China

Although Europe's attention in recent years has been completely absorbed by Russia's aggression in Ukraine, many countries, including the Czech Republic, are increasingly interested in diversifying their business opportunities beyond the transatlantic space. We therefore asked experts from the fields of diplomacy, research and business about the potential pitfalls of EU-ASEAN cooperation, security challenges and the success of Czech diplomacy in the Far East. Zuzana Krulichová, researcher at EUROPEUM Institute, answered for the Institute of International Relations.

Electric vehicle battery prices are being dragged down by the falling value of key metals such as lithium and cobalt, but also by cheap Chinese production, which now dominates global markets. At the same time, China dominates the value chain of key materials and is interested in maintaining this dominance, says Filip Křenek, project coordinator and analyst at EUROPEUM Institute, in an interview with Ekonomický deník.

In an article for the international magazine The Diplomat, Tereza Novotná, an Associate Research Fellow at EUROPEUM Institute, analyzes NATO's new direction, focusing on the Indo-Pacific region. The alliance aims to keep American engagement, curb Russian aggression, and limit China's influence, with strengthening cooperation with partners like South Korea being crucial for ensuring global stability. The article also includes recommendations for enhancing these relationships.

Tereza Novotná, an Associate Research Fellow at the EUROPEUM Institute, explores the emotional dimensions of EU foreign policy in her article for the Journal of European Integration. The analysis examines how emotional factors shape political decisions and responses regarding EU human rights sanctions against China and North Korea, highlighting differing outcomes in these cases and suggesting that incorporating emotional awareness could enhance policy effectiveness.

The essential components needed to grow the modern economy include chips and semiconductors, solar panels and batteries for electric cars. All of these are imported into Europe from Asian countries instead of manufacturing capacity being built here. Viktor Daňek, deputy director of EUROPEUM Institute, said it is necessary to open a debate on the reform of the common budget and new revenues.

The European Union economically lags behind the United States of America and China. The recent meeting in Brussels reflected concerns about a slowdown in the EU economy, which entered 2024 with lower-than-expected growth. EUROPEUM Institute analyst Vít Havelka commented on this situation for ČRo Plus.

The anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the European Union are not having the desired effect. After two years, it is becoming clear that the sanctions are hitting the Russian economy, but are not preventing them from being circumvented, with Asian countries, led by China, playing a major role. Thus, the Union included several companies from China and Hong Kong in the February round of sanctions. Viktor Danek, deputy director of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the possible consequences in a report for the main broadcast news TV Nova.

The European Union will step up its efforts to reduce its dependence on China in the future. This was demonstrated by a unanimous vote of MEPs on the risks of growing Chinese influence on Europe's critical infrastructure on Wednesday. Our research fellow Zuzana Krulichová commented on the EU's current economic policy towards China for Ekonomický deník.

Join the next debate in the EU± series and hear experts' views on China's ambitions in the South China Sea. The discussion will take place on Wednesday 20 December 2023 at 17:30 online on our Facebook page.

The report provides a summary of a public event organized by EUROPEUM's Brussels Office, in collaboration with CEPS, as part of the Think Visegrad platform on November 27th. The event was named "EU-India relations: A partnership beyond trade." Panelists included Alica Kizekova, Senior Researcher at the Institute of International Relations Prague, Zsolt Trembeczki, Research Fellow at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs (HIIA), and Fanny Sauvignon, Researcher at the Foreign Policy Unit of CEPS.

The EU countries have decided that the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines will end by 2035 at the latest. Although this is a highly controversial move in the Czech Republic, it is unlikely to be of much significance in the context of the global new car market. The new Euro 7 emissions standard will be the same. Our Senior Research Fellow Vít Havelka commented on this topic.

As part of the Café Evropa debate cycle, one of the discussions took place on the relationship and approach between the European Union and China. Among those invited were Magdaléna Slezáková, Ondřej Wagner, David Gardáš and Zdeněk Beránek. You can read a summary of the outputs of individual guests in the report written by our intern Eliška Prostřední.