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