MERICS China Podcast

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.

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.  

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 .

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 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 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)  

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.   

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. 

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. 

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.

---

If you are interested in our research on EU-China topics why not subscribe to our biweekly MERICS Europe China 360° Brief?