in the EU of Chinese goods being rerouted from the US to Europe. This has also rekindled an ongoing discussion about overcapacities in the Chinese industry. Why are they a danger to European industries? What drives them in China? And what options do European decisionmakers have?

Max J. Zenglein, Chief Economist at MERICS, and Jacob Gunter, Lead Analyst at MERICS, are two of the lead authors of the recent report “Beyond overcapacity: Chinese-style modernization and the clash of economic models”. They join Johannes Heller-John for this podcast episode to share their findings.

More information:

MERICS: Beyond overcapacity: Chinese-style modernization and the clash of economic models
MERICS: Staying focused: Priorities for transatlantic China policy coordination
EU Chamber of Commerce in China: Made in China 2025: The Cost of Technological Leadership

„China in 25": Xis Reisediplomatie, Chinas Wirtschaft im 1. Quartal und deutsche Unternehmen

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0200

„China in 25“ – in maximal 25 Minuten sprechen Mikko Huotari, Bernhard Bartsch und Claudia Wessling über aktuelle Entwicklungen in China. In dieser Folge geht es um die Reisediplomatie von Partei- und Staatschef Xi Jinping, der sich bei Besuchen in Südostasien darum bemüht hat, Unterstützer im Handelskrieg mit den USA zu gewinnen. Wir sprechen auch über die – überraschend positiven – Wachstumszahlen für das erste Quartal und aktuelle Herausforderungen für Chinas Wirtschaft und über die Erwartungen deutscher Unternehmen in China an die neue Bundesregierung.

Mehr über die Themen in dieser Ausgabe erfahren Sie hier:

China's economy improves as it braces for external shock, MERICS Economic Indicators Q1/2025
The China-US trade war and implications for the EU, Podcast with Jacob Gunter

The China-US trade war and implications for the EU, with Jacob Gunter

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 09:00:00 +0200

Global tariffs introduced by the US government under the second Trump administration on April 2nd have rocked global markets. While they have been reduced to a blanket rate of 10 percent a week later, they have increased for China to 145 percent. In retaliation, the Chinese government raised tariffs on all US goods to 125 percent. Johannes Heller-John talks to Jacob Gunter, Lead Analyst at MERICS, about the aims of the US government, the impact on the Chinese economy and the way forward for Europe.

More information:

MERICS China Essentials Special Issue: The US-China trade war

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"China in 25": Einschätzungen zum Handelskrieg und China im Koalitionsvertrag

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 14:00:00 +0200

„China in 25“ – in maximal 25 Minuten sprechen Mikko Huotari, Bernhard Bartsch und Claudia Wessling über aktuelle Entwicklungen in China im laufenden Jahr 2025. In dieser Folge geht es um den eskalierenden Handelskrieg zwischen den USA und China sowie um den Koalitionsvertrag zwischen CDU, CSU und SPD.

Diese Folge wurde am 10. April um 15:30 Uhr aufgezeichnet. Zu dem Zeitpunkt war von US-Seite noch die Rede von 125 Prozent Zöllen auf chinesische Importe. Seitdem hat die Trump-Regierung jedoch Zölle in Höhe von 145 Prozent bestätigt, während China im Gegenzug Zölle auf US-Importe auf 125 Prozent erhöhte.

Mehr zu den Themen dieser Folge lesen Sie hier:

MERICS China Essentials Spezial: US-China-Handelskrieg vom 10. April
Neue deutsche China-Politik, ein Kommentar von Mikko Huotari vom 10. März

How China sees Europe during Trump 2.0, with Grzegorz Stec

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 14:00:00 +0100

The widening rift between the United States and Europe will have an effect on the EUs relationship with China. How does Beijing see the EU in the first months of the second Trump administration? Is there an appetite for closer engagement? And what does this mean for Europe? Johannes Heller-John talks to Grzegorz Stec, Head of our Brussels Office and Senior Analyst at MERICS to get a better understanding for China’s view of the EU during the second Trump administration.

More information:

Die Bundestagswahl von China aus gesehen, mit Kristin Shi-Kupfer

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 13:00:00 +0100

Die Wahlen zum Deutschen Bundestag vom 23. Februar wurden auch in China aufmerksam verfolgt. Kristin Shi-Kupfer, Professorin für Sinologie an der Universität Trier und Senior Associate Fellow bei MERICS, berichtet in dieser Ausgabe unseres Podcasts, warum Alice Weidel in den Online-Foren so stark diskutiert wird, was die Netizens über Friedrich Merz denken und wie Deutschlands Rolle im transatlantischen Verhältnis sowie in den Beziehungen zu China gesehen wird. Die Fragen stellt Claudia Wessling, Leiterin Kommunikation & Publikationen bei MERICS.

Diese Folge des MERICS China Podcasts ist Teil von China Spektrum, ein Projekt von MERICS und dem China-Institut der Universität Trier (CIUT), gefördert von der Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung.

Weitere Informationen finden Sie hier:

Projektwebsite China Spektrum mit allen Publikationen
China Spektrum auf BlueSky
China Spektrum auf Threads

Kontrollierte Vielfalt – Chinas soziale Medien, mit Kristin Shi-Kupfer und Katja Drinhausen

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 15:00:00 +0100

Einige der weltweit größten und erfolgreichsten Social Media Plattformen sind in China – mehrere davon mit hunderten Millionen Nutzern. Sie sind Ort für soziale Interaktion, Unterhaltung, Nachrichten und Wissensaustausch. Auch politische Themen werden diskutiert wie beispielsweise Debatten zur Anhebung des Rentenalters, zur Familienplanungspolitik sowie zur Rolle von Künstlicher Intelligenz für den chinesischen Arbeitsmarkt. Die Debatten spiegeln auch sozioökonomische Spannungen im Land wider.

Vor dem Nationalen Volkskongress – formal Chinas Parlament, dessen einmal jährliche zehntägige Sitzung am 5. März beginnt – geben Kristin Shi-Kupfer, Professorin für Sinologie an der Universität Trier und Senior Associate Fellow bei MERICS, und Katja Drinhausen, Programmleiterin für den Bereich Innenpolitik und Gesellschaft bei MERICS, einen Einblick in Chinas digitale Landschaft. Im Gespräch mit Johannes Heller-John blicken sie auf aktuelle Diskussionen und die Bemühungen der Regierung, Online-Debatten zu steuern.

Mehr über das Thema erfahren sie in der Studie „Chinas fragile Räume für Online-Debatten“, die Shi-Kupfer und Drinhausen gemeinsam mit MERICS Senior Analystin Christina Sadeler verfasst haben. Die Analyse ist Teil des von der Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung geförderten Projekts China Spektrum, an dem MERICS und das China-Institut der Universität Trier (CIUT) beteiligt sind.

Weiterführende Literatur:

Chinas fragile Räume für Online-Debatten, China Spektrum Studie
Zu schnell zu alt? Demografische und strukturelle Herausforderungen für Chinas Rentensystem, China Spektrum Analyse
China Spektrum auf BlueSky
China Spektrum auf Threads
China Spektrum Projektwebsite mit allen Publikationen

"China in 25": Zölle, USA, China in Wahlprogrammen

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 11:00:00 +0100

„China in 25“ ist ein neues Podcast-Format von MERICS: In maximal 25 Minuten sprechen Mikko Huotari, Bernhard Bartsch und Claudia Wessling über aktuelle Entwicklungen in China im laufenden Jahr 2025. In der ersten Folge geht es um den Zollstreit zwischen den USA und China, die Herausforderungen einer transatlantischen Koordination in der China-Politik – und dem Thema China in deutschen Wahlprogrammen. Diese Folge wurde am 13. Februar aufgezeichnet.

Mehr zu den Themen dieser Folge lesen Sie hier:

DeepSeek and the upcoming AI Action Summit, with Rebecca Arcesati

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0100

The Chinese startup DeepSeek has rattled Silicon Valley’s confidence in the United States’ lead in artificial intelligence (AI) technology. DeepSeek’s first free Chatbot App became the most downloaded app on the iOS App Store as well as on the Google Play Store by the end of January.

These developments come ahead of the French AI Action Summit, which will take place from February 10 to 11 and convene Heads of State and Government, leaders of international organizations, tech companies, NGOs, as well as academics, and members of civil society.

Johannes Heller-John talks to Rebecca Arcesati, Lead Analyst at MERICS based in Brussels, about the issues behind DeepSeek’s meteoric rise and expectations for the AI Action Summit. In her view, “France has an opportunity to show that there is a European way that is a middle way between a corporate driven approach that has emerged in the United States and a more state driven approach that has emerged in China.”

Artificial Intelligence is one of the topics featured in the MERICS China Tech Observatory, a project sponsored by the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF).

EU-China relations in 2025, with Abigaël Vasselier

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 16:00:00 +0100

Abigaël Vasselier, Director Policy & European Affairs at MERICS, just returned from a trip to Washington DC where she discussed transatlantic China policies with US counterparts. In this conversation with Claudia Wessling, MERICS Director of Communications & Publications, Abigael talks about the challenges that lie ahead for the EU in the coming months in managing its relations with China and the United States under President Donald Trump.

This podcast is part of the project “Dealing with a Resurgent China” (DWARC) which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement number 101061700.

China’s economy in 2025, with Max Zenglein

Thu, 23 Jan 2025 16:00:00 +0100

China’s economy ended 2024 on a stronger-than-expected note. GDP expanded by 5.4 percent in the fourth quarter, bringing full-year growth to five percent – exactly as forecasted by the Chinese leadership. This momentum gives the leadership a good position to face an uncertain 2025, but significant challenges remain. In this episode Johannes Heller-John talks to MERICS Chief Economist Max Zenglein about his takes on the state of China’s economy. MERICS Members can read the latest MERICS Economic Indicators for a more detailed analysis.

China and the race for quantum leadership, with Antonia Hmaidi and Jeroen Groenewegen-Lau

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 09:00:00 +0100

China is vying for leadership in quantum research and applications. But it is still early days, and front runners and technical approaches have not yet been consolidated. Johannes Heller-John talks to Antonia Hmaidi, Senior Analyst at MERICS and lead of the MERICS' data task force, and Jeroen Groenewegen-Lau, Head of Program "Science, Technology and Innovation" at MERICS, about China’s race for quantum leadership.

Their most recent report “China’s long view on Quantum Tech has the US and the EU playing catch up” is part of the China Tech Observatory and sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Beijing's politics of history, with Daniel Leese

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 10:00:00 +0100

Chinese history – while containing a wealth of cultural, scientific and social achievements – has always been deeply political: China’s emperors tasked scholars to rewrite the past and document the present to justify and glorify their rule. In today’s China, Xi Jinping has launched extraordinary efforts to “tell China’s story well”. In the final episode of 2024, Johannes Heller-John is joined by Daniel Leese, Professor of Sinology at the University of Freiburg, to talk about the politics of Chinese history.

China is dominating exports, but lacking in global integration, with François Chimits

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 10:00:00 +0100

China’s dominance in industrial exports leads to an overestimation of its global role. This is the conclusion of a new report called: “China is the world’s factory – but less integrated into the global economy than the US and Japan”. Johannes Heller-John talks to the author, MERICS Senior Economist in the Brussels Office François Chimits, about the past and future of China’s global economic integration, the implications of global decoupling and its effects on Europe. In his view, “China’s economy remains more isolated than its manufacturing prowess suggests.”

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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 European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Fighting local government debt, with Victor Shih and Max Zenglein

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 12:00:00 +0100

After months of weak economic performance, Beijing has introduced a series of measures aimed at stabilizing the economy. They include a 10 trillion yuan local government debt restructuring package.

To shed light on the blatant levels of local government indebtedness, Claudia Wessling, Director Communications and Publications at MERICS, talks to Victor Shih and Max Zenglein. Victor is a professor of political science, director of the 21st Century China Center at the School of Global Policy and Strategy and the Ho Miu Lam Chair in China and Pacific Relations at UC San Diego. Max is the Chief Economist at MERICS and the driving force behind the Economic Indicators, a quarterly series of analyses for MERICS members that puts China’s economic statistics into context.

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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 European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

China and Trump's election victory, with Jude Blanchette and Katja Drinhausen

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 15:00:00 +0100

What will the renewed election of Donald Trump to the White House mean for the United States’ already complicated relations with China? How does China discuss Trump, both on an informal and expert level, but also in the official realm? And how does all of this concern the EU and member states?

To answer these questions Claudia Wessling, Director Communications and Publications at MERICS, talks to Jude Blanchette and Katja Drinhausen. Jude is one of the most outstanding US experts on China. He is the director of the RAND China Research Center and Distinguished Tang Chair in China Research at RAND. Previously, he held the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington. Jude has written for a range of publications, including Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the Wall Street Journal, and the Financial Times. He also serves as a public intellectual fellow at the National Committee on United States-China Relations.

Katja is the Head of the MERICS program researching China’s politics and society. Her research focuses on the development of China’s legal and governance system. Katja is one lead researchers of “China Spektrum,” a joint research project with the China Institute of the University of Trier funded by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation. The project analyzes expert and public debates in China. It was previously only available in German, but is now published in English as well.

For more on why China's experts are expecting prolonged US-China competition, check out our recent China Spektrum analysis on the topic. China Spektrum is a joint project of the China institute of the University of Trier (CIUT) and the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS). The project is made possible by a grant from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.

Europe’s resilience vis-à-vis China, with Grzegorz Stec and Helena Legarda

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 10:00:00 +0100

Building resilience, i.e., the ability to manage risks without compromising long-term development, is at the heart of Europe’s adjustment of its China policy. To contribute to this process, we recently launched the MERICS Europe-China Resilience Audit, which is based on a database of 98 indicators for the economy, security, politics and society. The analysis confirms some significant differences between the eleven countries studied in terms of vulnerability and progress in measures to strengthen resilience towards China. Among the countries covered, Sweden and the Netherlands stand out for their resilience building.

In this episode of our podcast, project leads Grzegorz Stec and Helena Legarda explain the methodology of the index and discuss key findings from their analysis with MERICS Director Communications and Publications Claudia Wessling.

China’s global port politics, with Clark Banach and Jacob Gunter

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 15:00:00 +0100

Beijing’s global push to establish a global network of ports with Chinese involvement is slowing. Today’s guests Clark Banach, Program Director at the Alethia Research Institution and former MERICS Futures Fellow, and Jacob Gunter, Lead Analyst at MERICS, discuss the development and changes in China’s global infrastructure investments. In this conversation with Johannes Heller-John, they analyze the aims Beijing wants to achieve by these investments and the impact of Chinese port investments on the European and global market.

You can find the interactive map mentioned in the podcast here.
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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 European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

What's next in US export controls targeting China, with Kevin Wolf and Rebecca Arcesati

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 14:00:00 +0200

The rivalry between the US and China about technological and military leadership has one key component: export controls. What is the cutting edge of the United States’ export controls? What do they entail and what role do Washington’s international partners play? Can and will they be effective?

In this episode, MERICS Lead Analyst Rebecca Arcesati and Communications Manager Johannes Heller-John are joined by Kevin Wolf, a partner in Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP’s international trade practice. From 2010 until 2017, he served as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration in the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) at the US Department of Commerce and is a renowned expert on export controls.

You can find the report "Keeping value chains at home: How China controls foreign access to technology and what it means for Europe" on our website.

China strebt nach Unabhängigkeit in kritischen Technologien, mit Antonia Hmaidi

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 15:00:00 +0200

China ist zu einer bedeutenden Wissenschafts- und Technologiemacht geworden. Über Chinas Streben nach Unabhängigkeit in kritischen Technologien wie künstliche Intelligenz, Quanten- oder Bio-Technologie spricht Johannes Heller-John mit Antonia Hmaidi, Senior Analystin am MERICS. Sie leitet die Daten-Taskforce des Instituts und das vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung geförderte Projekt „China Tech Observatory“ (CTO).

The global sale of Chinese arms, with Helena Legarda and Jacob Gunter

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 13:00:00 +0200

Over the last decade, China’s arms makers have gone beyond solely supplying the People’s Liberation Army and began to look for overseas markets to supplement sales and support Beijing’s geopolitical goals. Arms sales are an often-overlooked aspect of China’s global security and economic footprint and can present challenges to European policy makers and arms producers.

To discuss this topic Johannes Heller-John is joined by Helena Legarda and Jacob Gunter, both Lead Analysts at MERICS. They are the authors of the recent edition of our China Global Competition Tracker looking at China’s arms industry.

Unsicherheit in Chinas Innen- und Außenpolitik, mit Shi Ming

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 10:00:00 +0200

Das Jahr 2024 birgt viele Unsicherheiten für China: Die wirtschaftliche Lage im Land ist schwierig. Vielschichtige Konflikte auf regionaler und internationaler Ebene und die Ergebnisse der Wahlen in der EU und den USA werden sich auch auf China auswirken. Wie geht Beijing die Herausforderungen an? Podcast-Moderator Johannes Heller-John spricht mit dem deutsch-chinesischen Journalisten Shi Ming, einem Kenner von Chinas Innenpolitik. Der Publizist, der für führende Medien tätig ist, war im Sommer 2024 als Senior Fellow zu Gast bei MERICS.

The dangerous waters of the South China Sea, with Helena Legarda

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 10:00:00 +0200

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius' trip to the Asia-Pacific region in recent days shows that the region is becoming increasingly important for Germany and Europe. The trip took place against the backdrop of growing tensions in the region, particularly in the South China Sea. Beijing’s claims in the waters are far reaching and cover nearly 90 percent of the area. This claim is mostly based on its use in history by Chinese fishermen – and not supported by international law. Other countries bordering the South China Sea, like Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam, also lay claim to parts of the same area.

The waters of the South China Sea are vitally important for international trade and rich in natural resources – oil and gas fields are suspected to lie underground – and fishing grounds. Yet, the failure to find a mode of cooperation has precluded the extraction of resources and put in question the safety of the region for commercial shipping.

In this episode, MERICS Lead Analyst Helena Legarda and podcast host Johannes Heller-John talk about recent developments in the region. This episode was recorded on July 17, 2024.

For more on the topic, check out the recent edition of our MERICS China Security and Risk Tracker.

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.

China's foreign policy, with Akio Takahara

Fri, 02 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0200

China’s foreign policy has grown more assertive and confident under the leadership of Xi Jinping. How has China’s foreign policy evolved and what does this mean for European interests? Johannes Heller-John talks to Akio Takahara about the rivalry between China and the United States, China’s relations with Russia, the meaning of the Global South in China’s foreign policy – and the worrying tensions in the South China Sea. Akio is a distinguished Visiting professor at the Tokyo Woman's Christian University and professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo and a renowned specialist for current politics and diplomacy in China. He also sits on MERICS’ International Scientific Council and just recently visited our institute as a Senior Fellow.

Recommended reading:

How do smaller countries in the Indo-Pacific region proactively interact with China? An introduction, article by Akio Takahara in the Journal of Contemporary East Asian Studies

A lack of new ideas at the third plenum, with Alexander Davey

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 10:00:00 +0200

The Chinese leadership has met in Beijing for the long awaited Third Plenum - a key meeting happening once in five years of the formally highest authority of the Chines Communist Party, the Central Committee. It was a chance to lay out policy decisions to address the many issues the country is facing, including sluggish growth, rising government debt and unemployment.

To get a first reaction to what came out from the third plenum, Johannes Heller-John talks to Alexander Davey, Analyst at MERICS. In his view, looking at the issues China is facing “there isn't any new idea or any new way of dealing with this” that came out of the Third Plenum.

The Big Data China survey results can be found here.

The Third Plenum and debates about China’s economic future, with Kristin Shi-Kupfer and Katja Drinhausen

Fri, 05 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200

The long awaited third plenary session of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party will kick off on July 15. In the four-day meeting its 376 members will vote on programmatic decisions prepared by the Politbureau that will aim to solve the pressing economic and social issues the country currently faces.

Johannes Heller-John talks with Kristin Shi-Kupfer and Katja Drinhausen about the Third Plenum as well as Chinese debates on the country’s current economic challenges and future pathways.

Kristin Shi-Kupfer is a professor of Sinology at the University of Trier. Katja Drinhausen heads the politics & society program at MERICS. Together they lead the China Spektrum project, which analyzes relevant current debates and positions among Chinese intellectuals and experts, as well as public discussions unfolding on social media platforms and online.

China Spektrum is a joint project of the China institute of the University of Trier (CIUT) and the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS). The project is made possible by a grant from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.

Taiwan and cross-Strait relations in a year of elections, with Bonnie Glaser and Abigaël Vasselier

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 16:00:00 +0200

As the status quo in the Taiwan Strait is increasingly unstable, what can we expect from Taiwan’s new president Lai Ching-te when it comes to navigating relations with China? How will the results of the EU elections affect Europe’s policies vis-à-vis Taiwan? And how might a change of government in the United States impact the situation? These are some of the questions discussed by Bonnie Glaser, Managing Director of GMF's Indo-Pacific program, and MERICS’ Director Policy & European Affairs Abigaël Vasselier in this conversation with Claudia Wessling, Director of Communications and Publications at MERICS.

China steps up investments in Hungary, with Alexander Brown and Gregor Sebastian

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Chinese investment in Europe has hit a new low according to a new study by MERICS and Rhodium Group on China’s Foreign Direct Overseas Investment in the 27 EU member states and the UK. It is the lowest level of investment since 2010. In Hungary, however, investments drastically increased and made up just under half of all FDI in Europe in 2023. Where does Chinese investment in Europe stand, what sectors and countries do Chinese investors focus on and where do we go from here?

Johannes Heller-John is joined by two authors of the study, Alexander Brown, Analyst with MERICS focusing on China’s industrial and foreign economic policy, and Gregor Sebastian, Senior Analyst with Rhodium Group's China Corporate Advisory team focusing on China’s industrial policy and EV industry.

China and the European Parliament election, with Ivana Karásková and Grzegorz Stec

Fri, 31 May 2024 11:00:00 +0200

Ahead of the European Parliament election on June 6-9, 2024, this episode looks at the role of the European Parliament in EU-China relations and the possible impact of the election results on the European “de-risking” agenda among other topics.

Johannes Heller-John talks to Ivana Karásková and Grzegorz Stec. Ivana is a European China Policy Fellow at MERICS and the founder of MapInfluenCE and China Observers in Central and Eastern Europe (CHOICE) at the Association for International Affairs (AMO) in Prague. Grzegorz is the Head of the MERICS Brussels Office.

Recently, Ivana co-authored two reports, one on foreign electoral interference in the EU and one on the rise of fringe parties in the EP and their impact on EU-China relations. Grzegorz has published articles on how EP parties see China and on key lessons learned by Members of the EP during the last mandate.

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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 European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Finding a European answer to the China-Russia partnership, with Alice Ekman and Helena Legarda

Fri, 10 May 2024 01:00:00 +0200

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is set to visit Beijing in May to meet with China’s leader Xi Jinping. This will be Putin's first foreign trip after his reinauguration on May 7. The meeting will be another chance for the two leaders to emphasize how important and close the “no limits” partnership of Russia and China is. In this episode of our podcast, we look at the implications of the Sino-Russian relationship for the European Union, in particular due the ongoing invasion of Ukraine and their opposition to and undermining of the existing global order.

Johannes Heller-John is joined by Alice Ekman, Senior Analyst in charge of the Asia portfolio at the European Union Institute for Security Studies in Paris and Helena Legarda, Lead Analyst at MERICS. In their view, the China-Russia relationship is more stable than is often assumed.

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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 European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Science and technology at the NPC, with Barry Naughton and Jeroen Groenewegen-Lau

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 13:00:00 +0100

In this year’s government work report at the National People's Congress, the issue of science and technology was mentioned more often than any other. Why does the Chinese government put so much focus on science and technology? What does this mean for other pressing issues that the Communist Party is facing? And what does it mean for Europe and the United States?

To discuss these questions Johannes Heller-John is joined by Barry Naughton and Jeroen Groenewegen-Lau. Barry Naughton is So Kwan Lok Chair of Chinese International Affairs at the School of Global Policy and Strategy UC San Diego and co-leading research on China’s science, technology, innovation, and industrial policy at the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC). Jeroen Groenewegen-Lau is Head of Program of “Science, Technology and Innovation” at MERICS, and his research focuses on strategic emerging industries, research collaboration and tech transfers.

MERICS and the IGCC are working together on China’s innovation ecosystem, which already led to a conference and a series of Policy Briefs on the issue.

National People’s Congress 2024: The state implements the party’s decisions, with Nis Grünberg and Jacob Gunter

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 14:00:00 +0100

The National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, has held its yearly session in Beijing from the 5th to the 11th of March. This episode looks at what we have learned from this year's NPC and its repercussions for China and Europe. Johannes Heller-John is joined by MERICS Lead Analysts Nis Grünberg and Jacob Gunter. They argue that science and technology as well as security took precedence over socio-economic issues.

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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 European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Resuming the EU-China people to people dialogue, with Jean-Louis Rocca, Katja Drinhausen and Abigaël Vasselier

Thu, 07 Mar 2024 12:00:00 +0100

The high-level EU-China people-to-people dialogue is planned to be resumed this spring. The last installment happened in 2020, and this podcast episode looks at the relevance and aims of the format and what might be considered as a successful outcome.

Claudia Wessling, MERICS Director of Communications and Publications, is joined by Jean-Louis Rocca, Katja Drinhausen and Abigaël Vasselier. Jean-Louis is a professor at the renowned Sciences Po University in Paris, and a member of the EU-funded project China Horizons – Dealing with a resurgent China, a project that MERICS is part of as well. Katja is the Head of Program for our Politics and Society research team at MERICS and Abigaël is a Director for Policy and European Affairs at the institute.

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 European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

The challenge of obtaining information from China, with Vincent Brussee

Mon, 26 Feb 2024 10:00:00 +0100

Obtaining crucial information from and on China is becoming increasingly difficult for governments, businesses and researchers alike. “Geopolitics is a big factor,” says MERICS Associate Fellow Vincent Brussee “but there are many other dynamics that are intrinsically tied to how the Chinese political system works.”

He is the co-author of a recent MERICS report on the topic and joins Johannes Heller-John in this episode. Vincent is a PhD Candidate at Leiden University and author of the book “Social Credit: The Warring States of China’s Emerging Data Empire”. You can find the report “The increasing challenge of obtaining information from Xi's China” by Vincent Brussee and Kai von Carnap here.

The rise of China’s high-tech SMEs, with Alexander Brown and François Chimits

Fri, 09 Feb 2024 11:00:00 +0100

Beijing’s industrial policy increasingly puts the focus on the cultivation of high-tech small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). This MERICS Podcast episode looks at the emergence of China’s “Little Giants,” as well as Beijing’s goals, key policies, and implications for foreign companies. We also delve into developments in medical technologies, one of the key sectors outlined in the “Made in China 2025” strategy.

Christine Krüger talks with MERICS analysts Alexander Brown and François Chimits. They are the co-authors of two MERICS reports on the topic: “Accelerator state: How China fosters ‘Little Giant’ companies” and “Investigating state support for China’s medical technology companies.”

EU-China relations in 2024, with Abigaël Vasselier

Fri, 26 Jan 2024 14:00:00 +0100

What are the most pressing issues in EU-China relations in 2024? What does Europe need to focus on in managing relations with China? How might China seek to exploit the campaign season, in which Europe will be preoccupied with its own problems? In this podcast, Abigaël Vasselier, Director Policy & European Affairs/Head of Program Foreign Relations at MERICS, discusses these and other questions with Claudia Wessling, Director Communications and Publications.

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 European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Taiwan presidential elections, with Angela Köckritz

Thu, 11 Jan 2024 14:00:00 +0100

Shortly before the presidential elections on January 13, author and journalist – and former MERICS Senior Policy Fellow – Angela Köckritz travelled to Taiwan to follow the debates on the ground. In this MERICS podcast, she talks to Claudia Wessling about an exciting head-to-head race, Taiwan's approaches to deal with increasing disinformation and fake news from China and the debate about military service and defense policies. She recently wrote a MERICS Report on China’s disinformation offensive in Taiwan.

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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 European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Chinese hacking activities, with Antonia Hmaidi

Fri, 05 Jan 2024 10:00:00 +0100

China is an important source of cyberattacks on Europe and institutional changes have created a more flexible and sophisticated state-affiliated Chinese hacking scene. What differentiates Chinese hacking from that of other actors? What are its goals? And how can we deal with it?

Antonia Hmaidi, Analyst at MERICS with a focus on China’s internet infrastructure and its disinformation and hacking campaigns, is joining Johannes Heller-John to answer these questions. Antonia is the author of a recent study called “Here to stay” – Chinese state-affiliated hacking for strategic goals”.

Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and their relations with China, with Alexander Davey, Lucas Erlbacher and Andreas Forsby

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 14:00:00 +0100

European countries have become more aligned on how to deal with China in the past years, but national approaches towards the country still vary. In this episode, we zoom in on Austria, Denmark, and Ireland and how their relationships with China have evolved, how they work with Brussels on China issues, and what is in store for the near future.

Johannes Heller-John is joined by Alexander Davey, analyst at MERICS, Lucas Erlbacher, research associate with the Austrian Institute for European and Security Studies, and Andreas Forsby, senior researcher with the Danish Institute for International Studies. They contributed the country chapters for Ireland, Austria, and Denmark, respectively, in the most recent report of the European Thinktank Network on China (ETNC).

Spain, the EU and China, with Mario Esteban

Wed, 06 Dec 2023 11:00:00 +0100

In July 2023, Spain took over the presidency of the council of the European Union, the first transfer of this position since the introduction of de-risking into the bloc’s relationship with China. Johannes Heller-John talks with Mario Esteban, full professor at the Centre for East Asian Studies of the Autonomous University of Madrid and Senior Analyst at the Elcano Royal Institute, about the Spanish-China relationship, the role of China during Spain’s Council Presidency and the Agenda of the upcoming EU-China Summit. Together with his colleague Hugo Armanini, Mario wrote the chapter on Spain in this year’s report by the European Think-tank Network on China (ETNC).

The upcoming EU-China Summit, with Abigaël Vasselier

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 14:00:00 +0100

The EU-China Summit on December 7-8 in Beijing will see EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, while Premier Li Qiang is expected to chair. It is the first summit in this format held in person in four years. It takes place in a difficult geopolitical environment where China’s relations with the EU as well as the US are marred by thorny issues like the Russian invasion of Ukraine, tensions over Taiwan, and disagreements about market access.

What issues are likely to be on the agenda? What outcomes can we expect? And what is on the table in EU-China relations in 2024? To discuss these questions, Claudia Wessling is joined by Abigaël Vasselier, Director Policy & European Affairs and Head of Program of the MERICS research team on China’s Foreign Relations. In her previous position, Abigaël worked as Deputy Head of Division for China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Mongolia at the European External Action Service (EEAS).

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 European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Countering Chinese disinformation in the EU, with Ivana Karásková and Grzegorz Stec

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 12:00:00 +0100

How have Chinese attempts to shape the public opinion in Europe evolved? How does it differ from Russian disinformation? And how does the EU try to counter it? In this episode of the MERICS China Podcast, Johannes Heller-John talks to Ivana Karásková and Grzegorz Stec. Ivana is a European China Policy Fellow at MERICS and the founder of projects MapInfluenCE and China Observers in Central and Eastern Europe (CHOICE) at Association for International Affairs (AMO) in Prague. She is also a Special Advisor to Vice-President of the European Commission Věra Jourová, for the preparation of the Defense of Democracy package. Grzegorz Stec is Analyst in the Brussels Bureau of MERICS.

Together with Katja Drinhausen and Mareike Ohlberg, they are the authors of the recent MERICS Report “Image control: How China struggles for discourse power”. This podcast episode, as well as the above-mentioned study, are part of a research project funded by the German Foreign Office.

Further reading mentioned in the episode:
Foreign Electoral Interference Affecting EU Democratic Processes by Ivana Karásková, Una Aleksandra Bērziņa-Čerenkova, and Kara Němečková of the Association for International Affairs (AMO)

Negotiating in China, with Jörg Wuttke

Fri, 17 Nov 2023 15:00:00 +0100

In this episode of the MERICS China Podcast, Jörg Wuttke talks about negotiations in China. Wuttke has more than 25 years of experience as Chief Representative of the German chemicals company BASF in Beijing. In conversation with MERICS Director Communications and Publications Claudia Wessling, the former President of the European Chamber of Commerce in China shares intriguing stories about learning Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” in negotiations stretching over nearly 200 rounds. He also explains why sometimes enduring silence might be the best approach. And he reveals who he thinks was the most authentic politician to negotiate with Beijing.

If this whets your appetite, make sure to read the comment pieces on the topic of negotiations by our former Senior Fellow and former Indian top diplomat Vijay Ghokale and by our Senior Associate Fellow Charles Parton:

Why negotiating with China feels different, by Vijay Gohkale
Negotiating with China – some practical considerations, by Charles Parton

China vor dem dritten Plenum, mit Johnny Erling

Fri, 10 Nov 2023 10:00:00 +0100

Vor einem Jahr wurde Staats- und Parteichef Xi Jinping kurz nach dem 20. Parteitag der KPC im ersten Plenum des Zentralkomitees für eine dritte Amtszeit bestätigt. In diesem Jahr steht das alle fünf Jahre stattfindende dritte Plenum an, auf dem in der Vergangenheit oft richtungsweisende Reformentscheidungen beschlossen wurden.

Das Treffen wurde für Oktober oder November erwartet, doch bisher ist nichts darüber bekannt. In Online-Debatten diskutieren die Menschen in China über mögliche Gründe und fordern Reformen. Über die Lage der Kommunistische Partei und vor allem Xi Jinpings vor dem dritten Plenum sowie über Herausforderungen und mögliche Reformen spricht Johannes Heller-John mit MERICS Senior Associate Fellow Johnny Erling. Erling lebte mehrere Jahrzehnte in China und war von 1997 bis 2019 Korrespondent in Beijing für die deutsche Zeitung "Die Welt" und den österreichischen "Der Standard".

A decade of the Belt and Road Initiative, with Clark Banach and Jacob Gunter

Fri, 20 Oct 2023 16:00:00 +0200

The year 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government in 2013. By now, the BRI is more than just ports and rail lines and its projects covers a variety of sectors like energy, telecommunications, digital, health, education, and culture.

How has the BRI changed in the last decade? What mark has it left abroad and at home? And how do initiatives from the EU and the US fare in comparison? Clark Banach, Futures Fellow at MERICS and Program Director at the Alethia Research Institution, and Jacob Gunter, Lead Analyst at MERICS, join Johannes Heller-John to answer these questions.

China’s economic trajectory, with Bert Hofman and Jacob Gunter

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 10:00:00 +0200

After a decade in power, party and state leader Xi Jinping has fundamentally reshaped China’s political economy in pursuit of the Chinese Communist Party’s long-term goal: to return to a strong and prosperous China at the heart of the global economy. As the CCP approaches the 2023 Third Plenum, an event which will give important indications on the future of China’s economy, Christine Krüger is talking to Bert Hofman, Director of the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore, and Senior Associate Fellow at MERICS, and Jacob Gunter, Lead Analyst in the Economy program at MERICS.

Jacob is also the co-author with MERICS Chief Economist Max J. Zenglein of a new MERICS Report titled “The party knows best: aligning economic actors with China’s strategic goals” that analyzes the meaning of the fundamental shifts in China’s economic governance that are currently unfolding.

Wie China sein Bild im Ausland kontrolliert, mit Katja Drinhausen und Mareike Ohlberg

Fri, 06 Oct 2023 14:00:00 +0200

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 drive for innovation, with Tai Ming Cheung

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0200

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.

China's EV export boom, with Ilaria Mazzocco and Gregor Sebastian

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 10:00:00 +0200

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 EU and de-risking, with Francesca Ghiretti

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 10:00:00 +0200

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.

Japan and de-risiking, with Kazuto Suzuki

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 11:00:00 +0200

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.

The US and de-risking, with Emily Benson

Fri, 25 Aug 2023 11:00:00 +0200

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.

How China and Russia approach sanctions, with Francesca Ghiretti and Maria Shagina

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 09:00:00 +0200

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 Ghiretti
The imperative to build and sustain sanctioning coalitions. IISS Analysis by Maria Shagina
Russia faces the slow burn of economic sanctions, IISS Analysis by Maria Shagina

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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 European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

China's advances in rail, sea and air transportation sectors, with Alexander Brown and Gregor Sebastian

Fri, 07 Jul 2023 13:00:00 +0200

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 European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Analyzing scenarios for Xi Jinping’s third term, with Bernhard Bartsch

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 11:00:00 +0200

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.

Öffentliche Debatten in China nach der Pandemie, mit Kristin Shi-Kupfer und Katja Drinhausen

Mon, 19 Jun 2023 01:00:00 +0200

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.

The MIT China Strategy, with Michael Laha and Taylor Fravel

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 15:00:00 +0200

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.

Chinese investment in Europe hits decade low, with Agatha Kratz and Gregor Sebastian

Fri, 12 May 2023 09:00:00 +0200

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.

Transatlantic tech cooperation vis-à-vis China, with Rebecca Arcesati and Hosuk Lee-Makiyama

Fri, 05 May 2023 14:00:00 +0200

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.

Fragmentation of the internet, with Kai von Carnap

Fri, 31 Mar 2023 11:00:00 +0200

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.

How to understand what the CCP is saying, with Katja Drinhausen and Malin Oud

Fri, 17 Mar 2023 09:00:00 +0100

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. It is available online here and can be downloaded as PDF here.

Ukraine one year on, with Helena Legarda and Jakub Jakóbowski

Fri, 24 Feb 2023 14:00:00 +0100

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.

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This episode 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 European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Reframing EU-China relations, with Katja Drinhausen and Alicja Bachulska

Fri, 17 Feb 2023 06:00:00 +0100

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.

China setzt 2023 auf wirtschaftliche Erholung, mit Max J. Zenglein

Fri, 03 Feb 2023 12:00:00 +0100

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.

Assessing the MERICS China Forecast 2023, with Roderick Kefferpütz

Fri, 27 Jan 2023 11:00:00 +0100

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.

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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 European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

China-Ukraine relations, with Yurii Poita

Tue, 03 Jan 2023 06:00:00 +0100

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.

The innovation chain in China, with Michael Laha

Fri, 16 Dec 2022 06:00:00 +0100

China’s ambitions of self-sufficiency, most notably embodied by its industrial policy Made in China 2025, are still hampered by a reliance on some key technologies dominated by a few companies based in the US and likeminded countries. To alleviate this dependency China wants to use the innovation chain concept and strengthen the connection between basic research and business application.

Michael Laha, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation German Chancellor Fellow at MERICS and former Senior Program Officer at the Asia Society Center on US-China Relations joins the podcast to talk about the innovation chain, its implementation in China and implications for Europe. In his view, what makes the application of the innovation chain special in China is how broadly it is implemented and its close relationship to China’s ambitions of self-sufficiency.

Together with Jeroen Groenewegen-Lau, Head of Program Science, Technology and Innovation Policy at MERICS, Michael is working on an upcoming paper on the innovation chain in China. The interview was conducted by Johannes Heller-John.

Outcomes of the National Party Congress, with Valarie Tan and Jacob Gunter

Tue, 25 Oct 2022 13:00:00 +0200

Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party since 2012, has been awarded with an unprecedented third term in power and has managed to fill the ranks of the inner circles of the CCP entirely with close allies. Together with MERICS Analyst Valarie Tan and MERICS Senior Analyst Jacob Gunter we look at the leadership reshuffle and other outcomes of the 20th National Congress of the CCP. Both experts argue that as a result of the changes implemented during the party congress, the Chinese leadership has become more unpredictable for people outside but also inside China. The podcast was recorded by Johannes Heller-John.

Der 20. Parteitag der kommunistischen Partei, mit Nis Grünberg und Johnny Erling

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 15:00:00 +0200

Im Fokus des 20. Parteitags der Kommunistischen Partei Chinas steht dieses Jahr die Bestätigung von Chinas Staats- und Parteichef Xi Jinping in seinem Amt für eine dritte Amtszeit. Kontrovers wird diese historische Entscheidung jedoch nicht sein, denn Xi hat die kommunistische Partei fest in der Hand.

Was von dem Parteitag erwartet werden kann und wie es danach voraussichtlich weitergeht, diskutieren Nis Grünberg, Senior Analyst bei MERICS, und Johnny Erling, Senior Fellow bei MERICS. Im Gespräch mit Johannes Heller-John sprechen sie zudem über potentielle Neuzugänge in den mächtigsten Gremien des Landes und Raum für Widerstand unter Xis zunehmend absoluter Kontrolle.

Mehr zum 20. Parteitag:

How China utilizes economic pressure, with Aya Adachi and Alexander Brown

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 10:00:00 +0200

With growing geopolitical tensions, economic relations with China are increasingly challenging. The term “economic coercion” is heard more often recently in connection with EU-China relations, as China relies on economic pressure to push for strategic goals. A prominent example of this is China’s souring relations with Lithuania over the renaming of the Taiwan representative office, with companies operating in Lithuania caught in Beijing’s crosshairs. In this podcast, MERICS Analysts Aya Adachi and Alexander Brown discuss how China’s utilization of economic pressure is changing and describe the risks for companies with business in China. Read their new Monitor “Fasten your seatbelts: How to manage China’s economic coercion” on the topic here.

Global views on China, with Helena Legarda and Jacob Gunter

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 13:00:00 +0200

Various crisis scenarios - above all Russia's war in Ukraine - are reinforcing the impression that the world is moving toward a new formation of blocs. At the same time, Beijing seeks to use its growing global power and influence to shape the global order in its favor. How do countries in the Global South that cannot be so clearly classified to one bloc or the other view China's role in the changing international power structure and US-China competition? In this podcast, MERICS Director Communications and Publications Claudia Wessling discusses the latest MERICS Paper on China "Beyond blocs: Global views on China and US-China relations" with MERICS experts Helena Legarda and Jacob Gunter. They compiled contributions by authors representing Bangladesh, Chile, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to describe those countries’ perspectives on China and US-China competition.

Öffentliche Debatten in China, mit Kristin Shi-Kupfer und Katja Drinhausen

Thu, 04 Aug 2022 09:00:00 +0200

Trotz Zensur und Kontrolle gibt es immer noch ein breites Spektrum an Meinungen in China. Wo liegen die Grenzen des Sagbaren, und wie verschieben sie sich? Was erlaubt die Regierung, und wann schreitet sie ein? In welchem Verhältnis stehen die Äußerungen von Experten, Meinungsführern und Netzbürgern gegenüber offiziellen Positionen? Und: Können öffentliche Debatten politische Veränderungen bewirken? Mit diesen Fragen befasst sich das Projekt China Spektrum, eine Kooperation von MERICS und dem China-Institut der Universität Trier. Gefördert wird das Projekt durch die Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit.

In dieser Folge des MERICS China Podcasts hören Sie die Projektleiterinnen 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. Die beiden geben im Gespräch mit Claudia Wessling, Leiterin Kommunikation und Publikationen am MERICS, Einblick in die gerade erschienene erste Analyse des Projekts. Darin geht es um Debatten zum Krieg in der Ukraine, Kontroversen rund um den Lockdown in Shanghai, Frauenrechte und das staatliche Vorgehen gegen IT-Unternehmen.

Mehr zum Thema:

Projektwebsite: www.merics.org/de/china-spektrum
China Spektrum Report: „Debatten jenseits der offiziellen Regierungslinie“: https://merics.org/de/debatten-jenseits-der-offiziellen-regierungslinie

Re-assessing the EU's China strategy, with Sébastien Jean and Mikko Huotari

Fri, 08 Jul 2022 09:00:00 +0200

China’s relations with the EU have become more difficult recently: In 2019, the Strategic Outlook of the EU Commission for the first time described China as a partner, a competitor and a systemic rival. This definition still holds today, and it is increasingly challenging to navigate in times of deepening rifts between global players. How should policymakers deal with a China that is ruled authoritarian, but that also offers economic opportunities and is needed for collaboration in the fight against climate change? In this podcast, French economist Sébastien Jean (CNAM) and MERICS Executive Director Mikko Huotari discuss options for an EU economic strategy vis-à-vis China with our host Claudia Wessling, Director Communications and Publications.

Sébastien Jean and Mikko Huotari have just published a note for the the French Council of Economic Analysis (CAE): “Bolstering Europe’s Economic Strategy vis-à-vis China”. You can read and download it here.

Green hydrogen in China, with Alexander Brown and Nis Grünberg

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 09:00:00 +0200

Green hydrogen is an important component of China’s path towards reaching carbon neutrality by 2060. While 80 percent of Chinese hydrogen is still produced using coal or gas with high CO2 emissions, a surge in technology development and large-scale projects led by local governments and companies are paving the way for a rapid expansion of the green hydrogen industry.

In this episode of the MERICS China Podcast, Alexander Brown and Nis Grünberg give an outlook on China’s hydrogen industry and highlight how policy support and domestic R&D are closing the gap with European technology leaders. You can read their report “China’s nascent green hydrogen sector: How policy, research and business are forging a new industry” online here. Questions were asked by Communications Manager Johannes Heller-John.

MERICS Event Podcast: The return of uncertainty in China

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 15:00:00 +0200

China is experiencing turbulent times: Covid-19 lockdowns in many cities and provinces have sent the Chinese economy into a dramatic decline, censors are having a difficult time keeping the Chinese internet free from statements of public discontent and rumors about political frictions. And as the war in Ukraine rages on, the Chinese leadership's course of alignment with Moscow is putting a strain on relations with Europe and the US. Beijing is confronted with unprecedented uncertainties.

Do these factors merge to form a perfect storm that challenges the system’s resilience? MERICS Executive Director Mikko Huotari and Lead Analysts Nis Grünberg and Helena Legarda discussed this question at a MERICS event on May 31, which was moderated by MERICS Director External Relations Bernhard Bartsch.

Today we bring you a recording of that event. A video version that also includes the slides accompanying the presentations can be found on our YouTube page.

Taiwan and the war in Ukraine, with Sheryn Lee

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 10:00:00 +0200

The close relationship between Russia and China, which has not withered in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has turned a spotlight on the simmering territorial conflict between China and Taiwan. But how much, if at all, does the Russian invasion of Ukraine impact cross-strait relations, and what does it mean for the prospect of a Chinese invasion of the island nation?

To answer these and other questions we are joined by Sheryn Lee, a senior lecturer at the Swedish Defence University and an expert on strategic concepts and the foreign and defense policies of Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific nations. Questions were asked by Johannes Heller-John.

The BRI and the war in Ukraine, with Francesca Ghiretti and Jacob Mardell

Fri, 27 May 2022 06:00:00 +0200

Rail freight between China and Europe is probably the main symbol of the Belt and Road Initiative for many in Europe. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, however, the steady flow of trains and goods has been disrupted. In this episode will look the impacts of the war in Ukraine on the BRI, how China is changing and adapting the BRI, and what that means for decision makers in Europe.

We are joined by Francesca Ghiretti and Jacob Mardell, Analyst and Research Fellow at MERICS respectively. They are co-authors of the latest MERICS Global China Inc. Tracker that featured the effects of the war in Ukraine prominently. Questions were asked by Johannes Heller-John, Communications Manager at MERICS.

Hong Kong's new Chief Executive, with Eric Lai and Valarie Tan

Fri, 13 May 2022 14:00:00 +0200

On May 8, John Lee was elected as Hong Kong's next leader with over 99 percent of the votes cast by a largely pro-Beijing election committee. In his victory speech he claimed he wanted to start a new chapter and build a Hong Kong that is “caring, open and vibrant, full of opportunities and harmony." But what does the victory of this former police officer, who has the endorsement of Beijing and is described as an emotionless machine by critics, really mean for Hong Kong?

To answer this and other questions, we are joined by Eric Yan-ho Lai, Hong Kong Law Fellow at the Center for Asian Law of Georgetown University in Washington, and Valarie Tan, a researcher at MERICS focusing on domestic politics, society and media in China. Questions asked by Claudia Wessling, Director Communications and Publications at MERICS.

The CCP’s vision for digital transformation, with Rebecca Arcesati

Fri, 06 May 2022 13:00:00 +0200

Digital transformation is a top priority of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan. Having built a solid foundation for its digital economy, Beijing wants to reach the next phase: integrate digital technologies with the real economy, society and government functions to drive economic upgrading and modernize the Chinese Communist Party’s governance capabilities. Beijing’s vision, however, does not stop at home: it is global and builds on a decades-long strategic approach toward internet infrastructure in the Global South.

Rebecca Arcesati, Analyst at MERICS focusing on China’s digital and technology policies, lays out the CCP’s vision for digital transformation and e-government, its promotion of this vision in the Global South and the implications for Europe. She recently published a MERICS Primer titled “E-government and Covid-19: Digital China goes global”. Questions were asked by Johannes Heller-John.

Chinese FDI in Europe in 2021, with Gregor Sebastian

Fri, 29 Apr 2022 13:00:00 +0200

The time of vast investments of Chinese capital into Europe seem to be over. While China’s FDI in Europe in 2021 increased in comparison to the year before, it remained on a multi-year downward trajectory. Globally, also, the growth of Chinese FDI stalled and remained at roughly the same amount as the year before.

Following the recent publication of the MERICS and Rhodium Group report on Chinese FDI in Europe in 2021, we are joined by one of its authors, MERICS Analyst Gregor Sebastian, to take a look at the key take-aways of the report. We pay particular attention to the rise in greenfield and venture capital investments and whether these trends are likely to continue. The conversation concludes with a look at the first year of the European FDI Screening Mechanism and its impact on Chinese FDI in Europe. Questions were asked by Johannes Heller-John.

The EU-China Summit 2022, with Grzegorz Stec

Fri, 08 Apr 2022 14:00:00 +0200

On Friday, April 1, the leaders of the European Union and the People’s Republic of China met virtually for the 23rd EU-China Summit. While areas of shared interest like climate change and health played a role, the main focus was on Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, which both sides discussed extensively.

In this podcast, Grzegorz Stec, Analyst at MERICS and expert on EU-China relations, looks at the buildup and outcomes of the summit, compares it to previous EU-China Summits, and shares his assessment on the trajectory of EU-China relations. Questions asked by Johannes Heller-John.

Open-source data in China research, with Emile Dirks

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 11:00:00 +0200

In the last couple of years, it has become increasingly difficult for foreign researchers to access China, and even more difficult to conduct critical field research. One of the few channels for empirical data that is left to China watchers is open-source data, which has become an essential resource, especially on politically more sensitive topics.

To talk about open-source data research, how it works, why it matters and what it means for the future of China watching we are joined by Emile Dirks. He is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto and the Futures Fellow here at MERICS. His research focuses on China civil society, human rights, censorship and state surveillance.

Emile is one of the creators of the China drug, crime and detention database, an extensive collection of open-source resources on crime into judiciary in China, and co-author of a report with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute on Genomic Surveillance in China, detailing findings about the Chinese government's forensic DNA database. Questions asked by Jonas Schneider.

Main take aways of the National People’s Congress 2022, with Nis Grünberg

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 14:00:00 +0100

The “two sessions”, the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), wrapped up in Beijing on March 11. In this episode, MERICS Lead Analyst Nis Grünberg discusses the main outcomes of these important annual meetings, which generally offer a window into the central government’s priorities. These include an ambitious GDP growth target of 5.5 percent, a focus on stability amid international turbulence, a refocus on energy security rather than emission reductions and an increase in defense spending by 7.1 percent. Grünberg also explains how changes to the so-called Organic Law try to strengthen Xi’s control over decisions taken in provinces and other lower administrative levels. Questions by Johannes Heller-John, Communications Manager at MERICS.

How Beijing could make progress with its common prosperity agenda, with Bert Hofmann and Mikko Huotari

Fri, 11 Mar 2022 15:00:00 +0100

At the National People's Congress that is about to wrap up in Beijing, Premier Li Keqiang reiterated the ambitious "Common Prosperity" policy. Joint efforts in line with the opening-up policy would be needed to achieve this ambitious goal, Li said at a press conference.

In this episode of our podcast, Bert Hofman, the Director of the East Asian Institute at National University of Singapore and MERICS Executive Director Mikko Huotari discuss the instruments China relies on in its efforts for a more equal distribution of income and wealth with MERICS Director Communications and Publications Claudia Wessling.

If you want to listen to the other parts of our series on common prosperity, you can find them on our website at www.merics.org/podcast and wherever you listen to our podcasts. We had seasoned China watchers like Barry Naughton, Isabella Weber, and Sarah Eaton on the show, please check our podcast archive.

Der Nationale Volkskongress 2022, mit Johnny Erling

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 16:00:00 +0100

Jedes Jahr Anfang März kommen die fast 3.000 Abgeordneten des Nationalen Volkskongresses (NVK) in Beijing für ihre Vollversammlung zusammen. Der NVK ist das oberste Gesetzgebungsorgan Chinas, wird aber auch als Scheinparlament bezeichnet, da er vollkommen unter der Kontrolle der Kommunistischen Partei steht. Welche Rolle spielt der NVK im politischen System Chinas? Wie geht so eine Mammut-Veranstaltung vonstatten? Und welche Bedeutung hat die Tagung in diesem innenpolitisch bedeutsamen Jahr und im Vorfeld des 20. Parteitags im Herbst?

Darüber sprechen wir mit MERICS Senior Fellow Johnny Erling, einem der langjährigsten und erfahrensten China-Korrespondenten Deutschlands. Zuletzt berichtete er von 1997 bis 2019 für „Die Welt“ und den österreichischen „Standard“ aus Beijing. Mehr als 20 Mal verfolgte er den Volkskongress vor Ort in Beijing.

China's position on the war in Ukraine, with Jakub Jakóbowski and Helena Legarda

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 13:00:00 +0100

Ukraine has once again risen to the headlines due to an intensification of its conflict with Russia that has been smoldering since 2014, culminating in a full-scale invasion by Russia early on February 24.

The Chinese position in the weeks leading up to and during the war so far has been one of hedging, trying to avoid taking a clear side in the deepening crisis. In a meeting ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 4, Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese State and Party Leader Xi Jinping issued a joint statement of support and affirmed their commitment to “deepening back-to-back strategic cooperation.” Chinese official statements on the situation in Ukraine, however, sound much more uncommitted. In a speech at the Munich Security Conference on February 19, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged all sides to “shoulder their responsibilities and work for peace.” As the war broke out, Beijing continued to call for restraint and a negotiated solution to the crisis. But it also adopted a more Russia-friendly tone, questioning the use of the word ‘invasion’ to describe the situation and blaming the US for aggravating the crisis.

To analyze the Chinese position in Russia’s war in Ukraine, the status of the Russia-China relationship and the implications for future conflicts, we are joined by two experts on the issue: Jakub Jakóbowski and Helena Legarda. Jakub coordinates the Connectivity in Eurasia project and is a senior fellow at the China Program of the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW), a public think tank based in Warsaw, Poland. In November he co-authored a study on the Russia-China relationship. Helena is a Lead Analyst in the Foreign Relations team at MERICS and has recently published a new issue of our Security and Risk Tracker that analyzed the situation in Ukraine among other topics.

This conversation was recorded on February 23. Accordingly, more recent events will not figure into the discussion. The episode, however, focuses on more general issues, which still remain relevant.

The French EU Council Presidency, with François Godement

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 14:00:00 +0100

This episode looks at the potential impact of the French EU Council Presidency on the bloc's China policy. We also delve into French China policy and wage a look ahead on what the outcome of the upcoming French presidential elections in April 2022 could mean for the country's engagement with China.

To discuss these issues, we are joined by François Godement, a Senior Advisor for Asia at the Institut Montaigne in Paris, Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C., as well as an external consultant for the Policy Planning Staff of the French Ministry for Europe and International Affairs. In the past, François headed ECFR's Asia and China programme and lectured at Sciences Po and France's National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO).

The Winter Olympic Games 2022, with Valarie Tan

Fri, 04 Feb 2022 13:00:00 +0100

With the 24th Winter Olympic Games, Beijing has become the first city to host both the Winter and Summer Olympic Games – a source of national pride and a sign of China’s ambition to become a global superpower. The leadup to the games, however, has been mired by the decision of several liberal democracies not to send high level dignitaries to the games in protest over human rights violations in Xinjiang. In addition, the specter of the ongoing global COVID pandemic is having its effect on the games.

What do the Winter Olympic Games 2022 mean for the Chinese leadership, how is COVID affecting this year’s games and what do the Chinese people think about them? We will discuss these questions with Valarie Tan, Analyst at MERICS. In her view, “both Olympic Games [2008 and 2022] are part of Xi Jinping’s legacy and a true reflection of Chinas expansion and ambition to become a global superpower.”

The role of SOEs in China’s common prosperity push, with Sarah Eaton and Nis Grünberg

Fri, 14 Jan 2022 09:00:00 +0100

A sizeable part of the Chinese economy is still dominated by state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Due to their direct link to the government, they are often employed as spearheads for the roll-out of new policies. What role does the government envision for SOEs in the ongoing common prosperity push for a more equal China? How can Beijing mobilize SOEs and what actions will they take?

This episode of our podcast features a discussion with Sarah Eaton and Nis Grünberg. Sarah Eaton is Professor of Transregional China Studies at Humboldt University Berlin and co-founder of the Berlin Contemporary China Network. Nis Grünberg is Lead Analyst at MERICS.

More on the topic:

Check out our other recent podcasts on China’s economic policies:

China’s economic policies, with Barry Naughton and Max J. Zenglein
Common prosperity means closer alignment with CCP goals for private companies, with Isabella Weber and Jacob Gunther

Common prosperity means closer alignment with CCP goals for private companies, with Isabella Weber and Jacob Gunter

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 10:00:00 +0100

With the concept of “common prosperity” set as a key goal of the Communist Party, China´s economic model seems to be heading for a big shift in the coming years. Already Beijing is introducing policies aimed at aligning the market with the Party´s ideology and broader goals. Can we expect to see a shift away from the pragmatic economic state-planning of the last decades towards a more ideologically driven development? And what would that imply for the role of private companies in China?

We will discuss these questions with Isabella Weber and Jacob Gunter. Isabella Weber is the Research Leader for China of the Asian Political Economy Program at the Political Economy Research Institute and an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts. She is the author of the book How China Escaped Shock Therapy: The Market Reform Debate, which was published in 2021. Jacob Gunter is a Senior Analyst focusing on China’s economy at MERICS.

Chinese surveillance tech in Africa, with Jili Bulelani

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 11:00:00 +0100

Africa has longstanding and deep partnerships with Chinese technology companies—Huawei famously began developing its telecommunications networks in rural Kenya in the 1990s. Today, African governments are among the top customers for Chinese surveillance tools, from “smart cities” to media monitoring. These partnerships have come under increased scrutiny and criticism for two main reasons: domestic human rights abuses committed with the help of surveillance tech in China, and allegations of government spying (in 2018, Le Monde reported that the African Union headquarters communications network, built by Huawei, was leaking data to Shanghai). This raises the question: is China exporting its surveillance apparatus to Africa?

It’s more complicated than that, according to Jili Bulelani, MERICS Futures Fellow and Harvard PhD candidate. In this conversation, he offers insights in how to conceptualize these issues, with emphasis on the motivations of local actors and the race to regulate surveillance technology.

China’s economic policy, with Barry Naughton and Max J. Zenglein

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 11:00:00 +0100

Despite the many challenges China’s economy is facing on several levels, the Chinese leadership seems determined to push for fundamental shifts of China’s economic system. Beijing seeks to tackle long-term structural issues and rebalance the economy in line with broader policy goals. The latest buzzword spread is “common prosperity”, seeking to narrow the yawning wealth gap in the country. What does Beijing hope to achieve and why is it rolled out right now? In this episode of our podcast, we discuss with Barry Naughton and Max J. Zenglein. Barry Naughton is the So Kwan Lok Chair of Chinese International Affairs at UC San Diego and one of the most highly respected economists working on China. He is also a member of MERICS’ International Scientific Council. Max J. Zenglein is Chief Economist at MERICS .

Chinese disinformation and propaganda efforts in Europe, with Ivana Karásková

Fri, 03 Dec 2021 09:00:00 +0100

In this episode of our EU-China podcast series, we look at how China spreads disinformation in Europe. We explore patterns in China’s disinformation and propaganda operations, evaluate how effective they are and what has the EU been doing to address this challenge.

Ivana Karásková, is a European China policy fellow at MERICS and also the founder and coordinator of China Observers in Central and Eastern Europe network as well as of MapInfluence, a project that maps China’s and Russia’s influence in Central Europe. Ivana also works for Central European Digital Media Observatory, where she focuses on disinformation, propaganda and social resilience.

The China angle in the coalition treaty of Germany’s future government, with Mikko Huotari

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 11:00:00 +0100

The coalition treaty of the Social Democrats, Greens and Free Democrats was sealed in November after almost two months of negotiations. It contains several references to China. For the first time ever, sensitive issues like the human rights situation in Xinjiang, the erosion of rights in Hong Kong, and the tensions involving Taiwan are mentioned explicitely. In this podcast, Claudia Wessling, Director Communications and Publications at MERICS, is joined by MERICS' Executive Director Mikko Huotari to discuss implications of the coalition treaty for Germany’s future China policy.

China's subnational diplomacy in Germany and Europe, with Roderick Kefferpütz

Fri, 26 Nov 2021 14:00:00 +0100

China and European countries entertain relations with each other not only at the state level. During past decades, a close network of partnerships between Chinese provinces, European regions or federal states and also cities and municipalities has emerged. On subnational channels, there are a lot of oftentimes mutually beneficial exchanges - in business and politics, but also at the level of civil society. It is very challenging for a federally organized country like Germany, but also other European regions, to deal with actors from China who are following strategies prescribed by a centralized party state.

MERICS Senior Analyst Roderick Kefferpütz has been studying China's sub-national diplomacy in Germany and Europe in detail in his research at MERICS. He has just published the results of his research in two MERICS reports. In this episode of the MERICS Experts podcast, he discusses his findings and recommendations for subnational actors in Europe with Claudia Wessling, Director of Communications and Publications at MERICS.

Recommended reading:

In his report "Big fish in small ponds: China’s subnational diplomacy in Europe,” Kefferpütz compares how different European countries deal with China’s subnational diplomacy.
Also check out the study on “China’s subnational diplomacy in Germany” (available only in German)

Chinas subnationale Diplomatie in Deutschland, mit Roderick Kefferpütz

Fri, 26 Nov 2021 10:00:00 +0100

Seit Jahrzehnten gibt es ein enges Partnerschaftsgeflecht zwischen chinesischen Provinzen, deutschen Bundesländern und auch Kommunen und Städten. Es ist lebhafter Austausch entstanden in Wirtschaft und Politik, aber auch auf zivilgesellschaftlicher Ebene. Unter der Regierung von Xi Jinping folgt allerdings auch Chinas subnationale Diplomatie immer stärker den Vorgaben des Zentralstaats - für ein föderal organisiertes Land wie Deutschland ist das sehr herausfordernd.

Das hat auch Roderick Kefferpütz, wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter bei MERICS, in einer Umfrage unter Vertreterinnen und Vertretern in sechs Bundesländern erfahren. Die Ergebnisse seiner Recherche hat er in zwei neuen MERICS-Studien veröffentlicht. Mit Claudia Wessling, Leiterin Kommunikation und Publikationen am MERICS, diskutiert er im Podcast über Handlungsmöglichkeiten für hiesige Akteure.

Mehr zum Thema:

Die Studie „Stadt, Land, Fluss im Blick Beijings: Chinas subnationale Diplomatie in Deutschland" finden Sie auf der MERICS Website.
Lesen Sie auch den Bericht „Großer Fisch im kleinen Teich: Chinas subnationale Diplomatie in Europa" (in englischer Sprache), in dem Kefferpütz die Erfahrungen und Vorgehensweisen in verschiedenen europäischen Ländern vergleicht.

Xi Jinping's Resolution on History, with Valarie Tan

Thu, 18 Nov 2021 16:00:00 +0100

Just hours after China’s president Xi Jinping met virtually with US president Joe Biden on November 16th, Chinese state media released the text of the Chinese Communist Party’s new “Resolution on History”. In the week prior, top leaders in the party convened to approve the document - only the third of its kind - elevating Xi to the stature of former leaders Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. Nothing will stand in his way should he seek a third five-year term at next year’s party congress.

MERICS Analyst Valarie Tan offers a first-look interpretation of the document’s wording. What themes are prominent in this resolution? Why did its timing coincide with the Xi-Biden summit?

Also, check out Valarie Tan’s short analysis about the resolution.

John Lee and Jan-Peter Kleinhans on China in the global semiconductor industry

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 13:00:00 +0100

In October 2021, Chinese tech giant Alibaba unveiled its most advanced cloud server chip yet. Semiconductors, or chips, are the foundation for many of the electronics that we use daily. You will find them in computers, cars, household appliances, phones and many other devices. The semiconductor value chain is characterized by a high degree of transnational interdependence, and Alibaba’s “Yitian 710” is no exception: it relies heavily on foreign technology. The US-China technology rivalry, the Covid-19 pandemic and global shortages in semiconductors have led many governments to scrutinize these interdependencies. What risks does this pose to the international system? How is China’s share of the semiconductor ecosystem structured? In this episode, we discuss these questions with John Lee, Senior Analyst at MERICS, and Jan-Peter Kleinhans, head of the Technology and Geopolitics topic area at Stiftung Neue Verantwortung (SNV).

Recommended reading:

Mapping China’s semiconductor ecosystem in global context: Strategic dimensions and conclusions. Joint report by MERICS and Stiftung Neue Verantwortung, by John Lee and Jan-Peter Kleinhans.

Mathieu Duchâtel on the role of France in the EU's Indo-Pacific Strategy

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 14:00:00 +0200

France, as an Indo-Pacific power, plays a unique role in EU discussions on engagement with the region. Paris’ security-minded approach to the Indo-Pacific region distinguishes it from other European capitals. But, as AUKUS controversy shows, France’s ambitions in the region are being challenged, as its partners prioritize capabilities to respond to China’s growing military prowess over relations with Paris. The resulting Franco-American tensions have implications for all EU member states and some of them are concerned.

In this episode, we talk with Mathieu Duchâtel, Director of the Asia Program at Institut Montaigne, and one of the leading voices in China debates in France.

The conversation covers France’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific, the dynamics of Franco-Chinese interactions in the region, the AUKUS debacle and China topics in light of the upcoming French EU presidency.

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Helena Legarda on the EU security in the Indo-Pacific

Fri, 15 Oct 2021 11:00:00 +0200

As tensions are increasing in the Indo-Pacific, the EU is exploring ways to contribute to the security framework in the region. In doing so, the bloc has to navigate the complex dynamics between its ambitions and capabilities as well as reactions from both China and like-minded partners. But what exactly is the EU’s objective in the security realm and can it achieve it?

In this episode, we talk to Helena Legarda Senior Analyst at MERICS, who is an expert on Chinas defense and foreign policy and its geopolitical impact. She is also the lead author of MERICS China Security and Risk Tracker.

The conversation covers a range of security issues including the EU’s capability to project power in the Indo-Pacific, China’s reactions to French and German military operations in the region and much more.

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If you are interested in our research on EU-China topics subscribe to our biweekly MERICS Europe China 360° brief.

Gunnar Wiegand on the EU's Indo-Pacific Strategy, AUKUS, and Taiwan

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 11:00:00 +0200

Over the course of the past weeks, the EU’s agenda was filled with Indo-Pacific related developments ranging from the successful release of the EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy to shock linked to the cancellation of the French military sale to Australia and the announcement of the AUKUS alliance.

In this episode, we talk with Mr. Gunnar Wiegand, the Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific at the European External Action Service, an institute at the forefront of the EU’s engagement with the Indo-Pacific region and China.

The conversation touches on a range of strategic issues related to the EU’s ambitions and capabilities in the region, EU-China relations in the Indo-Pacific, EU-Taiwan ties and transatlantic cooperation.

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If you are interested in our research on EU-China topics you may want to subscribe to our biweekly MERICS Europe China 360° Brief.

Victor Shih on the Evergrande crisis

Fri, 08 Oct 2021 18:00:00 +0200

China’s real estate giant Evergrande has been making headlines for a while now. Having accumulated more than 300 billion USD in debt, Evergrande – one of the largest property developers on earth – is at the brink of collapse. On Monday, trading of Evergrande’s shares was suspended on the Hong Kong stock exchange. The week before, it missed a key bond interest payment. What has caused this pressure on Evergrande? What consequences would an insolvency entail for China’s real estate and financial markets? What kind of toolkit does the Chinese government now have at its disposal to manage the situation? In this podcast, MERICS Director Communications and Publications Claudia Wessling talks with Victor Shih of UC San Diego. He is an expert on Chinese banking and fiscal policies and has recently published an edited book titled “Economic Shocks and Authoritarian Stability.”

Ariane Reimers on Germany’s future China policy

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 15:00:00 +0200

On September 26, Germany held its first election in 16 years without Angela Merkel. Her party, the Christian Democratic (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU) suffered great losses, receiving only 24.1 percent of the votes. The center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) won by a small margin with 25.7 percent. The Green Party (14.8 percent) and the Liberals (FDP, 11.5 percent) will now play a crucial role in forming a coalition. Both, an SPD-led government under chancellor Olaf Scholz, and a CDU/CSU government with Armin Laschet as chancellor, are theoretically possible.

While the parties are beginning to explore common ground to build a coalition, our MERICS podcast takes a first look at how the new German government might shape its China policy. Both the FDP and the Greens adopt more critical approaches to China than those of the outgoing chancellor Merkel, who mainly focused on fostering economic collaboration between the two countries. MERICS Senior Fellow Ariane Reimers, a German TV journalist and former correspondent in China, talks to MERICS Communications Director Claudia Wessling about her analysis of party manifestos and recent political statements. Her take: We can expect to see some changes, but there will be no radical departure from former policies.

Ariane Reimers zur China-Politik nach den Bundestagswahlen

Thu, 30 Sep 2021 13:00:00 +0200

Deutschland hat gewählt. Unter einer neuen Bundesregierung könnte sich auch in der deutschen China-Politik einiges ändern. Angela Merkel verfolgte einen vor allem auf Kooperation gerichteten Ansatz. Doch wie stehen die Parteien, die bald über Koalitionsoptionen verhandeln, zu China? FDP und Grüne, die vermutlich Juniorpartner in der künftigen Regierung sein werden, stehen durchaus für kritischere Ansätze. Doch werden sie sich durchsetzen? Und wie wirkt sich das alles auf die China-Politik der EU aus, auch im Verhältnis zu den USA? Zu Gast im MERICS Podcast ist MERICS Senior Policy Fellow Ariane Reimers, ehemals ARD-Korrespondentin in China und im Hauptstadtstudio. Mit Reimers sprach Claudia Wessling, Leiterin Kommunikation und Publikationen bei MERICS.

Nis Grünberg on China’s party-state capitalism

Fri, 03 Sep 2021 16:00:00 +0200

While the importance of politics over economics has always been a key feature of China's economic system, many observers say that there has been a paradigm shift in how the CCP governs China’s economy today. This new model is often described as party-state capitalism.

To get a clearer picture of this new form of economic governance that is emerging in China, Johannes Heller-John is joined by Nis Grünberg, Senior Analyst at MERICS. Nis is the editor and one of the authors of the MERICS Paper on China on the “CCP’s next century”. Read his chapter on "Party-state capitalism under Xi: integrating political control and economic efficiency".

Raffaello Pantucci: Narratives of China winning in Afghanistan are exaggerated

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 11:00:00 +0200

The dire situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover continues to make headlines, and the question has emerged whether China is the big winner of the US withdrawal from the country. In this episode of the MERICS China podcast Raffaello Pantucci, Singapore-based Senior Associate Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), explains that narratives of China winning in Afghanistan are exaggerated but that an outcome of the US withdrawal is increasing Beijing’s influence across the Central Asian region, where countries see China as an important, preeminent partner. Yet, he concludes, if Western actors work together there is still leeway for them to engage in the region.

Angela Stanzel: "China’s interest in Afghanistan is to protect its border"

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 16:00:00 +0200

China has been quick to signal its acceptance of renewed Taliban rule over Afghanistan, stating that it respects the quote, “the will and decision of the people of Afghanistan” on August 16 – one day after the Taliban leadership announced their victory in the presidential palace in Kabul.

What are China’s interests in Afghanistan? How do the new circumstances impact Xinjiang? And what can decisionmakers in Europe do?

In our interview Angela Stanzel, associate researcher in the Asia division of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) shares her analysis. In her view China is mainly interested in protecting its own border. Beyond that, Stanzel does not expect China to offer Afghanistan significant security or economic cooperation.

Rebecca Arcesati and John Lee on China’s evolving data governance regime

Fri, 23 Jul 2021 02:00:00 +0200

China is radically changing the way it regulates data environments. With a new Data Security Law passed and a Personal Information Protection Law in the works, China is moving from a largely unregulated data environment to a highly regulated one.

Rebecca Arcesati and John Lee, Analyst and Senior Analyst at MERICS respectively, join the podcast to talk about the effects and implications of these laws as well as two recent publications on the evolving data governance regime in China, specifically on AI ethics and governance in China as well as China and the Internet of Things.

Jan Weidenfeld über die transatlantische China-Politik

Wed, 14 Jul 2021 02:00:00 +0200

Die G7-, NATO- und EU-US-Gipfeltreffen im Juni haben gezeigt, wie wichtig das Thema China auch in den transatlantischen Beziehungen ist. Während die USA auf eine härtere Gangart gegenüber China drängen, tendiert zum Beispiel Deutschland zu einem weniger konfrontativen Ansatz. In dieser Folge des MERICS-Podcasts diskutiert Claudia Wessling, Leiterin Kommunikation und Publikationen, mit Jan Weidenfeld, Leiter Policy und Advisory bei MERICS. Jan ist einer der Autoren eines neuen Berichts der Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz, der Aspen Strategy Group und von MERICS. Die Studie skizziert Prioritäten und gibt Empfehlungen für Strategien zur Gestaltung der transatlantischen China-Politik und ist online verfügbar unter: https://securityconference.org/en/publications/report-of-the-transatlantic-reflection-group-on-china/

Jan Weidenfeld on transatlantic China policy

Wed, 14 Jul 2021 01:00:00 +0200

The summits in June, G7, NATO and the EU-US top-level meeting, have shown that China is a crucial topic in transatlantic relations. While we currently see the US pushing for a tougher stance towards China, German approaches could be described as more careful and less confrontational. In this episode of our podcast, Claudia Wessling, Director Communications and Publications, discusses transatlantic China policy with Jan Weidenfeld, Director Policy and Advisory at MERICS. He is one of the contributors to a new report by the Munich Security Conference, the Aspen Strategy Group and MERICS. The study outlines priorities and provides recommendations for strategies to shape transatlantic China policy and is available at: https://securityconference.org/en/publications/report-of-the-transatlantic-reflection-group-on-china/

Helena Legarda on China’s new concept of comprehensive national security

Fri, 09 Jul 2021 02:00:00 +0200

The leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) considers itself as being in the midst of the most challenging period of its rule. In the eyes of party leaders, potential threats to regime security wait behind every corner and all matters are, therefore, seen through the prism of national security. This behavior is no longer limited to the domestic sphere but has expanded to the international stage. In this episode of the MERICS Podcast, Helena Legarda explains what drives China’s international behavior. Helena is a Senior Analyst at MERICS and an expert on China’s foreign and security policies.She has analyzed CCP securitization of international relations in a chapter for the new MERICS report on China’s Communist Party that is available here: https://merics.org/en/report/ccps-next-century-expanding-economic-control-digital-governance-and-national-security

Katja Drinhausen on the CCP and digitalization

Tue, 22 Jun 2021 02:00:00 +0200

Digitalization is a crucial element of the Chinese Communist Party’s governance approach. It serves to improve governance and public service, but also enhances the party state’s surveillance and monitoring capabilities. In this episode of the MERICS experts podcast, MERICS Senior Analyst Katja Drinhausen explains how the CCP has embraced digitization as a governance tool, the extent of digital surveillance in China, the party’s vision for a digitalized China, and its global implications. Katja is one of the authors “The CCP in 2021: smart governance, cyber sovereignty and tech supremacy”, a chapter in our MERICS Paper on China on the “CCP’s next century.” Read more here: https://merics.org/en/ccp-2021-smart-governance-cyber-sovereignty-and-tech-supremacy

Mikko Huotari on the CCP and what Europe needs to prepare for

Fri, 11 Jun 2021 02:00:00 +0200

Mikko Huotari, Executive Director of MERICS, answers questions about the challenges the CCP is faced with in its 100th year and what Europe should be prepared for in relations with China. Beijing will be overseeing multiple challenges in the coming years: Productivity crisis, a crisis of social and regional inequality, high leverage in the financial system and social insecurity. European actors, Huotari argues, need to be prepared for a China in 'struggle mode': “We will see a CCP-led government that seeks to further limit and control access to information and political actors in China. Europeans need to be prepared for crisis and further politicization of doing business and interacting with China. In many cases this requires investing in China competence and policy coordination,” says Huotari. Visit our website for more analysis on the CCP's centenary: www.merics.org/en/ccp-100.

Matt Ferchen on informal actors in China's foreign engagement

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 02:00:00 +0200

China’s economic success and its achievements in poverty reduction are often perceived as inspiring to other countries, especially in the global south. Beijing itself actively promotes its state capitalism as the China model – and as an alternative for Western liberal democracy. But increased Chinese engagement has also led to criticism in neighboring countries. To talk about the issue of informal activities and actors in Chinese overseas engagement, MERICS Experts is joined by Matt Ferchen, Head of Global China Research at MERICS.

Mikko Huotari zu den deutsch-chinesischen Beziehungen

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 02:00:00 +0200

Die sechsten deutsch-chinesischen Regierungskonsultationen finden in diesem Jahr in einem schwierigen Kontext statt. Wegen Menschenrechtsverletzungen in Xinjiang hatte die EU vor fünf Wochen Sanktionen gegen China verhängt. Die Führung in Beijing reagierte umgehend mit weitaus schärferen Sanktionen. Die Reaktion der Bundesregierung fiel bisher verhalten aus. Über die deutsch-chinesischen Beziehungen sprechen in unserem neuen Podcast Ariane Reimers, ARD-Korrespondentin und MERICS Senior Fellow, und MERICS-Direktor Mikko Huotari. Trotz einer Vertiefung der deutsch-chinesischen Wirtschaftsbeziehungen sei bei zentralen Fragen der Kooperation zu wenig passiert, sagt Huotari.

Radoslaw Sikorski on EU's sanctions row with China and the transatlantic partnership

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 02:00:00 +0200

“The EU's policy towards China should be based on the following principles: cooperate where possible, compete where needed, confront where necessary.” This is the vision of the European People’s Party’s (EPP) strategy paper on European relations with China released in the beginning of March. In this episode of MERICS Experts we talk to its author, Radosław Sikorski, Member of the European Parliament for the European People’s Party and chair of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with the United States.

The conversation touches on a range of strategic issues related to EU-China relations including the implications of the exchange of sanctions between the EU and China, the prospects for transatlantic cooperation on China and the logic behind the EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy that is now in the works. The interview was led by MERICS analyst Grzegorz Stec.

If you are interested in our research on EU-China topics you may want to subscribe for free to our EU-China Weekly Review or become a paying subscriber to receive our Briefings, including the monthly EU-China Briefing: https://merics.org/de/merics-eu-china-hub

Plamen Tonchev on 17+1’s past, present and future

Fri, 19 Feb 2021 01:00:00 +0100

On February 9, China’s President Xi Jinping held an online 17+1 summit with representatives from Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. The summit would normally be attended by Chinese Premier and CEE Prime Ministers, making Xi’s decision to take Li Keqiang’s place a boost to the meeting’s importance. The format has been controversial - with Brussels and Western capitals maintaining that it undermines European unity, while leaving many Central and Eastern Europeans critical of its underperformance and China maintaining it to be a success. So what are the outcomes of the summit and what future awaits the 17+1 framework?

To answer these and other questions we are joined by Plamen Tonchev, Head of the Asia Unit at the Athens- based Institute of International Economic Relations (IIER). As a representative of IIER, he is a founding member of the European Think-tank Network on China (ETNC). In addition, he sits on the EU Chapter of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (EU CSCAP) committee. Currently, Plamen is also a European China Policy Fellow at MERICS. The interview was led by MERICS analyst Grzegorz Stec, who compiles the MERICS EU-China Weekly Review.

Global Challenges 2021: Decoupling, climate and connectivity

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 01:00:00 +0100

Accompanying our MERICS China Forecast 2021 event, MERICS experts wages a look at three global challenges in 2021, namely decoupling and the evolution of multilateralism, cooperation and competition in the climate crisis, and the development of connectivity in a world plagued by a pandemic. For every section we are proud to introduce a very accomplished and knowledgeable guest.

Our first guest is the Honorable Kevin Rudd, CEO and President of the Asia Society, and President of the Asia Society Policy Institute. Mr. Rudd served as Australia’s 26th Prime Minister (2007-2010, 2013) and as its Foreign Minister (2010-2012). He is one of the leading international authorities on China that remains active in second-track diplomacy. In our conversation we discussed the issues linked to politicization of international economy and the prospects for adjustment of the multilateral system in the year ahead.

Our second guest is Isabel Hilton, the CEO and Editor of China Dialogue, a fully-bilingual non-profit focused on the environment and climate change. Ms. Hilton holds two honorary doctorates and was awarded the Order of the British Empire for her contribution to raising environmental awareness in China. We talked about China’s efforts in combating the climate crisis and the challenge of developing an effective international framework on this issue.

Our final guest is Jonathan Hillman, a senior fellow with the CSIS Economics Program and director of the Reconnecting Asia Project. He is one of the leading voices commenting on China’s Belt and Road Initiative and has recently released his first book “The Emperor’s New Road: China and the Project of the Century”. Together, we discussed the evolution of the geopolitical connectivity competition and the relevance of the Indo-Pacific region within this context. The interviews were led by our analyst Grzegorz Stec.

Rana Mitter on China’s collective memory of WWII

Tue, 22 Dec 2020 01:00:00 +0100

The second World War in China is among the least known chapters of Word War II, yet it is crucial in shaping the politics of post-war Asia into the present moment. The way the war is remembered in China has changed over the years and keeps on changing. The recent memorial ceremony on December 13, 2020, remembered the Nanjing Massacre of 1937. It is only the seventh year since a National Memorial Day has been instituted. How has China’s interpretation of WWII changed? How does it differ from other countries in the region? And what are the implications for contemporary global and domestic politics?

To answer these and other questions we are joined by Professor Rana Mitter of Oxford University. In his view today “it is possible to spot aspects of China’s collective sense of WWII in every aspect of public life from movies to social media communities to official museums and plenty of others too.” The interview was led by MERICS senior analyst John Lee.

Matt Ferchen on US-China relations after the US presidential election

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 01:00:00 +0100

From a highly publicized trade war to assigning blame for the coronavirus pandemic, US-China relations have loomed large during the Trump presidency and have worsened over time. With a new administration under president elect Joe Biden taking charge in January 2021, what will change and what will remain the same? Head of Global China Research at MERICS, Matt Ferchen, joins MERICS Experts to assess the prospects for change in US-China relations under a future Biden administration. He recently authored two opinion pieces – on divergent views in Washington on US policy towards China and Chinese perceptions of the US being in decline – as well as a working paper on a US response to the Belt and Road Initiative. Johannes Heller-John, Communications Manager at MERICS, led the interview.

Helena Legarda: Engagement with China has too often neglected the geopolitical dimension

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 02:00:00 +0200

China has taken on a more confident and aggressive role as a global actor by expanding economically, politically and militarily, becoming a force to be reckoned with in virtually all aspects of geopolitical competition. Xi Jinping has made it clear that China has ambitions to become a global power by 2049. How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected these ambitions?

MERICS Senior Analyst Helena Legarda joins MERICS Experts to present her latest article “Engaging in effective geopolitical competition”, which is part of the MERICS Paper on China titled "Towards a 'principles first approach' in Europe’s China policy". Kerstin Lohse-Friedrich, Director of Communications at MERICS led the interview.

Thomas Reichart über China-Naivität in Deutschland

Thu, 20 Aug 2020 11:03:49 +0200

Der angemessene Umgang mit dem neuen China unter Xi Jinping treibt ihn um: Der ZDF-Fernsehjournalist und ehemalige Chinakorrespondent Thomas Reichart setzt sich in seinem aktuellen Buch „Das Feuer des Drachen“ mit hartnäckigen Vorurteilen gegenüber China auseinander, die die wahren Gefahren außer Acht ließen. „Die größte Gefahr einer verkürzten China-Wahrnehmung ist, dass wir gar nicht realisieren, wo die eigentliche Herausforderung Chinas liegt, wo seine eigentliche Stärke ist, aber auch eine durchaus aggressive Macht- und Industriepolitik“, so Reichart.

Ein Ende der Leisetreterei sei lange überfällig – gerade auch mit Blick auf die Zukunft Hongkongs und Taiwans, wenn Deutschland keinen Verrat an seinen eigenen Werten begehen wolle. Längst sei China in der deutschen Innenpolitik angekommen, sagt der Fernsehkorrespondent, der inzwischen aus dem ZDF-Hauptstadtstudio berichtet. Doch längst nicht in allen Teilen der Regierung und Parteien sei man sich bereits bewusst, in welchem Umfang China zu einem Risikoland geworden sei.

Zuvor hatte Reichart fünf Jahre lang aus Peking berichtet und dabei auch mit den sich deutlich verschlechternden Arbeitsbedingungen für Journalisten zu kämpfen. Eine ernsthafte China-Berichterstattung sieht er zunehmend bedroht. Über all diese Themen diskutiert Kerstin Lohse-Friedrich in dieser Ausgabe von MERICS Experts mit Thomas Reichart.

Kristin Shi-Kupfer über Hongkong nach Einführung des Nationalen Sicherheitsgesetzes

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 17:37:00 +0200

Was droht Hongkong, nachdem innerhalb von nur sechs Wochen seit Inkrafttreten des Nationalen Sicherheitsgesetzes die Meinungs- und Pressefreiheit bereits so drastisch eingeschränkt und die Parlamentswahlen verschoben wurden? Was bedeutet Chinas Vorgehen in Hongkong für Taiwan, und was kann das Ausland tun, um einen weiteren Demokratieabbau zu verhindern? In dieser Ausgabe von MERICS Experts diskutieren Kristin Shi-Kupfer, Leiterin des Forschungsbereichs Politik und Gesellschaft am MERICS, und Kerstin Lohse-Friedrich.

Tom Bayes: Security is only one aspect of China's growing influence in Africa

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 02:00:00 +0200

The discussion of Sino-African relations continues to be dominated by China’s economic activities and aspirations. However, the People's Republic has been working for more than a decade to establish itself as a serious actor in security policy on the African continent and has already made significant progress. Former MERICS Academic Research Fellow Tom Bayes joins MERICS Experts to present his new report “China’s growing peace and security role in Africa: views from West Africa, implications for Europe” published by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and the Mercator Institute for China Studies. He talks about challenges of doing fieldwork in the security sector and outlines China’s growing security activities in Africa, their background and objectives, perceptions among West African stakeholders and implications for Europe.

Tom Tugendhat on UK and China

Thu, 04 Jun 2020 14:25:23 +0200

A few weeks ago, a group of Tory members of the British parliament decided to form the China Research Group (CRG) to promote “fresh thinking” about how Britain should respond to China’s rise. The group is be led by the chairman of Britain’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Tugendhat. In this podcast interview with MERICS analyst Thomas des Garets Geddes, he explains the reasons for establishing the CRG, talks about the future of UK-EU collaboration vis-à-vis China and criticizes China’s handling of the Coronavirus outbreak.

Hanns W. Maull and Thomas des Garets Geddes on China and the WHO

Mon, 18 May 2020 02:00:00 +0200

The World Health Organization is an indispensable institution in the fight against pandemics. In dealing with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis the WHO and its director general Tedros Adhanom have provided and disseminated important and critical information for dealing with the virus, but were also criticized – not least by US president Donald Trump – for acting to slowly in the early stage of the crisis and being too close to China. MERICS Senior Policy Fellow Hanns Maull and Junior Analyst Thomas des Garets Geddes look at the relationship of the WHO and China, how it has affected the response to COVID-19 and how Taiwan complicates this picture even further.

Matt Ferchen on China as a development actor

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 11:44:03 +0100

China’s engagement as a development actor is seen as controversial, especially in the West. While the Chinese leadership portrays development as a solution to almost all problems both domestic and foreign, some Western observers see China as a bad actor in developing nations. How does the Chinese concept of development differ from ideas in the West? What are the aims of it and what are – often unintended – outcomes? And what can recipient nations do to shape Chinese engagement in a way that really profits their country?

MERICS expert and Head of Global China Research Matt Ferchen joined us in the studio to discuss these and other questions. In his view, Europe can play a bigger role in offering sustainable development options as an alternative to China.

Noah Barkin on US sanctions on tech exports

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 01:00:00 +0100

Europe is increasingly being put in a tight spot between its biggest trading partners China and the US. Especially in view of the upcoming 5G network expansion, the latter has put pressure on the EU and European countries to exclude the Chinese tech-company Huawei from European networks. China, on the other hand, has hinted at economic consequences should Chinese companies be banned. While this dispute remains unresolved, new conflicts are already on the horizon as the US gears up to sanction the export of sensitive technological equipment to China. The MERICS experts podcast looks at how the US puts pressure on the EU, what areas are affected, and what options the EU has in balancing the demands of China and the US?

These and other questions are tackled by Noah Barkin, journalist and former Visiting Academic Fellow at MERICS. In his view, the EU and European member states should take a careful look at countries already engaged in the difficult act of balancing both superpowers. The conversation was led by Johannes Heller-John, Communications Manager at MERICS.

Victor Shih on the coronavirus outbreak and the authoritarian state

Wed, 19 Feb 2020 01:00:00 +0100

Since several weeks, China is struggling with a severe coronavirus outbreak. China’s regime and its leader Xi Jinping are facing huge criticism in handling the crisis – both internally and internationally. Given this situation, questions arise on how an authoritarian state deals with such a crisis. Can China control an epidemic from the top down? What are the political and economic impacts? Where are potential pathways to instability? And what are currently the most important factors for stability in China? Which measures has the CCP taken so far and do they demonstrate strength or weakness of the system? How much time is left if it doesn’t want to fall from power? And what is at stake for Xi Jinping?

In this episode of our MERICS Experts podcast, Victor Shih, one of the leading experts for elite politics in China, Associate Professor at the University of California, San Diego, and editor of the recently published book “Economic Shocks and Authoritarian Stability”, discusses these and other questions at stake with Kerstin Lohse-Friedrich, Director of Communications at MERICS.

Pradeep Taneja on China and the Indian Ocean

Mon, 17 Feb 2020 15:08:56 +0100

China is increasingly active in the Indian Ocean – be it through trade, port calls or research activities. This development is watched closely by the countries in the region and beyond. How do these states respond to this shift? How does this activity impact China’s relationship to India? And should it concern the European Union?

To answer these and more questions I was joined by Pradeep Taneja, former visiting academic fellow at MERICS and fellow of the Australia India Institute and an Associate of the Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies, both at the University of Melbourne, Australia. The conversation was led by Johannes Heller-John, communications manager at MERICS.

Shen Dingli and Jagannath Panda on China-India relations

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 01:00:00 +0100

January 29, 2020The relationship between India and China, while fraud with difficult issues like border disputes, has been on a positive trajectory. After a low point in 2017, when Chinese and Indian forces faced each other in a border standoff, president of China, Xi Jinping, and prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, have met twice for informal meetings. In 2020, both countries celebrate 70 years of official diplomatic relations.Jagannath Panda, Research Fellow and Centre Coordinator for East Asia at the Institute for Denfense Studies and Analysis (IDSA) in New Dehli, and Shen Dingli, former executive Dean at the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University and Vice President of the Chinese Association of South Asia Studies, take a look at the current and past relationship between China and India and wage a look ahead at opportunities and challenges in the coming years. Johannes Heller, Communication Manager at MERICS, asked the questions.This podcast was recorded on the sidelines of the MERICS China-India Conference titled: “India China Dynamics: Reappraising the significance for Europe”.

Bertram Lang on International Civil Society Organizations and China

Thu, 16 Jan 2020 01:00:00 +0100

January 16, 2020What are the implications of China’s growing global influence for the future work of International Civil Society Organizations (ICSOs)? How can organizations – such as Oxfam, Amnesty International, Save the Children or Transparency International – deal with China, Chinese partners and the Chinese Communist Party?In this episode of our MERICS Experts podcast, Bertram Lang, author of the recently released “Sector Guide” on China that was written on behalf of the International Civil Society Centre, is discussing these and other aspects of ICSOs and their relationship to China with Kerstin Lohse-Friedrich, Director of Communications at MERICS.Mr. Lang says that “against the recent backdrop of China’s human rights record, I was surprised how much will there is within International Civil Sociey Organizations to find ways of engaging and cooperating with China”

Mareike Ohlberg: „China hat sich gegenüber Taiwan verkalkuliert“

Wed, 08 Jan 2020 01:00:00 +0100

08. Januar 2020Am 11. Januar finden in Taiwan die Präsidentschafts- und Parlamentswahlen statt. Nach jüngsten Umfragen könnte Präsidentin Tsai Ing-wen ihr Amt verteidigen. Der Ausgang der Abstimmung dürfte entscheidenden Einfluss auf das zuletzt ohnehin belastete Verhältnis des Inselstaates zur Volksrepublik China haben. Präsidentin Tsai Ing-wen hatte während ihrer ersten Amtszeit nicht immer ein glückliches Händchen bewiesen. Nach der Niederlage bei den Lokalwahlen im November 2018 war sie als Vorsitzende der Demokratischen Fortschrittspartei zurückgetreten. Warum ihre Aussichten bei den anstehenden Wahlen dennoch so gut sind, diskutieren Mareike Ohlberg, MERICS-Expertin und Kerstin Lohse-Friedrich.

MERICS Lunch Talk on the future of Hong Kong

Fri, 20 Dec 2019 01:00:00 +0100

December 20, 2019With no end in sight to nearly seven months of political tension, Hong Kong’s role as a financial hub crucial for the prosperity of China’s economy is being put to the test. The special administrative region’s economy has suffered as travelers avoid the city and locals cut back on retail spending. Yet the financial sector appears to remain relatively unaffected. But the protests have led to a stricter political environment. Economic liberties that once gave the city its special standing are increasingly at risk of being undermined. Listen to a panel discussion recorded just after the Hong Kong District Council elections with Hong Kong Legislative Councilor Hon. Charles Mok, Hong Kong based economist Alicia Garcia-Herrero, MERICS expert Max J. Zenglein and MERICS CEO Frank N. Pieke. The event was moderated by Claudia Wessling, head of publications at MERICS.

China as a major actor in climate policy – Preview

Thu, 12 Dec 2019 01:00:00 +0100

December 12, 2019The international community is currently holding its 25th Conference of Parties in Madrid to negotiate climate protection targets and measures. As the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, China is a major player in the discussions on how to achieve effective action for climate protection. One day before the China Renewable Energy Outlook 2019 was presented in Madrid on December 12, China’s role in climate policy was the topic at a MERICS Lunch talk. The panel included Carolin Schenuit (Team Leader for System and Market Integration of Renewable Energies at the German Energy Agency, dena) and Lars Møllenbach Bregnbæk, partner at Ea Energy Analyses (Ea). Both were also involved in drafting the outlook together with the Chinese think tank China National Renewable Energy Center (CNREC). Nis Grünberg, analyst at MERICS and expert on state-owned-enterprise reform in the energy sector, completed the panel. They discussed the challenges faced by China in its energy transition and ways in which China can meet its obligations under the Paris Agreement. The discussion was prefaced by a presentation of the China Renewable Energy Outlook 2019 by Carolin Schenuit. Kerstin Lohse-Friedrich, Director of Communications at MERICS, moderated the event. Listen to an edited version of the discussion in the MERICS experts podcast

Sascha und Michael Storfner: Berichterstattung aus China

Tue, 10 Dec 2019 01:00:00 +0100

10. Dezember 2019Gemeinsam mit ihren zwei Kindern erlebten die beiden ARD-Journalisten Sascha und Michael Storfner den Alltag als Korrespondenten und als Familie in Peking. Anhand von Filmbeispielen berichteten sie in der China Lounge über ihre privaten und dienstlichen Reisen nach Xinjiang, über Überwachung im Alltag sowie über das Aufkeimen der Proteste in Hongkong. Immer wieder haben sie sich mit großer Begeisterung auch den „Chinesen auf der Straße“ gewidmet, den „bunten Themen“, wie sie in den Redaktionen genannt werden. Das Gespräch führte Kerstin Lohse-Friedrich, Leiterin Kommunikation am MERICS. Einen gekürzten Mitschnitt hören Sie jetzt im MERICS Experts Podcast.

Rui Ma on China’s fast-changing internet industry

Fri, 22 Nov 2019 01:00:00 +0100

November 22, 2019China leads the world in the number of unicorn startups, many of which are e-commerce and other Internet-based businesses. New e-commerce platforms are emerging alongside established players, such as Pinduoduo, the group buying platform that trails only Alibaba in number of users and has become one of China’s five most valuable Internet companies. TikTok owner Bytedance recently revised its revenue target for 2019 to 120 billion RMB, from an earlier goal set late last year of 100 billion. At the same time, the US-China trade dispute is putting relations between China and Silicon Valley under strain. Angel investor and entrepreneur Rui Ma shared her insights into the fast-changing ecosystem of China’s Internet at a MERICS Lunch Talk in November. She talked about the companies to watch, the biggest trends, including the rise of rural users and live e-commerce, among other topics with MERICS experts Kristin Shi-Kupfer and Rebecca Arcesati. Listen to an edited version of the discussion in the MERICS experts podcast.

Peter Gries: How do Germans feel and think about China, and why?

Fri, 08 Nov 2019 01:00:00 +0100

November 8, 2019How do Germans feel and think about China, and why? What are the primary ideological drivers of their views? And how do they differ from other European partners or the US? In this episode of our MERICS Experts podcast, Peter Hays Gries, Lee Kai Hung Chair and Director of the Manchester China Institute at the University of Manchester, where he is also Professor of Chinese politics, is discussing these and other aspects of China’s perception in Western countries with Kerstin Lohse-Friedrich, Director of Communications at MERICS.

Chen Xiangming on the China-Europe Freight Train

Thu, 31 Oct 2019 01:00:00 +0100

October 31, 2019Since the first China-Europe freight train reached Duisburg from the megacity of Chongqing in southwestern China in 2011, the number of trains and routes have multiplied to various and frequent services. The trains carry containerized goods between Chinese cities and major European urban centers. The China-Europe Freight Train (CEFT) is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its Go West Strategy. What kind of opportunities and challenges will the implementation of the China-Europe Freight Train (CEFT) face? What local impact will it have? In this episode of our MERICS Experts podcast, Chen Xiangming, Professor at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, is discussing these and other aspects of the BRI with Kerstin Lohse-Friedrich, Director of Communications at MERICS.

Max Zenglein: „Noch ist das Wirtschaftswachstum im grünen Bereich“

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 15:00:22 +0200

23. März, 2019Chinas Wirtschaft ist im dritten Quartal so langsam gewachsen wie seit 27 Jahren nicht mehr. Das Wirtschaftswachstum lag bei 6 Prozent, im bisherigen Jahresverlauf bei 6,2 Prozent. Handelskrieg, schwächelnde Binnenkonjunktur und eine steigende Verschuldung nennt Max Zenglein, Leiter des Programms Wirtschaft am MERICS, im Gespräch mit Kerstin Lohse-Friedrich als Gründe für Chinas nachlassendes Wirtschaftswachstum. Er und sein Team haben gerade wieder die aktuelle Ausgabe der MERICS Economic Indicators erstellt, die vier Mal im Jahr erscheint: https://www.merics.org/en/merics-trackers/economic-indicators-q3-2019

Abdul Abiad on the US-China trade conflict and its impact on Asia

Fri, 18 Oct 2019 02:00:00 +0200

October 18, 2019Growth prospects in developing Asia are dimming. Slowing activity in major advanced economies, the ongoing US-China trade conflict, and a sharp downturn in the global electronics cycle necessitate a reassessment of the region’s outlook. How much will Asia’s growth slow? How might the trade war evolve, and how is it affecting countries in the region? In this episode of our MERICS Experts podcast, Claudia Wessling, Head of Publications at MERICS, talks to Abdul Abiad, Director of the Macroeconomic Research Division of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila. Abiad was in Berlin to present the ADB’s Asian Development Outlook 2019 Update.

Gregory Chin: “The AIIB is more than a China-only story“

Tue, 08 Oct 2019 02:00:00 +0200

October 8, 2019The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) provides financing for public and private infrastructure projects for Asia, but also beyond. When the AIIB was launched in January 2016 with 57 founding members, many observers argued that it will become a Chinese dominated bank instead of a multilateral one: For the first time a new multilateral development bank championed by China – with Beijing sitting at the center of the table, setting the agenda, defining the priorities, making the rules.Almost five years later, the AIIB has progressed faster than many expected and counts 100 members already. In the latest episode of the MERICS experts podcast, Gregory Chin, a former Canadian diplomat and Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at York University (Canada), talks to Kerstin Lohse-Friedrich about the AIIB, potential new members, and China’s priorities.

MERICS China Dispute: 70th anniversary of PRC - Can the CCP deliver its China Dream?

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 02:00:00 +0200

October 1, 2019On September 26th, MERICS hosted a China Dispute on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC. Leading experts from Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and Canada discussed if the CCP - after 70 years of rule and facing intensely challenging domestic and international environments - can deliver its “China Dream”, create a more just and equal society, and reestablish the social contract between the leadership and the people?Kristin Shi-Kupfer, Director of Public Policy and Society at MERICS, moderated the debate featuring Sarah Eaton (Professor for Transregional China Studies in the Institute for Asian and African Studies at Humboldt University, Berlin) Christian Göbel (Professor of Modern China Studies at the University of Vienna), Andreas Møller Mulvad (Assistant Professor, Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen and MERICS director Frank N. Pieke.Before the panel discussion, Shi-Kupfer talked with MERICS research associate Nis Grünberg about the latest MERICS China Monitor on Party-state relations.Listen to an edited version of the debate in the latest MERICS Experts Podcast!

Adnan Aamir on BRI in Pakistan “Change has been nowhere near what was expected”

Wed, 25 Sep 2019 02:00:00 +0200

September 25, 2019The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is often referred to as the flagship project of China' Belt and Road Initiative. However, five years into the project, “change has been nowhere near what was expected,” says Adnan Aamir, founder and editor of the Pakistani online newspaper Balochistan Voices. So far, the Pakistani chapter of the BRI neither solved the energy crisis nor did it create new industries, jobs or opportunities for Pakistani companies. Pakistan's new government, in office since August 2018, is now reviewing some of the far reaching BRI contracts. Claudia Wessling, Head of Publications at MERICS, talked to Adnan Aamir for the latest episode of our MERICS experts podcast.

Mikko Huotari zu Merkels Chinareise: China ist politisch und wirtschaftlich extrem gefordert

Mon, 02 Sep 2019 02:00:00 +0200

2. September 2019Vom 5. bis 7. September besucht Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel zum 12. Mal in ihrer Amtszeit China. Sie wird dort u.a. zu Gesprächen mit dem chinesischen Staats- und Parteichef Xi Jinping und Ministerpräsident Li Keqiang zusammentreffen. Angesichts der anhaltenden Proteste in Hongkong und dem Handelsstreit zwischen China und den USA fällt die Reise in eine für Beijing äußerst angespannte Zeit. Und auch zwischen Deutschland und China sind Misstöne zu vernehmen. Wie ordnet sich der Besuch in diesen Kontext ein? Darüber spricht Kerstin Lohse-Friedrich, Leiterin Kommunikation, mit Mikko Huotari, dem stellvertretenden Direktor des Mercator Instituts für China-Studien (MERICS).

Henning Harnisch: Sport kann ein gutes Erzählglied in den deutsch-chinesischen Beziehungen sein

Fri, 30 Aug 2019 02:00:00 +0200

30. August 2019Erstmals findet die Basketball-Weltmeisterschaft – vom 31. August bis 15. September – in China statt. Mit geschätzt 400 Millionen Anhängern gehört der schnelle Ballsport zu den populärsten Sportarten in der Volksrepublik. Wenige Tage vor Beginn der Basketball-WM diskutierte Claudia Wessling, Leiterin des Bereichs Publikationen bei MERICS in der China Lounge mit Henning Harnisch über seine Erfahrungen in und mit China. Harnisch, ehemals selbst WM-Teilnehmer und heute Vizepräsident beim Basketballverein ALBA Berlin, weiß aus eigener Erfahrung, wie Verständigung mit China über den Sport funktioniert. Seit 2012 reiste Harnisch zahlreiche Male in die Volksrepublik, baute ALBAs deutsch-chinesisches Basketballprogramm, vor allem im Graswurzel- und Bildungsbereich, maßgeblich mit auf und brachte Deutsche und Chinesen über den Sport in Kontakt.

Max Zenglein: „Es ist irreparabler Schaden für den Finanzplatz Hongkong entstanden“

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 02:00:00 +0200

23. August 2019Seit dem 9. Juni gehen in Hongkong immer wieder Hunderttausende Menschen auf die Straße. Am vergangenen Wochenende waren es 1,7 Millionen Demonstranten aus allen Teilen der Gesellschaft. Peking schwankt in seiner Haltung zwischen Hilflosigkeit und Drohgebärden. Dazu zählt auch, dass sich der Ton gegenüber ausländischen Unternehmen verschärft hat. Die chinesische Führung versucht auf diese Weise, Mitarbeiter von weiteren Demonstrationen abzuhalten. Kerstin Lohse-Friedrich spricht mit Max Zenglein, Leiter des Programms Wirtschaft am MERICS, über die Folgen der aktuellen Entwicklungen in Hongkong für den Finanzplatz. Es sei irreparabler Schaden entstanden, warnt Max Zenglein und verweist exemplarisch auf den Umgang Chinas mit Unternehmen wie Cathay Pacific. Die zunehmende Politisierung der Wirtschaft sende ein Signal weiter über Hongkong hinaus. Chinesische Unternehmen würden unter der wachsenden Bedeutungslosigkeit Hongkongs als globaler Finanzplatz weit mehr leiden als ausländische, prophezeit Zenglein.

Helena Legarda: “Military conflict about Taiwan is nobody’s preferred option at the moment”

Tue, 06 Aug 2019 02:00:00 +0200

August 6, 2019For the first time in four years, China has released a major defense white paper. While much of its content is familiar from previous white papers, the line taken on the United States and Taiwan is markedly more aggressive, says MERICS analyst Helena Legarda, author of the China Global Security Tracker. In the latest MERICS Expert podcast she argues that the overall intention of this white paper is to signal to the outside world that China and its armed forces are responsible, engaged members of the international community.

Chinas digitaler Aufstieg: Herausforderungen für Europa

Fri, 02 Aug 2019 11:34:19 +0200

2. August 2019Chinas digitale Offensive im In- und Ausland ist eine Herausforderung für Europa. Schon bald könnte das Land zum Weltmarktführer in digitalen Schlüsseltechnologien werden. Chinesische Firmen treiben zunehmend die Entwicklung von Anwendungen neuer Technologien wie der Blockchain, des Internets der Dinge oder des Mobilfunkstandards 5G und prägen zunehmend internationale Standards. Chinas digitale Offensive dient auch einem politischen Ziel: China soll eine globale Wissenschafts- und Technologiemacht werden.Wie soll Europa mit dieser Herausforderung umgehen? Welche Folgen hat Chinas digitaler Aufstieg für die europäische Politik, Wirtschaft und Sicherheit?Mit diesem spannenden Thema hat sich kürzlich eine Podiumsdiskussion am MERICS befasst. MERICS-Forscherin Kristin Shi-Kupfer, Autorin einer aktuellen Studie zu Chinas digitalem Aufstieg und dessen Folgen für Europa, diskutierte mit Stefan Heumann, Vorstandsmitglied der Stiftung Neue Verantwortung und Rebecca Weiss, Leiterin Vertrauen & Sicherheit beim Bitkom-Verband. Moderiert wurde das Gespräch von mir, Claudia Wessling, Leiterin Publikationen am MERICS. In diesem Podcast hören Sie eine gekürzte Fassung. Viel Spaß!

Yuen Chan on Hong Kong protests and the role of the media

Tue, 23 Jul 2019 02:00:00 +0200

July 23, 2019Since more than seven weeks, people in Hong Kong have taken to the streets in opposition to an extradition law and the continuous loss of Hong Kong’s autonomy. The protesters demand an independent investigation into the use of police violence during earlier demonstrations. On July 21st, the situation escalated, riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters following a large rally. For the first time, protests were not only directed at the Hong Kong government but also at Beijing.Yuen Chan, currently teaching at the City University of London, worked for many years as a journalist, columnist and senior lecturer for journalism in Hong Kong. She talks with MERICS’ Director of Communication, Kerstin Lohse-Friedrich, about the bloody weekend in Hong Kong and the special role of the media. She argues, “I think, for journalists in Hong Kong it is really, really important that they get to frame the narrative, get to tell the Hong Kong story. Don’t let other people tell your story!”

Tom Bayes on Chinese presence in the African tech sector

Tue, 09 Jul 2019 02:00:00 +0200

July 9, 2019China’s engagement in Africa is often reduced to infrastructure and resources. But China is also massively increasing its presence in the African tech sector. Chinese state-owned enterprises and private companies are providing telecommunication lines and consumer electronics, but also surveillance technologies and digital solutions to enhance government control. “It is important that we have a nuanced understanding of what is going on both positive and negative dimensions,” argues China-Africa researcher and former MERICS Visiting Academic Fellow Tom Bayes in the latest episode of the MERICS Experts podcast.

Made in China 2025: Wie weit ist China auf dem Weg zu globaler Technologieführerschaft?

Thu, 04 Jul 2019 02:00:00 +0200

4. Juli 2019Anlässlich der Präsentation der neuen MERICS-Studie zu Chinas Made in China 2025 Strategie diskutierte Autor Max J. Zenglein mit Markus Heß, Leiter Unterabteilung Industrie und Mobilität der Zukunft im BMWi, Dr. Thomas Hueck, Chef-Volkswirt der Robert Bosch GmbH, Oliver Wack, Area Manager East Asia, VDMA Foreign Trade und Jörg Wuttke, Präsident der Europäischen Handelskammer in China, über die Bedeutung der chinesischen Innovationsoffensive für Deutschland und Europa. Kerstin Lohse-Friedrich, Leiterin Kommunikation am MERICS, moderierte die Veranstaltung.Zentrale Fragen der Diskussion waren: Was hat die Made in China 2025-Strategie seit 2015 am Umgang mit China verändert? Welche Technologien aus Deutschland sind durch Chinas Streben nach einer Verlagerung globaler Wertschöpfungsketten in Gefahr? Und Wie können sich Deutschland und Europa für den Wettstreit mit China wappnen?Einen gekürzten Mitschnitt der Veranstaltung am 2. Juli hören Sie im neuen MERICS Experts Podcast.Die Studie „Evolving Made in China 2025: China‘s industrial policy in the quest for global tech leadership“ finden Sie hier: https://www.merics.org/de/papers-on-china/evolving-made-in-china-2025

Thirty years after Tiananmen: Panel Discussion

Fri, 14 Jun 2019 10:33:22 +0200

On June 3rd, MERICS and the Federal Agency of Civic Education (bpb) jointly organized a panel discussion on the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests. Leading experts from Germany and the US discussed the legacy of June 4th and its consequences for China’s domestic development and civic engagement. The debate was moderated by Kristin Shi-Kupfer, Director of the Research Area on Public Policy and Society at MERICS.Perry Link, Emeritus professor for East Asian Studies at Princeton University co-editor of “The Tiananmen Papers,” lived in Beijing at the time of the protests. For Link, the crackdown on protesters on June 4th marks a turning point in Chinese history: “The Communist leaders, seeing that their socialist ideology was now useless, looked elsewhere to bolster their regime and found that unbridled money-making, a narrow kind of nationalism, and meticulous repression of wayward thought were the answers. This toxic mixture has brought the nation to the brink of an abyss.” Felix Lee, longtime China correspondent for the German newspapers taz and Zeit-Online, says: “Prosperity in exchange for political freedom – this formula works worse and worse 30 years after Tiananmen. China could soon be facing a watershed again.” Professor Sandra Heep, an expert on China’s economy at Bremen University of Applied Sciences, argues that “China achieved immense economic success in the last thirty years. However, economic risks are rising with today’s political repression.” The panelists agreed that social movements are unlikely in China’s near future. “But there is always a possibility that something unpredictable happens,” says Daniel Leese, Professor of Modern Chinese History and Politics at the University of Freiburg.You can listen to an edited version of the debate in our latest MERICS Experts Podcast.

Joerg Wuttke on the future of EU-China economic relations

Wed, 29 May 2019 15:48:55 +0200

May 29, 2019Only recently international companies have been allowed to start their own major projects in China. The German car builder BMW is for the first time majority shareholder of a joint venture in Shenyang, whereas chemical company BASF announced the investment of 10 billion dollars into a joint project in Guangdong Province. China opens up its market in areas where it could benefit from prestigious partners, says old China hand Joerg Wuttke, BASF China chief representative and newly elected president of the European Chamber in Beijing. Together with Kerstin Lohse-Friedrich and Frank N. Pieke he discusses the latest cooperation, the US-Chinese trade dispute and European-China relations. Listen to the live recording of the MERICS event from May 7 in our latest podcast.

Stephan Schütz: 20 Jahre Architektur in China - von Großprojekten zu mehr Realismus

Fri, 10 May 2019 14:40:18 +0200

10. Mai 2019Mit der wirtschaftlichen Öffnung Chinas entwickelte sich in den 90er Jahren ein rasanter Bauboom. Ausländische Architekturfirmen erhielten dort Möglichkeiten zu Großprojekten wie in kaum einem anderen Land. In jüngerer Zeit verändert sich das Umfeld: Präsident Xi Jinping kritisierte für „China unpassende“ Architektur und löste damit eine Debatte über eine Rückbesinnung auf eine traditionelle chinesische Bauweise aus. Stephan Schütz, Partner bei dem renommierten deutschen Architekturbüro Gerkan, Marg und Partner, spricht in der „China Lounge“ mit Claudia Wessling, Leiterin Publikationen am MERICS, über seine Begegnungen mit dem chinesischen Bauhandwerk und das Abenteuer, das Beijinger Nationalmuseum umzubauen.

Chloé Froissart: “Labor issues are particularly sensitive for the CCP”

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 18:24:04 +0200

April 30, 2019Over the last year, the Chinese government has been tightening its grip on labor activism across the country. In the southern industrial hub of Shenzhen, factory workers of a welding machinery company were arrested after trying to form their own union in July 2018. Many of them remain in custody until today. But crackdowns on labor activists do not seem to discourage workers and employees. Recent social media protests against excessive working hours in the tech industry show that they are increasingly aware of their rights and actively oppose poor labor conditions. In our special Labor Day issue of MERICS experts, French researcher Chloé Froissart talks to Claudia Wessling about her field work with Chinese workers and explains the dilemma of official trade unions torn between workers’ demands and party loyalty.

Frank Pieke on risks and benefits of research cooperation with China

Tue, 16 Apr 2019 02:00:00 +0200

April 16, 2019China’s advances in research and development range from its ambitious space program to controversial experiments with gene editing. Yet scientific cooperating with China can also offer benefits and opportunities for Europe and its scientists. But how to spot the risks and where to draw red lines? Merics director Frank Pieke, co-author of a recent study on Europe-China cooperation in higher education and research, says Europe has been somewhat naïve in dealing with China’s strategic approach to research and development. Europe, he argues, urgently needs to develop its own research strategy to better defends its own interests when dealing with China. Listen to Frank Pieke in the latest Merics Experts podcast.

Kristin Shi-Kupfer: “China sees digitalization as a chance to increase its global footprint”

Mon, 08 Apr 2019 02:00:00 +0200

April 8, 2019China spends a lot to develop digital technologies. For Beijing, digitization is as a unique opportunity to upgrade its industries, increase social control, and become a global leader in digital technologies, says MERICS researcher Kristin-Shi-Kupfer. In a new study that she co-authored with MERICS research associate Mareike Ohlberg, she argues that China’s digital ambitions are mainly state-driven and rely on close cooperation between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the state, and private companies. China’s digital ambitions present a huge challenge to Europe, Shi-Kupfer says, but there also opportunities for cooperation. Listen to Kristin-Shi-Kuper, director of the MERICS research program on politics, society and media, in the latest MERICS Experts Podcast.

Stefan Mair(BDI) & Volker Treier (DIHK) über den Umgang der deutschen Wirtschaft mit China

Wed, 27 Mar 2019 01:00:00 +0100

27. März 2019Die Veröffentlichung des BDI-Grundsatzpapiers zum künftigen Umgang der deutschen Wirtschaft mit China hat seit Januar für heftige Kontroversen gesorgt. Dem DIHK gingen die Forderung nach einem härteren Kurs gegenüber China teilweise zu weit, andere hätten sich noch klarere Worte gewünscht. Bei einem gemeinsamem Lunch-Talk von MERICS und Global Bridges am 28. Februar 2019 diskutierte der stellvertretende Direktor von MERICS Mikko Huotari mit Stefan Mair, Mitglied der Hauptgeschäftsführung des BDI, und dem Außenwirtschaftschef des DIHK Volker Treier über den Umgang der deutschen Wirtschaft mit China. Hören Sie einen gekürzten und bearbeiteten Mitschnitt der Veranstaltung im neuen MERICS Experts Podcast.

Kai Strittmatter: "Die chinesische Diktatur verpasst sich ein digitales Update"

Fri, 22 Mar 2019 13:21:33 +0100

22. März 2019China baut derzeit systematisch einen digitalen Überwachungsstaat auf und verpasst der Einparteien-Diktatur damit ein digitales Update, sagt der langjährige China-Korrespondent und Buchautor Kai Strittmatter. Die KPC China nutze dabei das tiefverwurzelte Misstrauen in der Gesellschaft für ihre Herrschaftszwecke. Warum Strittmatter trotzdem gern in China gearbeitet hat und das chinesische Essen vermissen wird – er lebt jetzt in Kopenhagen – das erläuterte er am 25. Februar 2019 vor rund 150 Gästen in der Merics China Lounge im Gespräch mit MERICS-Kommunikationschefin Kerstin Lohse und Mareike Ohlberg, wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin am MERICS. Hören Sie einen gekürzten Mitschnitt der Veranstaltung im neuen MERICS Experts Podcast.

Lucrezia Poggetti: Rome’s support for BRI would legitimize China’s geopolitical ambitions

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 14:01:40 +0100

March 19, 2019Chinese President Xi Jinping heads to Europe this week, with his state visit to Italy (March 21 to 24) attracting a lot of attention. That’s because the Italian coalition government is expected to endorse the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China’s ambitious global trade and infrastructure program. Rome’s move comes at a time when elsewhere in the EU concerns about BRI are growing and Europe tries to forge a coordinated China policy, says Lucrezia Poggetti, research associate at MERICS. In the latest MERICS Experts Podcast, she argues that Rome’s support for BRI would legitimize China’s geopolitical ambitions while Italy and Italian companies would get little in return.

Mikko Huotari And Agatha Kratz: EU moves to closer scrutiny of Chinese FDI

Wed, 06 Mar 2019 01:00:00 +0100

Chinese direct investment in Europe has continued to decline in 2018, according to a new report by MERICS and Rhodium Group. The slowdown in FDI comes amid heated debates in Europe about Chinese influence and growing awareness that some investments from China - for instance in high tech sectors or infrastructure - might need closer scrutiny. Agatha Kratz, Associate Director at Rhodium Group in Paris, and MERICS deputy director Mikko Huotari discuss the latest Chinese FDI figures and recent policy changes in Europe that could eventually lead to a broader overhaul of Europe’s policy toward trade and investment with China.Read the full report at: https://www.merics.org/en/papers-on-china/chinese-fdi-in-europe-2018.

Ying Zhu on Chinese cinema: “Censorship is a very challenging issue”

Fri, 22 Feb 2019 01:00:00 +0100

February 22, 2019Film fans still wonder why Zhang Yimou’s “One Second” was withdrawn from the Berlin Film Festival. The official explanation that “technical reasons” were to blame only fueled speculation that Chinese censors objected to the film’s debut. Leading Chinese film scholar Ying Zhu, who teaches in New York and Hong Kong, discusses Zhang Yimou’s case in the new MERICS Experts podcast. For Chinese filmmakers “censorship is a very challenging issue”, she notes, adding that controls over film narratives were tightened last year. The Chinese leadership regards film as a key soft-power tool and uses the cinema – often with help from Hollywood - to get is messages out. As the collaboration between China and Hollywood matures, Zhu warns, “we will see more and more stories with highly sanitized China images.”

Jeffrey Ding on AI in China: "Easy access to data is not everything"

Mon, 28 Jan 2019 01:00:00 +0100

January 28, 2019China wants to become the global leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI) by 2030 and therefore pumps huge amounts of funding into AI research and development. But how realistic are China’s ambitions? How advanced is China in AI? Its facial recognition technology already ranks among the world’s best, says Jeffrey Ding of the University of Oxford, but in many other areas China still lags behind the United States. That’s because easy access to huge amount of data isn’t everything, says Ding in the latest MERICS Experts podcast.

Adrian Zenz on re-education camps in Xinjiang

Fri, 11 Jan 2019 01:00:00 +0100

January 11, 2019China’s policies in the north-western region of Xinjiang have come under international criticism in recent months, especially the detention of tens if not hundreds of thousands Muslim Uighurs. The Chinese government says the re-education camps and other surveillance measures in Xinjiang are part of a campaign to fight terrorism and religious extremism. But the independent researcher Adrian Zenz, who has studied numerous government documents on Xinjiang, says China attempts to enforce “complete control” and loyalty towards the Communist Party. The CCP wants long-term generational change and younger Uighurs to forget their religious and cultural roots, Zenz says in the latest MERICS Experts podcast.

Kristin Shi-Kupfer über 40 Jahre Reform- und Öffnung: China ist Rivale und Partner zugleich

Thu, 13 Dec 2018 01:00:00 +0100

13. Dezember 2018Chinas Transformation vom verarmten Bauernstaat zur zweitgrößten Volkswirtschaft der Welt hat viele Grundannahmen auf den Kopf gestellt: Ein rigides Einparteiensystem und eine dynamische Wirtschaftsentwicklung stehen nicht zwangsläufig im Widerspruch; wirtschaftlicher Aufstieg und mehr Wohlstand führen nicht automatisch zu einer politischen Öffnung. Die KP China ist anpassungsfähiger als viele erwartet haben, sagt Kristin Shi-Kupfer, Leiterin des Forschungsbereichs Politik, Gesellschaft und Medien beim MERICS, in ihrer Bilanz zu 40 Jahre Reform- und Öffnungspolitik. Die wirtschaftliche Öffnung hat die KPC geschickt genutzt und ist mittlerweile nicht nur Partner, sondern auch Rivale des Westens. Doch unter Xi Jinping droht sich das Land innenpolitisch wieder stärker zu verschließen, sagt Shi-Kupfer im neuen Merics Experts Podcast.

Alicia García Herrero: "A dinner in Buenos Aires won't end the trade war"

Wed, 28 Nov 2018 01:00:00 +0100

November 28, 2018US President Trump and the Chinese leader Xi Jinping are expected to meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina over the weekend. But there is little hope that the two leaders will announce an end to the Sino-American trade war, says Hong Kong-based economist Alicia García Herrero. She says at most China and the US could agree on a truce to gain more time to disentangle their economies from each other. What the trade war is really about, she argues, is a battle for hegemony, a kind of economic Cold War. Europe is caught in the middle between its two largest trading partners. Some industrial sectors could benefit from increased trade with China, García Herrero says, but the EU also has to be aware that the Sino-American trade dispute carries huge risks for Europe. Listen to Alicia García Herrero in the new MERICS Experts podcast.

Jane Duckett: "Rural areas still struggle to provide basic health care"

Thu, 22 Nov 2018 01:00:00 +0100

November 22, 2018In the past 15 years, China has made considerable progress in setting up a comprehensive health care system. Today, over 92 percent of Chinese have basic health insurance. But huge challenges remain notably in rural areas. While people in urban centers often have access to modern facilities and well-trained doctors, rural residents still struggle to get basic care such as vaccines, says Jane Duckett, a health care specialist from the University of Glasgow and co-editor of a new MERICS report on social development in China. One of the big issues is “training the right kind of health care workers to deliver primary care,“ says Duckett in the latest MERICS Experts Podcast.

Reinhard Bütikofer: Im Umgang mit China Klartext reden

Tue, 13 Nov 2018 01:00:00 +0100

13. November 2018„Fehlende Marktöffnung, nationalistische Industriepolitik, mangelnde Kooperationsbereitschaft, marktverzerrende Subventionen“ – wenn es um Chinas Wirtschaftspolitik geht, spart der grüne Europaabgeordnete Reinhard Bütikofer nicht mit Kritik. Im Handelsstreit zwischen China und den USA dürfe sich Europa gleichwohl nicht „liebesdienerisch“ den USA an den Hals werfen, warnt er. Die EU müsse ihre eigene Linie finden. Leicht ist das nicht, denn Europa müsse erst lernen, mit einer Stimme zu sprechen, so Bütikofer. „Gerade Deutschland habe lange geglaubt, ewig mit China aus einer Reisschüssel essen zu können.“ Dabei sei es wichtig, im Umgang mit China „Klartext zu reden.“ Erste Anfänge einer gemeinsamen europäischen Linie sieht der Grüne in der geplanten Zusammenarbeit beim Investitions-Screening und in Europas Antwort auf Chinas Seidenstraßen-Initiative. Reinhard Bütikofer im neuen MERICS Experts Podcast.

Stephan Scheuer und Andre Loesekrug-Pietri über „Silicon China“

Tue, 06 Nov 2018 01:00:00 +0100

6. November 2018Ob digitale Bezahlsystem oder Künstliche Intelligenz – China drückt bei der Digitalisierung mächtig aufs Tempo. Aufstrebende IT-Firmen aus China drängen längst auf den Weltmarkt und setzen europäische High-Tech-Unternehmen zunehmend unter Druck. Warum ist „Silicon China“ so erfolgreich? Droht Europa bei der digitalen Revolution den Anschluss zu verpassen? Darüber diskutierte Claudia Wessling, Leiterin Publikationen beim MERICS, am 31. Oktober mit dem langjährigen China-Korrespondenten des Handelsblatts Stephan Scheuer und mit André Loesekrug-Pietri, Sprecher einer deutsch-französischen Innovationsinitiative. Eine gekürzte Fassung der „China Lounge“ jetzt als MERICS Experts Podcast.

Matthias Stepan: Absolute Armut sinkt, soziale Ungleichheit bleibt

Thu, 18 Oct 2018 02:00:00 +0200

18. Oktober 2018Offiziell ist die Zahl der Armen in China in den letzten fünf Jahren um 68 Millionen gesunken. Bei der Bekämpfung der absoluten Armut hat die Volksrepublik also gewaltige Fortschritte gemacht. Sie setzt dabei auf Infrastrukturmaßnahmen, auf das Engagement von Betrieben und auf den Einsatz von IT. Aber, sagt Matthias Stepan, Leiter des Programms Innenpolitik beim MERICS, die soziale Ungleichheit ist trotz der statistischen Erfolge nicht geringer geworden. Offen ist auch, ob die Armutsbekämpfung Bestand haben wird. Denn trotz des Ausbaus der Sozialsysteme kann beispielsweise eine schwere Krankheit eine Familie auch heute noch zurück in die Armut stürzen. Hören Sie Matthias Stepan im neuen Merics Experts Podcast.

Theresa Fallon on the BRI: "The EU needs to proceed very carefully"

Tue, 02 Oct 2018 02:00:00 +0200

October 2, 2018When Xi Jinping first launched the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the idea of improving trade and transport links between China, Asia and Europe was received favourably in many European countries. Especially central and south-eastern European governments were keen on Chinese infrastructure investments. Five years on, the mood has somewhat changed. There are concerns over “debt diplomacy” and political influencing. And there’s pushback from Brussels. The EU Commission last month published its own plan for better connecting Asia and Europe. Still, the BRI presents a dilemma for the EU, says Theresa Fallon of CREAS, a Brussels-based think tank: How to engage with China without compromising European standards and values? In the new MERICS Experts Podcast she argues that “the EU needs to proceed very carefully.”

Thomas Eder über Chancen und Risiken der neuen Seidenstraße

Wed, 26 Sep 2018 02:00:00 +0200

26. September 2018Die neue Seidenstraße, auch als Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) bekannt, wird von manchen als das größte Infrastrukturprogramm seit dem Marshallplan bezeichnet. Vor fünf Jahren wurde sie im September 2013 von Staats- und Parteichef Xi Jinping in Kasachstan angekündigt. Was steckt hinter dem Vorhaben und wie hat es sich entwickelt? Was für Projekte wurden umgesetzt? Und wer profitiert davon? Diesen und weiteren Fragen stellt sich Thomas Eder, wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am MERICS und Experte für Geopolitik in Europa und Asien. Er verantwortet bei MERICS den Belt and Road Tracker, der auf der Grundlage umfangreicher Datensammlungen Fortschritt und Rückschläge der neuen Seidenstraße analysiert. BRI biete Chancen auch für deutsche Unternehmen, sagt Eder, aber „mittel- und langfristig ist die Neue Seidenstraße eher eine Herausforderung.“

Frank N. Pieke: “Xi Jinping will find it harder than expected to secure a third term"

Mon, 10 Sep 2018 02:00:00 +0200

September 10, 2018For years, many China observers believed that the Chinese Communist Party would eventually crumble under the contradictions between a Leninist political system and a dynamic society. “But we were all proved wrong”, says Frank N. Pieke, the new head of MERICS. The Chinese Communist Party is more modern, more powerful and confident than ever, he says. Yet, Xi Jinping, who likes to present himself as an all-powerful state and party leader, faces headwinds from within the apparatus and might find it more difficult than expected to secure a third term. People in Europe, Pieke says, need to face up to the new realities in China and get to grips with their own differing interests. China looks different from Athens or Duisburg than from Berlin or Paris, he says. Listen to Frank N. Pieke talking about his views on China and his plans for the future of MERICS in the new MERICS Experts Podcast.

Martha Bayles: “Hollywood is compromising freedom of expression to stay in China”

Thu, 21 Jun 2018 16:54:35 +0200

June 22, 2018For Hollywood China is a huge market it cannot afford to ignore. But closer co-operation with the Chinese movie industry has not always gone well: Expensive co-productions like “The Great Wall” flopped at box offices worldwide in 2016. More recently, a series of high profile deals hit snags. Yet Hollywood is still keen on China and willing to go a long way to please Chinese censors by tweaking scripts, making Chinese movie characters look nicer or replacing Chinese villains with baddies from North Korea. “Hollywood is compromising freedom of expression to stay in China,” warns film critic and Boston College lecturer Martha Bayles. In the new MERICS Experts podcast she argues that the US film industry should become more mindful of China’s influences and draw clear red lines.

Fu King-wa: “Chinese censorship has evolved into full information control”

Fri, 15 Jun 2018 02:00:00 +0200

June 15, 2018Internet censorship in China has evolved from just blocking websites into an elaborate system of information control, says Fu King-wa, Associate Professor at the Journalism and Media Studies Centre of the University of Hong Kong. Fu has developed projects that track what has been deleted on the Chinese web. His assessment of the current situation is bleak: The space for public expression is depressingly small, he says. The authorities want to control everything. Yet the #MeToo debate in China also demonstrates that that not all discussion can be suppressed – even in China. Listen to Fu King-wa in the MERICS Experts podcast.

Didi Kirsten Tatlow: Give Chinese children more time to play and have fun

Tue, 05 Jun 2018 12:05:53 +0200

June 5, 2018Chinese schools are notorious for their rote learning and endless tests and exams. But the Chinese government wants to change that – at least, the authorities want to introduce more creativity into the classrooms. That’s no easy undertaking, says MERICS Visiting Academic Fellow Didi Kirsten Tatlow, who for many years reported from China for the New York Times. China’s notion of creativity differs from that in the West. Creativity is mainly seen as an instrument for innovation. But for children to become truly creative adults, Tatlow argues, they need time to play and the freedom to think their own way. Yet such an approach is difficult in a country with a strong authoritarian spirit imbedded in both the Communist Party and Chinese culture. Listen to Did Kirsten Tatlow in the latest MERICS Experts podcast.

Johnny Erling: „Zurzeit ist alles auf Kontrolle ausgerichtet“

Tue, 29 May 2018 02:00:00 +0200

29. Mai 2018Als Johnny Erling 1975 erstmals nach China ging, regierte Mao Zedong noch das Land. Über vier Jahrzehnte später ist Erling immer noch in China und berichtet für „Die Welt“ und den österreichischen „Standard“. In der MERICS China Lounge am 3. Mai berichtete Erling im Gespräch mit Claudia Wessling, Leiterin der Kommunikation am MERICS, wie er Anfang der 80er Jahre am Pekinger Marx-Engels-Institut Tatort-Filme zeigte, warum man auf Bauernmärkten die besten Gesprächspartner findet, warum die staatliche Kontrolle heute oft strenger ist als früher und warum Pekinger Parkplatzwächter trotz Digitalisierung immer noch mit Block und Bleistift unterwegs sind. Hören Sie eine gekürzte Fassung der Veranstaltung im MERICS Experts Podcast.

Mikko Huotari: China öffnet seine Märkte weiterhin nur selektiv

Tue, 22 May 2018 16:52:53 +0200

22. Mai 2018Beim Besuch von Kanzlerin Merkel in China (23.-25. Mai) steht neben den politischen Gesprächen auch ein Besuch in der Metropole Shenzhen auf dem Programm, die sich derzeit zu einem Zentrum innovativer Technologien in Bereichen wie E-Mobilität und Künstlicher Intelligenz entwickelt. Dort könnten sich neue Felder für die deutsch-chinesische Zusammenarbeit auftun, sagt Mikko Huotari, Leiter des Programmbereichs Internationale Beziehungen am MERICS. Allerdings bleibt das wirtschaftspolitische Umfeld schwierig. China öffne seine Märkte nur sehr selektiv und nur dann, wenn es in Beijings Strategie passt. Erschwert wird Merkels Besuch auch durch die Politik von US-Präsident Trump. Denn obwohl die USA und Europa ähnliche handelspolitische Interessen in China verfolgen, so Huotari, seien die Europäer zunehmend auf sich allein gestellt. Mikko Huotari über den China-Besuch der Kanzlerin. Fragen von Ruth Kirchner.

Jessica Batke: Small NGOs particularly vulnerable under new NGO law

Fri, 11 May 2018 02:00:00 +0200

May 11, 2018When China’s law on non-governmental organizations went into effect in early 2017, observers worried that many international NGOs would pull out as a result. Almost 18 months on, the picture is mixed as Jessica Batke of ChinaFile has found out. As part of ChinaFile’s NGO Project, she tracks the experiences with the new law and says some 350 groups have managed to register with the authorities. None is known to have pulled out so far. Yet, this could change in 2018. Small NGOs find it particularly difficult to comply with the new regulations, and some groups face more difficulties then others. MERICS Director of Communications Claudia Wessling talks to Jessica Batke in the new MERICS Experts Podcast.You can finde the China NGO Project under http://www.chinafile.com/ngo.

Mareike Ohlberg: „Was marxistisch ist, bestimmt die Partei“

Mon, 30 Apr 2018 02:00:00 +0200

30. April 2018Karl Marx wäre am 5. Mai 200 Jahre alt geworden und wohl nirgendwo auf der Welt wird der Philosoph zu diesem Ehrentag so gefeiert wie in China. Sondersitzungen des Zentralkomitees, Ausstellungen, Vorträge, Sondersendungen – die Kommunistische Partei gibt sich größte Mühe Marx wieder cool zu machen. Aber was ist im Land mit den meisten Dollar-Milliardären der Welt eigentlich noch marxistisch? Und warum schenkt China der Mosel-Stadt Trier, der Geburtsstadt von Marx, eine tonnenschwere, riesige Marx-Statue? Antworten im neuen Merics Experts Podcast mit Mareike Ohlberg, wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin am MERICS. Sie sagt: „Was marxistisch ist, bestimmt die Partei.“

China Dispute: Pekings wachsender Einfluss in Europa

Thu, 29 Mar 2018 02:00:00 +0200

29. März 2018Erkauft sich China mit Milliardeninvestitionen in Europa auch politischen Einfluss? Und wie kann die EU darauf reagieren? Das waren die zentralen Fragen einer Podiumsdiskussion des MERICS und des Global Public Policy Instituts (GPPi) am 13. März im Projektzentrum Berlin der Stiftung Mercator. Jan Weidenfeld (MERICS) und Thorsten Benner (GPPi), Mitautoren einer gemeinsamen Studie zum Thema, gaben Impulse. Janka Oertel vom German Marshall Fund, der Leiter des Planungsstabs im Auswärtigen Amt Ralf Beste und die langjährige China-Korrespondentin Didi Kirsten Tatlow diskutierten Strategien für den Umgang mit China. Moderiert wurde das Gespräch von Claudia Wessling, Leiterin der Kommunikation bei MERICS. Hören Sie eine gekürzte Fassung der Debatte im neuen MERICS Experts Podcast.

Helena Legarda: China’s PLA looks set to step up global activities

Thu, 08 Mar 2018 01:00:00 +0100

March 8. 2018China wants to develop a “world class” military force that can “fight and win wars” by 2049, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic. So it comes as little surprise that the defense budget just got another boost. Military spending will rise by 8.1 percent this year. What’s behind this figure and China’s military modernization drive? Why is the PLA projecting power well beyond Chinese borders? And why are we going to see a lot more PLA activities on the global stage in the future? MERICS research associate Helena Legarda discusses the 2018 military budget and China’s strategies in the new MERICS Experts podcast.

Gerda Wielander: Can the China Dream make people happy?

Fri, 02 Mar 2018 01:00:00 +0100

March 2, 2018In international rankings China does not appear to be a very happy place. In the latest World Happiness Report China ranked 79th out of 155 countries. Yet happiness as always played a key part in the Communist Party’s propaganda, and some Chinese analysts even predict that by 2030 China will be one of the happiest countries in the world. How so? How is the CCP trying to make people happy or at least happier? And can the China Dream, Xi Jinping’s idea of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, help? Gerda Wielander, Associate Professor at the University of Westminster, discusses happiness, propaganda and the China Dream in the latest Merics Experts podcast.

China Dispute: China – Die neue Supermacht?

Mon, 29 Jan 2018 01:00:00 +0100

29. Januar 2018Längst ist die Volksrepublik China für die USA und Westeuropa zu einem ernsthaften wirtschaftlichen Konkurrenten geworden. Auch politisch geht China unter Präsident Xi Jinping mehr und mehr in die Offensive und gewinnt im Nahen Osten, in Afrika und Asien deutlich an Einfluss. Wie geht China mit seiner wachsenden Stärke um? Muss der Westen den Konkurrenten aus Asien fürchten, oder ergeben sich neue Perspektiven für die Zusammenarbeit? Diese Fragen diskutierte Dietmar Ringel vom rbb Inforadio am 25. Januar bei einem gemeinsamen Forum mit MERICS vor rund 130 Gästen mit Petra Sigmund, Beauftrage für Ost und Südostasien im Auswärtigen Amt, Reinhard Bütikofer von den Grünen und Vize-Vorsitzender der China-Delegation des Europäischen Parlaments, Professor Zhang Junhua von der Jiaotong University in Shanghai und Jan Gaspers, Leiter der European China Policy Unit bei MERICS. Hören Sie die Diskussion im neuen Merics Experts Podcast.

Ian Johnson über Religion und Werte in China

Thu, 04 Jan 2018 01:00:00 +0100

4. Januar 2018Religionsgemeinschaften erleben in China einen wahren Boom. Viele Menschen suchten Halt und Orientierung, argumentiert der Journalist und Pulitzer-Preisträger Ian Johnson in seinem neuen Buch „The Souls of China“. Jahrelang hat er dafür recherchiert und viel Zeit bei Christen, Buddhisten und Anhängern daoistischer Volksreligionen verbracht. Warum Religion ein Schlüssel zum Verständnis Chinas ist und warum unter Staatschef Xi Jinping einige Glaubensgemeinschaften stärker kontrolliert, andere aber staatlich gefördert werden, darüber hat Johnson am 14. Dezember bei der MERICS China Lounge gesprochen – und Moderatorin Claudia Wessling verraten, warum er selbst lieber Kampfsport betreibt statt zu meditieren. Hören Sie eine gekürzte Fassung der Veranstaltung im MERICS Experts Podcast.

Akio Takahara: “Xi Jinping is an action-oriented person“

Mon, 11 Dec 2017 01:00:00 +0100

December 14, 2017At the 19th Communist Party Congress in October, Chinese president and party leader Xi Jinping proclaimed a “new era”. China was ready to become a global power and move to center stage, he said. What lies behind such claims? Has China taken advantage of the global leadership vacuum left by US president Trump? “Xi Jinping is an action-oriented person”, but his foreign policy record is mixed, says Akio Takahara of Tokyo University. Listen to Akio Takahara as he talks about Xi Jinping, rivalries in the Asia Pacific and why China would not abandon North Korea.

David Shambaugh & Willy Lam on the 19th Party Congress and China under Xi Jinping

Thu, 19 Oct 2017 02:00:00 +0200

October 19, 2017The 19th Party Congress is a “Xi Jinping Show” and China’s political system, under Xi’s rule, has lost much of its flexibility. That’s the rather blunt assessment of David Shambaugh of George Washington University in Washington D.C. Shortly before the start of the 19th Party Congress, Shambaugh visited Berlin and discussed China under Xi Jinping with Willy Lam of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, who was equally sober in his assessment of the state of the People’s Republic. The exchange between the two renowned China experts on September 28 was jointly organized by the Robert Bosch Foundation and Merics and was moderated by Merics researcher Kristin Shi-Kupfer. You can listen to an edited version of the public event in our new Merics Experts podcast.

Willy Lam: "Xi Jinping has benefitted tremendously from the leadership vacuum left by Trump“

Tue, 17 Oct 2017 02:00:00 +0200

October 17, 2017The 19th Congress of the Communist Party kicks off in Beijing this week with the focus mainly on elite politics and personnel decisions in the top leadership. But the gathering of some 2300 delegates is also an opportunity to take stock of five years of Xi Jinping rule. Internationally, China plays a much more active and assertive role on the international stage. “Xi Jinping has benefitted tremendously from the world leadership vacuum left by US President Donald Trump”, says Willy Lam of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. But, he warns, China’s power projection won’t go very far unless Beijing addresses its “soft power deficit” and starts to respect international rules and laws.

Sebastian Heilmann zum 19. Parteitag der KPC: „China sieht sich auf der Gewinnerstraße“

Mon, 16 Oct 2017 02:00:00 +0200

16. Oktober 2017Chinas Staats- und Parteichef Xi Jinping hat die Kommunistische Partei fest im Griff. Auf dem 19. Parteitag der KPC wird er sich als der starke Mann Chinas feiern und für eine zweite Amtszeit bestätigen lassen. Schon in den ersten fünf Jahren an der Spitze der KPC hat Xi die Macht zentralisiert und dafür gesorgt, dass das Ein-Parteien-System stabilisiert wurde. Aktiv nutzt die KPC dabei unter seiner Führung neue Technologien, Big Data und die digitale Transformation. China versuche damit, einen „perfekten Überwachungsstaat“ aufzubauen, der den Gesellschaften westlicher Prägung überlegen ist, sagt Merics-Direktor Sebastian Heilmann. Auch international wähnt sich China derzeit auf „der Gewinnerstraße“, so Heilmann im neuen Merics Experts Podcast.

Kristin Shi-Kupfer über Pluralismus in China trotz Zensur und Propaganda

Thu, 05 Oct 2017 02:00:00 +0200

Vor dem 19. Parteitag am 18. Oktober versucht die chinesische Kommunistische Partei mit aller Macht das Land auf Linie zu bringen. Doch trotz jahrelanger massiver Zensur und parteistaatlicher Durchdringung der sozialen Medien sind die öffentlichen Diskussionen über die politische Ausrichtung der Volksrepublik nicht völlig verstummt. Im neuen Merics Experts Podcast berichtet Kristin Shi-Kupfer, Leiterin des Forschungsbereichs Politik, Gesellschaft und Medien, von ihrer neuen Studie über das politische Meinungsspektrum in China und die Versuche der KPC, die Bürger ideologisch stärker an sich zu binden.

Carsten Cramer über den BVB in China und chinesische Fußballträume

Tue, 26 Sep 2017 02:00:00 +0200

26. September 2017China hat große Fußballträume und steckt viel Geld und Energie in die Entwicklung des Sports. Dabei hilft, dass auch Bundesligavereine China längst als Markt entdeckt haben. Top-Clubs wie Bayern München und der BVB Dortmund spielen regelmäßig im Reich der Mitte und haben dort eigene Büros eröffnet. Was bringt die deutsch-chinesische Zusammenarbeit? Warum geht etwa der BVB eine Partnerschaft mit einem chinesischen Club ein? Darüber hat Kristin Shi-Kupfer vom MERICS am 5. September bei der MERICS China Lounge mit Carsten Cramer, Marketing-Direktor des BVB gesprochen. Eine gekürzte Fassung der Veranstaltung hören Sie im neuen MERICS Experts Podcast.

Shazeda Ahmed on China’s Social Credit System

Fri, 15 Sep 2017 02:00:00 +0200

September 15, 2017In setting up the so called Social Credit System, China plans to monitor, rate and regulate the behavior of citizens and companies with the help of big data, rewarding those who obey the rules and punishing those who cheat or don’t conform. “Social Credit is seen as a means of making people, companies, entire industrial sectors and the government more honest by monitoring behaviors,” says Shazeda Ahmed, a Ph.D. student at the University of California, Berkeley, and former Visiting Academic Fellow at MERICS. The digital mechanism the system is based on will collect data on every single person in China by 2020. What motivates the government? What are the biggest challenges in setting up the system? And: how do people in China think about this system? Listen to our latest MERICS experts podcast.

Carsten Holz: Challenges of Chinese investment in Tibetan areas

Wed, 02 Aug 2017 02:00:00 +0200

August 2, 2017The Chinese government spends millions to develop the Tibetan areas of China. But what can investment achieve in these remote regions? Can it create sustainable jobs and change people’s lives? The economist Carsten Holz of Hongkong University of Science and Technology has spent many months on the Tibetan plateau in Western Sichuan to study how Beijing’s policies affect local people’s lives. Roads have improved and access to education has increased, he says. But restrictions on travel, unequal pay and a heavy security presence fuel resentment. The central government hasn’t managed to buy the hearts and minds of the Tibetans. Listen to Holz’s observations in the new Merics Experts podcast.

Karsten Sach: „Climate policy needs to be at the heart of economic and fiscal policies“

Fri, 14 Jul 2017 02:00:00 +0200

July 14, 2017The announcement by US President Trump to withdraw from the Paris Agreement is a setback for international climate policy but “it will not derail the process,” says Karsten Sach, Germany’s top climate negotiator. At a conference in Berlin, jointly organized by MERICS, the European Climate Foundation and the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) he called on the international community to place climate policy “at the heart of economic, development and fiscal policies” to reach the Paris target of limiting global warming to 2C. He talked to Björn Conrad, MERICS Vice President Research, about climate policy in the Trump era, China’s new attitude and new perspectives for cooperation.

Barbara Finamore on US climate policy: „Trump’s power isn’t as strong as you may think“

Mon, 10 Jul 2017 02:00:00 +0200

July 10, 2017Despite US President Trump’s planned withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, many American citizens, city mayors and companies still want to move ahead with transitioning to a low carbon economy. „Trump’s power isn’t as strong as you may think,“ said Barbara Finamore, Asia Director of the American environmental organization Natural Resources Defense Council (NDRC) recently in Berlin. Still, Trump’s announcement has damaged America’s international standing, she said and called on China and Germany to now take leading roles in the fight against global warming. Finamore was talking to MERICS Communications Director Claudia Wessling at a conference jointly organized by MERICS, the European Climate Foundation and the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC).

Caio Koch-Weser on Chinese-German cooperation in global climate policy

Fri, 07 Jul 2017 02:00:00 +0200

July 7, 2017Caio Koch-Weser, chairman of the board of the European Climate Foundation (ECF), calls on the G20 to speed up the transition to a low-carbon economy – despite the announcement by US President Trump to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. In his introductory remarks at a conference on Chinese-German cooperation in global climate policy, organized by MERICS, ECF and the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) on June 30, he called for action to better price carbon, to adopt guidelines for a green financial system and to strengthen Chinese-German multi-stakeholder approaches in fighting climate change.

Clas Neumann: „Die digitale Zukunft wird in China geschrieben“

Wed, 14 Jun 2017 02:00:00 +0200

14. Juni 2017Mobile, bargeldlose Bezahlsysteme wie Alipay gehören in China längst zum Alltag. „Ich brauche in Shanghai kein Bargeld mehr“, sagt Clas Neumann, der sogar seinen Kindern ihr Taschengeld per App zahlt. Beim Software-Hersteller SAP leitet Neumann die Abteilung „Schnell wachsende Märkte“ und die SAP-Labs, die weltweiten Innovationslabore. Seit fünf Jahren lebt er in Shanghai. Im digitalen Bereich hätten einige chinesische Unternehmen Weltspitze erreicht, beobachtet Neumann. „Ein großer Teil der digitalen Zukunft der Welt wird in China geschrieben.“ Clas Neumann im neuen Merics Experts Podcast.

Isabel Hilton: Civil society still has an enormous role to play in China

Mon, 29 May 2017 16:59:10 +0200

May 30, 2017Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and independent journalists have played a vital role in raising awareness in China of the dangers of air pollution and other environmental challenges. Yet under the leadership of Xi Jinping, the climate for NGOs has become noticeably chillier, especially with the introduction of a new law earlier this year on overseas organizations. But “civil society still has an enormous role to play,” says Isabel Hilton, editor of China Dialogue, an environmental website that has offices in both London and Beijing. In the new MERICS Experts Podcast, she talks about the spaces for NGOs and the media in today’s China and how to navigate a tricky political environment.

Mirjam Meissner über Chinas gesellschaftliches Bonitätssystem (Merics Experts, Folge 34)

Wed, 24 May 2017 02:00:00 +0200

24. Mai 2017China arbeitet mit Hochdruck am Aufbau eines umfassenden gesellschaftlichen Bonitätssystems. Damit soll das Verhalten von Unternehmen wie auch von Einzelpersonen erfasst und gesteuert werden. Für dieses „Social Credit System“ sammeln IT-Unternehmen und Behörden umfangreiche Daten über Bürger und Firmen und erstellen mithilfe von Algorithmen Bewertungen, die Einfluss auf das ganz alltägliche Leben haben können. Noch ist das System im Aufbau, aber für jeden einzelnen wie auch für in China tätige Unternehmen wird es weitreichende Folgen haben. Mirjam Meissner, Leiterin des Forschungsbereichs Wirtschaft und Technologie am MERICS, spricht in diesem Podcast über Big Data, Verhaltenssteuerung und IT-gestützten Autoritarismus.

China Dispute: Nationalism and the ideological battle for China’s future (EN)

Mon, 27 Feb 2017 21:21:59 +0100

February 28, 2017China’s official media like to criticize “hostile foreign forces” and “Western values” that purportedly undermine the country. Western institutions are equally singled out for their “inefficiency” in dealing with problems and crises. But do these arguments resonate with the Chinese public? Is there rising anti-Western nationalism in China? Those questions were tackled by three eminent China experts, Susan Shirk, Orville Schell and David Bandurski, on February 22nd at the MERICS “China Dispute” in Berlin. Nationalism was a handy tool for the Chinese government to rally support, they said, but liberal voices had not disappeared – despite stringent controls and strict censorship. You can listen to an edited version of the debate, moderated by MERICS researcher Kristin Shi-Kupfer, in our latest Merics Experts Podcast.

James Kynge: The New Silk Road and the "China Dream" (EN)

Wed, 22 Feb 2017 01:00:00 +0100

The „New Silk Road“ or „One Belt One Road Initiative“ launched by China’s President Xi Jinping in 2013 is unprecedented in scope and reach. China wants to spend some $900bn on infrastructure projects connecting the Middle Kingdom to other parts of Asia, Africa and Europe. This, Beijing hopes, will create new markets for Chinese products and provide contracts for Chinese companies. But some projects have turned into “red elephants”, others have clear strategic and military dimensions, says James Kynge, seasoned China-watcher and former FT bureau chief in Beijing. OBOR, he argues, is much more than Chinese-style globalization. Listen to James Kynge talking about China’s ambitions and the risks and opportunities of OBOR in the new Merics Experts Podcast.

Eckehard Scharfschwerdt: 15 Jahre als Arzt in Yunnan (GER)

Fri, 20 Jan 2017 01:00:00 +0100

20. Januar 2017Neue Krankenhäuser, moderne Geräte und eine Krankenversicherung für alle – viel hat sich verändert im chinesischen Gesundheitssystem. Der Arzt Eckehard Scharfschwerdt hat das miterlebt: 15 Jahre lang hat er auf dem Land in der Provinz Yunnan im Südwesten Chinas gearbeitet. „Die Verbesserungen sind für jeden sichtbar“, sagt er. Aber es gebe noch viel zu tun: Das Vertrauen in die Ärzte sei gering, unnötige Untersuchungen führten zur Verschwendung von Ressourcen und trotz Versicherung könne eine schwere Krankheit eine Familie immer noch zurück in die Armut stürzen. Zudem stelle der massive Anstieg von Wohlstandskrankheiten wie Bluthochdruck und Diabetes das Gesundheitssystem vor neue Herausforderungen. Eckehardt Scharfschwerdt im neuen Merics Experts Podcast.

Mikko Huotari: Chinesische Investitionen in Europa (GER)

Wed, 11 Jan 2017 01:00:00 +0100

Chinesische Auslandsinvestitionen haben 2016 erneut ein Rekordniveau erreicht. Das Investitionsvolumen stieg weltweit auf etwa 200 Milliarden US-Dollar (180 Mrd. Euro), dies entspricht einem Zuwachs von 40 Prozent gegenüber dem Vorjahr. Die Europäische Union gehört weiterhin zu den beliebtesten Investitionsstandorten, angeführt von Deutschland. Rund 35 Mrd. Euro – ein Plus von 77 Prozent – flossen im vergangenen Jahr in europäische Länder, davon über 11 Mrd. Euro nach Deutschland.Mikko Huotari, Autor des MERICS Paper on China: Chinesische Investitionen in Europa erreichen neues Rekordniveau und befeuern Debatte über Risiken, erklärt, was Europa für chinesische Investoren so attraktiv macht und wie die politischen Debatten über chinesische Investitionen innerhalb Europas zunehmend kritischer werden. Er warnt davor, die Wachstumszahlen chinesischer Investitionen im letzten Jahr auch in die Zukunft zu projizieren. Stattdessen könnte der chinesische Expansionskurs schon bald deutlich an Fahrt verlieren.

Jost Wübbeke: Made in China 2025 (GER)

Wed, 14 Dec 2016 01:00:00 +0100

China has launched a high-tech revolution: Beijing has devised an industrial masterplan named "Made in China 2025" and is investing billions to turn China into one of the leading industrial countries by 2049.According to the plan, the domestic market share of Chinese suppliers for "basic core components and important basic materials" is intended to increase to 70 per cent by 2025.China strives for market leadership in main growth areas for a large number of industrial countries. Information technology, computerised machines, robots, energy-saving vehicles, medical devices as well as high-tech equipment for aerospace technology, maritime and rail transport are in the focus of the major industrial revamp called "Made in China 2025."In this podcast interview, the author of the latest MERICS Paper on China, Jost Wübbeke, explains how China's ambitious strategy is starting to bear fruit. Industrial countries like Germany and the United States have to be prepared for strong competition, says Wübbeke.

Kevin Rudd: China’s nascent strategy for a new global order (EN)

Wed, 12 Oct 2016 02:00:00 +0200

12 October 2016, with Kevin RuddWhat does China really want with its foreign policy? Is there a grand strategy for Xi Jinping’s new multilateralism? And is China’s „One Belt, One Road“ initiative maybe less about geopolitics and more of an encounter with the complex realities in some of the most unstable countries in the world? Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd has met Xi Jinping several times and last week shared his observations with MERICS. The experienced diplomat, politician and fluent Mandarin speaker gave a lecture at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and talked to MERICS Director Sebastian Heilmann. Listen to an edited version of the event in our new MERICS Experts podcast.

Zhang Jieping: "There’s a huge appetite for independent journalism" (EN)

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 02:00:00 +0200

5 October 2016, with Zhang JiepingThese are tough times for independent media in China: Censorship and controls have increased considerably in recent years. The pressure is also felt in Hongkong despite the territory’s greater freedoms. Still, several media start-ups have sprung up in Hongkong recently. One of the biggest is the online platform “Initium”. Within a year it has attracted more than two million regular readers although the site quickly got blocked on the mainland. Chief Editor Zhang Jieping says there’s a huge appetite for independent journalism. In the new Merics Experts podcast she talks about how to survive in a challenging political environment while sticking to her journalistic principles.

Mikko Huotari: G20 in China - Eine Frage der Glaubwürdigkeit (GER)

Fri, 02 Sep 2016 02:00:00 +0200

2. September 2016, mit Mikko HuotariBeim G20-Gipfel in Hangzhou soll globales Wachstum gefördert werden. Gastgeber China setzt dabei auf globale Infrastrukturinvestitionen. Auch aus Eigeninteresse, sagt Mikko Huotari, Leiter des Programmbereichs Internationale Beziehungen bei Merics. Die G20, so Pekings Hoffnung, könnten der chinesischen Seidenstraßen-Initiative den Ritterschlag geben. Aber auch Chinas Reform-Agenda rückt in den Fokus: „Glaubwürdigkeit als G20-Führungskraft kann Peking nur erlangen, wenn es glaubwürdig an den Reformen zuhause weiterarbeitet.“ Mikko Huotari im Merics Experts Podcast.

Richard McGregor: China's authoritarian future (EN)

Thu, 04 Aug 2016 02:00:00 +0200

4 August 2016, with Richard McGregorFor all its problems, China is an incredibly successful country and still has a lot of growth potential, says Richard McGregor, visiting fellow at George Washington University. All gloomy scenarios about economic or political collapse have proved wrong so far. So, what if Xi Jinping succeeds in restructuring the economy and strengthening the Communist Party? China would emerge as a much more powerful country, says McGregor. However, there’s nothing in the party’s DNA that suggests China would be more accommodating internationally or more liberal domestically. That’s Richard McGregor in the latest Merics Experts podcast.

You Ji: China aims to project military strength well beyond its borders (EN)

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 02:00:00 +0200

26 July 2016, with You JiXi Jinping has used military reforms to strengthen his command over the People’s Liberation Army. And he’s using personal connections, some dating back to his childhood years, to fill central positions within the military, says professor You Ji of Macau University. On strategy, Xi is moving away from his predecessors’ approach. China is now preparing to project power well beyond its borders, catch up with the U.S. and achieve “Great Power Status” built upon military strength. That’s You Ji in the latest Merics Experts podcast.

Victor Shih: Xi Jinping and the power question (EN)

Fri, 22 Jul 2016 02:00:00 +0200

22 July 2016, with Victor ShihFor years China was led by consensus – factions in the upper echelons of power were carefully calibrated to keep a balance. But with Xi Jinping all that has changed, says Victor Shih of the University of California, San Diego. Since Xi’s faction within the Central Committee is still rather small, he established a number of new leading small groups to strengthen his influence on policy making. At the 19th party congress next year Xi could now try to shrink the size of the powerful Politburo Standing Committee to obtain absolute power within the CCP. That’s Victor Shih in the latest Merics Experts Podcast.

Barry Naughton: "Xi Jinping is not an economic thinker" (EN)

Thu, 07 Jul 2016 02:00:00 +0200

7 July 2016, with Barry NaughtonExpectations for market oriented reforms were running high after the CCP’s 3rd plenum in 2013. But three years on Barry Naughton of the University of California, San Diego, is disappointed: Reform plans have come to nothing; economic problems got worse; the centralization of power has led to paralysis among bureaucrats. Xi Jinping is “political down to his fingernails” but not an economic thinker, says Naughton: “Xi is attached to the long term objective of reform but has only the weakest of attachments to the practical measures that need to be taken to get there.” Now the leadership could read the Brexit vote as another indication that global free markets and institutions are unreliable and unattractive. That’s Barry Naughton in the new Merics Experts podcast.

Tony Saich: “As authoritarian leader I would want to learn from China” (EN)

Fri, 01 Jul 2016 02:00:00 +0200

01.07.2016The speed with which Xi Jinping has introduced stronger controls on society has surprised many China watchers. The Xi administration has been “extraordinarily successful” in controlling and shaping political communication especially online says Anthony Saich of Harvard Kennedy School: “If I was an authoritarian leader somewhere else in the world, I would want to learn lessons from China.” Moreover, laws constraining foreign NGOs while encouraging domestic charity work for causes close to the CCP’s priorities tend to further reduce space for association and new ideas.

Roderick MacFarquhar: China’s strong top man heads a very fragile system (EN)

Thu, 30 Jun 2016 02:00:00 +0200

Xi Jinping has centralized power in China to unprecedented levels: he has sidelined both the prime minister and the state council and is trying to control everything himself says distinguished Harvard historian Roderick MacFarquhar. Xi might have – like Mao Zedong long before him - a vision and a sense of direction for China but he lacks the authority and historic legitimacy to implement his ideas. Even worse: his leadership style weakens the entire system. That’s Roderick Macfarquhar in the new Merics Experts podcast.

China Dispute: Will Top-Down Leadership Achieve Political Stability? (EN)

Tue, 28 Jun 2016 15:10:44 +0200

28 June 2016Review of MERICS China Dispute “The Xi Jinping challenge: Will top-down leadership achieve political stability in China?” with Richard McGregor, Roderick MacFarquhar, Sebastian Heilmann and Anthony Saich.

Michael Fuchs: Trump's „unpredictability is not a foreign policy“ (EN)

Tue, 21 Jun 2016 02:00:00 +0200

21 June 2016Michael Fuchs on Trump: „Unpredictability is not a foreign policy“ China is one of Donald Trump’s favourite punching bags. If elected to the White House, he wants to label China a “currency manipulator” and impose hefty tariffs on imports from China. Such talk makes Michael Fuchs of the Center for American Progress and a former advisor to Hillary Clinton rather uneasy. “Trump is unpredictable” he says in the new Merics Experts podcast. And he warns: “Unpredictability is not a foreign policy”. How much damage can Trump do to the complex Sino-American relationship? And is that relationship going to become more competitive no matter who enters the White House?

Arthur Kroeber: "China’s economic policies lack clarity and direction" (EN)

Thu, 09 Jun 2016 11:52:08 +0200

9 June 2016With the right economic policies China could continue to grow at a rate of about five per cent per year for another decade says Arthur Kroeber of Gavecal Dragonomics, an independent research firm in Beijing. But the country would have to cut SOEs by up to a half and push through financial reforms. However, Xi Jingping’s economic policies lack clarity and direction. China still depends too much on stimulus measures and credit to keep the economy going. Little change is in the offing with the 19th party congress already looming large.

Han Dongfang: Labour relations are key to reforms in China (EN)

Tue, 07 Jun 2016 12:03:56 +0200

6 June 2016Tensions on Chinese factory floors have been running high recently – because of non-payment of wages and because some industries have moved their investments to other parts of Asia. Labour relations are fraught and protests can potentially threaten social stability says Han Dongfang, founder of the NGO China Labour Bulletin and a former Tian’anmen activist now based in Hongkong. He is confident though that the government is looking for a long-term solution and seems willing to make collective workplace bargaining easier. In the long run, true trade union reform could be a game changer in China, says Han Dongfang.

Shawn Shieh: New NGO-Law – The door for international NGOs remains open (EN)

Thu, 26 May 2016 16:27:26 +0200

26 May 2016Many non-governmental organisations are concerned about a new Chinese law that imposes tighter controls on international non-profit groups working in China. The law is seen as an attempt to further squeeze the space of civil society. It could affect not just NGOs but also cultural exchanges and business associations. But a lot of details are still unclear, says Shawn Shieh, deputy director of China Labour Bulletin, an NGO based in Hongkong. How draconian the law is going to be depends largely on its implementation – in China that is often a rather patchy process.

Thomas Eder: Islands, rocks and reefs in the South China Sea (EN)

Tue, 24 May 2016 11:08:17 +0200

24 May 2016 with Thomas EderTensions in the South China Sea could further escalate after a ruling by a UN tribunal expected within the next few weeks. The case over tiny rocks and reefs brought to the UN by the Philippines has far reaching implications. China claims almost all of the South China Sea and has already rejected the tribunal’s right to rule on these matters. Thomas Eder of Merics says should the UN court rule in favour of the Philippines, Beijing is likely to take provocative action to reassert its claims – like stepping up island building activities or declaring an air defense identification zone similar to the East China Sea. Europe should take note, says Eder, because the South China Sea is an important shipping route for the EU’s trade with Asia. Increasing tensions pose challenges that Europe cannot afford to ignore.

Daniel Leese: "The Legacy of the Cultural Revolution"(EN)

Fri, 13 May 2016 11:15:23 +0200

13 May 2016 with Daniel Leese; Questions by Ruth Kirchner50 years after the start of the Cultural Revolution Xi Jinping tries to reconnect to Chinas Maoist heritage. He won’t allow to mobilise the masses as Mao did, because he is afraid of losing control said Professor Daniel Leese in our MERICS Podcast.

Simon Lang: China streikt - Strukturwandel auf den Rücken der Arbeiter (GER)

Fri, 29 Apr 2016 11:00:21 +0200

29. April 2016 mit Simon LangMit dem verlangsamten Wachstum in China ist die Zahl der Proteste und Streiks deutlich gestiegen. Allein in diesem Jahr gab es bereits rund 1.000 Streiks – vor allem im Süden des Landes. Aus Sorge um die soziale Stabilität gingen die Behörden in der Regel hart gegen Streikende vor, sagt Simon Lang, wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter bei MERICS. Die Proteste könnten aber auch das Reformprogramm der Regierung ausbremsen: Denn geplante Massenentlassungen in ineffizienten Staatsbetrieben könnten die sozialen Spannungen weiter verschärfen und die Lage auf dem Arbeitsmarkt noch schwieriger machen. Vielen Arbeitern fehlten zudem die Qualifikationen für einen Neustart, sagt Lang: „Es ist fraglich ob man aus einem Stahlarbeiter einen Dienstleister oder Start-Uper machen kann.“

Ekkehard Rathgeber: „Der Wettbewerb ist knallhart“ in Chinas E-Commerce-Markt (GER)

Wed, 27 Apr 2016 17:59:44 +0200

27.04.2016 mit Ekkehard RathgeberNirgendwo kaufen die Menschen so oft und so viel im Internet wie in China. Das Reich der Mitte ist der größte E-Commerce-Markt der Welt. Doch der Markt sei nichts für Leute mit schwachen Nerven, sagt Unternehmer Ekkehard Rathgeber, der seit 20 Jahren in China Geschäfte macht. Der Wettbewerb sei knallhart und der chinesische Konsument schwer einzuschätzen. Trotzdem sieht er Chancen auch für deutsche Firmen. Ekkehard Rathgeber über Chancen, Erfolge und Niederlagen in China – im neuen Merics Experts Podcast.

Yuen-Ying Chan: “China cannot impose draconian controls forever” (EN)

Wed, 20 Apr 2016 09:51:24 +0200

20 April 2016, with Yuen-ying ChanMedia freedom in China has suffered under president Xi Jinping. In the latest press freedom index of Reporters without Borders China ranks at the bottom of the list followed only by Syria, Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea. These are hard times for journalists in China, says professor Yuen-ying Chan. She is the founding director of the Journalism and Media Studies Centre at Hongkong University. But she also argues that despite tight censorship and increased controls, there are still spaces for independent and investigative journalism in China. And in the long run there is a glimmer of hope: “China cannot impose draconian controls forever.”

Sandra Heep: Chinas 13. Fünfjahresplan(GER)

Mon, 21 Mar 2016 17:36:36 +0100

22. März 2016Ein Wachstum von jährlich 6,5 Prozent; eine Verdoppelung der Einkommen bis 2020, die Abschaffung der Armut – all das verspricht die chinesische Führung in ihrem 13. Fünfjahresplan. Extrem ehrgeizig, teils unrealistisch, nennt MERICS-Wirtschafts- und Finanzexpertin Sandra Heep diese Ziele. Eine Abkehr von der Politik staatlicher Großinvestitionen ist nicht wirklich zu erkennen: So will die Regierung in den nächsten fünf Jahren mindestens 50 neue Flughäfen bauen. Alte Politik also statt neuer Ideen? Gleichzeitig wird Innovation im neuen Fünfjahresplan großgeschrieben. Doch auch da stellt sich die Grundsatzfrage: Kann man Innovation und Strukturwandel über Fünfjahrespläne organisieren?

Kristin Shi-Kupfer: Medienpolitik und Informationskontrolle unter Xi Jinping (GER)

Mon, 14 Mar 2016 14:39:33 +0100

15. März 2016Selten stand ein Nationaler Volkskongress unter so strenger Zensur wie die diesjährige Jahrestagung des chinesischen Parlaments in der Großen Halle des Volkes. Chinesischen Journalisten wird genau vorgeschrieben, was sie berichten dürfen und was nicht. Doch sogar unter den Delegierten rege sich Widerstand gegen die strikten Kontrollen, sagt Kristin Shi-Kupfer, Leiterin des Forschungsbereichs Politik, Gesellschaft und Medien bei Merics. Zugleich müssten auch westliche Politiker, etwa Bundespräsident Joachim Gauck bei seiner China-Reise ab 19. März, die scharfen Medienkontrollen in China deutlich ansprechen.

Kenneth Lieberthal: China under President Xi Jinping (EN)

Tue, 01 Mar 2016 16:11:02 +0100

1 March 2016President Xi Jinping is the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong. He has centralised power and has cracked down hard on dissent. But, argues Kenneth Lieberthal of the Brookings Institution in Washington, Xi’s tight grip on power doesn’t necessarily make him a more efficient leader.

Jonathan Pollack: North Korea, South China Sea & Sino-US relations (EN)

Mon, 29 Feb 2016 09:37:49 +0100

29 February 2016As the UN Security Council negotiates a resolution that would impose new sanctions on North Korea following Pyongyang’s latest nuclear test earlier this year, pressure is mounting on China to act more assertively towards its neighbour and ally. “China must be prepared to be much tougher on North Korea than it has been so far”, says Jonathan Pollack of the Brookings Institution. He discusses North Korea, the South China Sea and Sino-US relations in the new Merics Experts Podcast.

Akio Takahara: China’s foreign policy & the difficult relations with Japan (EN)

Tue, 02 Feb 2016 14:19:35 +0100

1 February 2016After years of economic growth, China is claiming more influence on the international stage. Behind President Xi Jinping’s efforts to enhance China’s status as a nation lie domestic motives, says Akio Takahara in this podcast. Xi wants to maintain the power of the Communist Party, stability and economic growth of the country. Takahara, professor for contemporary Chinese politics at the university of Tokyo and visiting academic fellow at MERICS, analyses China’s ambitious foreign policy from a Japanese angle. He gives keen insights into the ups and downs in the relationship between Beijing and Tokyo, and describes the worries of the neighboring countries over China’s growing assertiveness in territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Scott Kennedy: China’s economy and the new five year plan (EN)

Mon, 01 Feb 2016 15:53:30 +0100

29 January 2016For the current leaders “muddling through” is good enoughAs China gets ready to welcome the year of the monkey and to adopt a new five year plan, Scott Kennedy of the Center for International and Strategic Studies in Washington (CSIS) examines the challenges for the Chinese leadership. Sluggish growth and clumsy stock market interventions have cast a shadow of doubt on the leadership’s ability to manage the economy. How can China move from investment-led growth to more consumption and services? “China still has the chance to grow relatively rapidly for a decade or two if they adopt the right policies”, says Kennedy. But he also has a stark warning for the leadership under Xi Jinping: “If China doesn’t become more productive and innovative soon and doesn’t improve its regulatory environment, a lot of foreign investment is going to go elsewhere.” Listen to our “MERICS Experts” podcast with Scott Kennedy.

Kai Strittmatter: Autoritäres Regieren Vs. dynamische Entwicklungen (GER)

Mon, 07 Dec 2015 12:00:00 +0100

7. Dezember 2015Das Paradox des politischen Alltags in China: Auf der einen Seite ein autoritärer Staat und auf der anderen Seite eine dynamische wirtschaftliche und gesellschaftliche Entwicklung. Kai Strittmatter, Korrespondent der Süddeutschen Zeitung, im Interview mit Ruth Kirchner.MERICS Experts ist der Podcast des Mercator Institute for China Studies, der aktuelle Entwicklungen in China analysiert

Prof. Sebastian Heilmann: Das politische System Chinas unter Xi Jinping (GER)

Mon, 07 Dec 2015 11:42:50 +0100

4. Dezember 2016Kann Chinas politisches System ein Modell für das Regieren im 21. Jahrhundert sein? Oder ist es ein Risiko für die Volksrepublik? Diese Fragen klärt Moderatorin Ruth Kirchner mit Sebastian Heilmann, Direktor des Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS)in Berlin.MERICS Experts ist der Podcast des Mercator Institute for China Studies, der aktuelle Entwicklungen in China analysiert

Björn Conrad: Pariser Klimagipfel - China unter Druck (GER)

Fri, 27 Nov 2015 10:09:27 +0100

4. Dezember 2015Beim Klimagipfel in Paris spielt China eine Schlüsselrolle. Denn kein anderes Land der Welt pustet so viel CO2 in die Luft wie die Volksrepublik. Tendenz weiter steigend. Bis spätestens 2030 will China zwar den Höchststand seiner Emissionen erreicht haben. Doch angesichts des verlangsamten Wachstums könnte sich der dafür notwendige Umstrukturierungsprozess verzögern und die Bereitschaft Pekings nachlassen, sich auf internationale Klimaschutz-Verpflichtungen einzulassen. Die Verhandlungen in Paris seien die vielleicht letzte Möglichkeit mit China beim Klimaschutz „ins Geschäft zu kommen“, argumentiert MERICS-Forschungsdirektor Björn Conrad.MERICS Experts ist der Podcast des Mercator Institute for China Studies, der aktuelle Entwicklungen in China analysiert