ReConnect China x CHERN podcast: Dynamics of Chinese EV projects in Europe 12 May 2025 - Chinese EV companies are gaining a foothold in European markets to sell EVs and to supply European EV manufacturers with locally manufactured EV batteries. The Central and Eastern European region – host to most of the Chinese EV and EV… Read more ReConnect China x CHERN podcast: China’s Digital Silk Road to Switzerland 26 April 2025 - In this episode, we trace China’s Digital Silk Road (DSR) into Western Europe. Dr. Lena Kaufmann unpacks the “downstream effects” of Chinese digital infrastructures in Switzerland—an often-overlooked BRI country. Drawing on her chapter in Seeing China’s Belt and Road (Schatz… Read more
Third Europe-China Table on “US-China Evolving Trade Landscape and the EU’s Response” took place 22 April 2025 - On 28 March 2025, the Asia Centre at the University of Tartu hosted a roundtable webinar titled “US-China Evolving Trade Landscape and the EU's Response”, as part of the ReConnect China project. The invitation-only event brought together experts from academia, policymakers,… Read more ReConnect China x CHERN podcast: China’s engagements on the borders of the EU: the case of the Sino-Serbian “Ironclad Friendship” 12 April 2025 - This episode tackles the complexity of Sino-Serbian relations vis-à-vis the EU from a historical and regional perspective. Serbia is a European EU-candidate country, but it has a long history of advocating for a non-aligned international position. Furthermore, in recent years… Read more
Elo Süld from UT presents ReConnect China at info session from Estonian Reseach Council 1 April 2025 - On Monday 14 April, from 13.15-16.30 (Estonian time), the Estonian Research Council organises an information seminar on "Opportunities for social sciences and humanities in the European Horizon 2025 calls". Our partner Elo Süld from University of Tartu was invited to… Read more
Reconnect China Policy Brief 21: The China-led AIIB, a geopolitical tool? 12 March 2025 - The establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in 2016, on a Chinese initiative, constituted an attempt to bridge the gap in infrastructure financing in Asia. However, it was also perceived in the West as a potential vehicle for… Read more
Reconnect China Policy Brief 20: The China-Russia partnership and the Ukraine war: aligned but not allied 19 February 2025 - Executive summary: China and Russia maintain a strategic partnership rooted in shared opposition to the U.S. and liberal democracies, but their relationship is shaped more by pragmatism than trust. While Putin and Xi declared a "friendship without limits" before Russia’s… Read more Reconnect China Policy Brief 19: Technical Standards, Soft Connectivity and China’s Belt and Road: Towards greater convergence or fragmentation? 14 February 2025 - Executive summary: As the intensification of geopolitical competition points toward increased global fragmentation, the definition of technical standards for future markets and industries will play an important role in determining just how deep the fissures will run. China has been… Read more
ReConnect China podcast: The fast evolving Chinese AI innovation ecosystem 4 February 2025 - The 11th episode of the ReConnect China podcast series dives into China’s vision to become the global leader in Artificial Intelligence by 2030. Central to this mission are key initiatives like the National AI Team, Open Innovation Platforms, and Pilot… Read more
Featured article: Unlocking the power of MOOCs in disseminating basic knowledge about China to European students 3 February 2025 - Since the beginning of 2024, European students and the wider public have had the opportunity to enroll in open-access Bachelor-level online courses introducing various aspects of contemporary China. These massive open online courses (MOOCs), developed by the ReConnect China project,… Read more