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.

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

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/

#125 Jan Weidenfeld über die transatlantische China-Politik

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/

#124 Jan Weidenfeld on transatlantic China policy

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

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

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

#122 Katja Drinhausen on the CCP and digitalization

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 &apos;struggle mode&apos;: “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&apos;s centenary: www.merics.org/en/ccp-100.

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

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.

#120 Matt Ferchen on informal actors in China's foreign engagement

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.

#119 Mikko Huotari zu den deutsch-chinesischen Beziehungen

“The EU&apos;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

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

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.

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

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.

#116 Global Challenges 2021: Decoupling, climate and connectivity

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.

#115 Rana Mitter on China’s collective memory of WWII

1. Dezember 2020 Hohe Erwartungen waren an 2020 geknüpft. In den europäisch-chinesischen Beziehungen sollte es ein ganz besonderes Jahr mit substanziellen Fortschritten werden. Mancher hatte gar auf einen Abschluss des Investitionsabkommens zwischen China und der EU gehofft. Doch im Zuge der Corona-Pandemie ist vieles anders gekommen als erwartet. Corona erwies sich als ein Katalysator, sagt Mikko Huotari. Dabei wurde deutlich: „Es ist grundsätzlich schwierig, auf dem Verhandlungsweg mit China etwas zu erreichen.“ In Washington stehen die Zeichen unterdessen auf Neuanfang. Was könnte der Stabwechsel im Weißen Haus in den Beziehungen zu Beijing verändern, was wird wohl bleiben wie bisher in dem zuletzt verfahrenen chinesisch-amerikanischen Verhältnis? Welcher Kurs drückt sich in Chinas Entwürfen für den 14. Fünfjahrplan aus und was hat MERICS mit seinem Mitgliedermodell künftig vor? Über als diese Themen spricht Kerstin Lohse-Friedrich in dieser Ausgabe von MERICS Experts mit Mikko Huotari.

#115 Mikko Huotari: „Es ist eine neue Nüchternheit im EU-China-Verhältnis zutage getreten“

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.

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

MERICS researchers and guest speakers discuss and analyze developments and current affairs in China.

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Analysen und Diskussionen über China

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