China Observers

Lithuania has certainly not been shy about bucking the status quo in terms of relations with Beijing.

Whether it be committing to a fight for freedom “from Belarus to Taiwan”, a withdrawal from the 17+1 format, or a resolution on the Uyghur situation in China, the small Baltic nations has been eager to make its voice heard. As of late, this has been most vocally displayed in terms of tighter ties with Taiwan. This culminated in the summer, with the announcement that Taiwan is opening its representative office in Vilnius and will utilize its name, Taiwan, rather than other nomenclature typically utilized to placate the One China Policy. 

Of course, this has been met with fiery criticism from prominent Chinese diplomats and state media outlets, warning of dire consequences. In the latest episode, we sit down with two experts on both international relations and economics to assess Lithuania's trajectory as of late as well as the potential for China's punishment.

This Month’s Guests: 

Hungary has had its share of issues as of late, ranging from its import of Chinese vaccines sans EMA approval, to blockage of EU statements on human rights abuses in China, to the politically problematic (and quite pricey) establishment of Fudan University's campus in Budapest. Indeed, for the very first time, China is shaping up to be a key political issue for the upcoming elections in 2022 for the Central European nation.

To get a handle on all of the issues swirling around Prime Minister Orban at this critical time, his promotion of pro-China policies, and the public sentiment surrounding Sino-Hungarian relations, Hungarian journalist and researcher Szabolcs Panyi joined the latest Voice for CHOICE podcast.

This Month's Guest: Szabolcs Panyi, Investigative journalist at Hungarian independent journal Direkt36, three time Soma Award winner for best Hungarian investigative journalism in 2015, 2016 and 2020, and founder of VSquare, a cross-border investigative journalism initiative in the Visegrád region.

Show Notes:

Human rights are increasingly taking center stage in Sino-European relations, supplanting the economic impacts that had previously held primacy. Indeed, as quickly as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Chinese FDI, and the 17+1 platform ignited the hopes of the Central European region and its leaders, the human rights issue and revelations from the Xinjiang region have just as quickly soured public opinion. At the 32nd anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre, there are certainly no fewer human rights issues to tackle beyond just Xinjiang, but Tibet, Inner Mongolia, and even beyond China's generally accepted borders.

To parse the important aspects of human rights issues' heightened profile, Eyck Freymann joins the latest episode to add his opinion on the trajectory of this topic as well as insights on the transatlantic angle in the human rights debate on China.

Show Notes:

This podcast is hosted by Kevin Curran

As Serbia continues to pursue a multi-vector strategy that heavily relies upon China and China itself further highlights cooperation in the Balkans not only on vaccines, but in infrastructure investment along the Belt and Road, as it did in the most recent 17+1 summit, curious eyes are increasingly drawn to China's activities in the region. However, the cooperation across the broader Western Balkan region has not been without issues, especially as activists complain of environmental damage along China's flagship project in the Balkans and governments, like that of Montenegro, fall into insurmountable debt to China’s Exim Bank.

To assess the level of threat that each of China's projects across the Western Balkans pose, CSIS senior fellow Jonathan Hillman and his colleagues devised a flag system by which each project can be judged and the major indicators that onlookers should be wary of when judging each project. To hear the results of the study and the prospects for China's continued cooperation with Western Balkan nations, make the right choice and tune in!

This podcast is hosted by Kevin Curran

Janka Oertel and Kevin Curran Discuss the recent CAI, climate policy, the 17+1 keynote from Xi Jinping, and more.

Special Double Episode Featuring Janka Oertel and Isabel Hilton on China and climate policy.

The podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Breaker, PocketCasts, and Soundcloud.

As both the EU-China CAI 17+1 summit begin to fade from view and more challenges yet emerge for China and their relations with both the EU and CEE nations, the Voice for CHOICE  podcast is picking up on one of China's evermore present promises in such high-profile meetings and agreements in 2021, that of climate cooperation

It is a topic rife with contradictions both in China's domestic actions and its initiatives abroad, such as the BRI in CEE nations. However, as China is the world's most populous nation and its largest polluter in absolute terms, it is a topic that affects us all and is thus worthy of keen attention. Make the right CHOICE and tune in!

This month’s show features analysis from: Isabel Hilton,  Founder and Senior advisor to China Dialogue, an independent organisation aimed at understanding and analyzing of China’s environmental challenges.

Show Notes:

This podcast is hosted by Kevin Curran

As the 17+1 virtual summit approaches, Voice for CHOICE analyzes the role of the Baltic nations and their role in the EU-China dialogue, the role that remains for Russia in influencing the region's actions on this front, and the strong Transatlantic links that undergird the nation's security and often its policy stances.

Of course, the region itself is home to diverse populations with varying stances on China issues and their own complex relationships with Beijing. Therefore, a closer look at the shades of gray that color Sino-Baltic relations will surely be addressed. Make the right CHOICE and tune in!

Discussing European opinions of China in the age of COVID-19.

Filip Šebok, an analyst for the MapInfluenCE project, joins the podcast to discuss the burgeoning threat of dis and misinformation in Central and Eastern Europe, especially that related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

MapInfluenCE is a project that focuses on China’s influence across Czechia, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, with much of its internationally acclaimed research focused on media and undue influence on public discourse. 

For all the information you need on disinformation, make the right choice and tune into the podcast.