Podcasts

In this episode, we dive into why dominant European perceptions of China turned sharply negative in recent years. Drawing on fresh academic insights from the recently published article “Bundling Threats: Why Dominant Perceptions of China Changed in Europe” by Shaun Breslin and Mikael Mattlin, the authors and Ágota Révész explore how shifting narratives—not just facts—shape policy decisions. The discussion unpacks the deeper, underlying reasons behind these changing perceptions, as well as their more immediate triggers. We also look at how a powerful image of China as a future threat towards European values and interests influences how today’s actions by China and Chinese organisations are interpreted, creating a reinforcing loop with real policy consequences. Tune in for a thought-provoking look at how stories, assumptions, and fears drive international relations.

Discussion hosted by Ágota Révész, China Centre at the Technische Universität TU Berlin.

Podcast guests: Shaun Breslin, Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick, Mikael Mattlin, Research Professor and the leader of Center on Global Orders and China (CORD)

The podcast can be found on Soundcloud and Spotify, including a link to the publication “Bundling Threats: Why Dominant Perceptions of China Changed in Europe” by Shaun Breslin and Mikael Mattlin.

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 battery projects in Europe – exemplifies the emerging role of China, and presents an exceptional case study for how Chinese firms, technologies, and supply chains helps and hinders Europe’s green transition. By focusing on cases of Chinese EV battery investments in CEE, this podcast episode explores the multi-layered impacts of these investments and offers a nuanced understanding of the intricate dynamics shaping contemporary transitions to electromobility.

In this podcast, hosted by John Seaman, a Research Fellow at the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri), Dr. Ágnes Szunomár shares her recent research findings on the dynamics of Chinese EV projects in Europe.

Dr. Ágnes Szunomár is an associate professor at Corvinus University of Budapest. In addition, she serves as the head of the Research Group on Development Economics at the Institute of World Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, Hungary.

The podcast can be found on Soundcloud and Spotify, including a link to the publication “From Zero to Hero? Chinese Investment in Electric Vehicle Supply Chains in the Visegrád Four” by Dr. Ágnes Szunomár.

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 & Silvey, eds. 2025), she brings the buried materialities of fiber-optic networks into view and rethinks how to conceptualize the DSR—historically, discursively and materially—beyond broad geopolitical narratives. Drawing on ethnographic and archival insights, we discuss how Swiss and Chinese actors have long been entangled in the construction of digital infrastructures, why the DSR is less unidirectional and top-down than often assumed, and how current dynamics—including new U.S. tariffs—may shape its future.

Hosted by Dr. Richard Turcsányi, Assistant Professor at Palacky University Olomouc, Czech Republic; featuring Dr. Lena Kaufmann, SNSF Ambizione Fellow at the Department of Social Anthropology University of Fribourg

The podcast can be found on Soundcloud and Spotify, including a link to the book “Seeing China’s Belt and Road”

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 Serbia has emerged as a key Chinese partner in Europe, with intensified economic and socio-political cooperation and the gradual establishment of a so-called “Ironclad Friendship”.

In 2024, Serbia was one of three countries on Xi Jinping’s European tour and the first in Europe to commit to building a “community with a shared future” with China. Based on extensive empirical research, the development of Sino-Serbian relations is presented with a special emphasis on the role of culture in international relations, e.g. the role of discourse and public opinion.

In this episode hosted by Dr Outi Luova, Senior Instructor Jelena Gledić from the University of Belgrade, Serbia, highlights lessons for a resilient and sustainable future of China-Europe relations and the potential enlargement of the EU.

Transcript: www.utu.fi/fi/ajankohtaista/podcast/reconnect

The podcast, including information on publications by Jelena Gledić can be found on Soundcloud and Spotify.

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 Innovation Zones. But what exactly are these components, and how do they fit into the bigger picture of China’s AI innovation ecosystem? With private tech giants leading the development, what role do government policies and regulations play? In this episode hosted by Dr Outi Luova, doctoral researcher Junhua Zhu from the University of Turku, Finland, breaks it all down and uncovers the driving forces behind China’s AI ambitions.

The podcast can be streamed on SoundCloud and Spotify.

Publications related to this podcast:

Junhua Zhu and Mikael Mattlin. The Chinese AI Innovation Ecosystem. ReConnect China Policy Brief 11
www.reconnect-china.ugent.be/2024/06/27…ecosystem/

Junhua Zhu: China’s approach to AI standardisation: State-guided but enterprise-led. FIIA Briefing Paper 391
fiia.fi/en/publication/chinas…to-ai-standardisation

The results of a survey on research security in collaborations between Austria and China reveal a fundamental lack of knowledge—not only about key terms related to research security but also about the current policy strategies and recommendations shaping EU-China research partnerships. In this episode, the authors of the report, Gábor Szüdi and Philipp Brugner, discuss the urgent need for support measures to assess security risks when engaging with potential Chinese partners, including considerations around dual-use aspects.

Gábor Szüdi and Philipp Brugner are researchers and project managers at the Centre for Social Innovation (ZSI) in Vienna, Austria. The podcast is hosted by Dr Outi Luova from the Center for East Asian Studies, University of Turku, Finland.

Link to the Policy Brief “Knowledge and Perception of Research Security”

The podcast is to be accessed on Soundcloud and Spotify.

Documents mentioned in the podcast:
Council recommendation on enhancing research security (data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document…REV-1/en/pdf)
Tackling R&I foreign interference (op.europa.eu/en/publication-det…ed71a1/language-en)
Communication on economic security strategy (eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN…ELEX:52023JC0020)

In this episode of the Reconnect China podcast, Hermann Aubié, Senior Researcher at the University of Turku, delves into China’s COVID-19 aid diplomacy in Europe. Aubié explores the fragmented nature of China’s global donation campaign, highlighting the roles of both state actors and private donors like the Jack Ma Foundation. He discusses the geopolitical motivations behind these aid efforts, the discrepancies between Beijing’s narrative and the data, and the implications for global health governance. This engaging conversation sheds light on how China’s aid reshaped EU perceptions and prompted lessons for future pandemic responses.

Interviewee: Hermann Aubié (University of Turku), Interviewer: Huanyu Zhao (Ghent University)

The podcast is to be accessed on Soundcloud and Spotify.

The two coordinators of the China Horizons and ReConnect China projects, Prof. Kjeld Erik Brødgaard and Prof. Bart Dessein, are diving into the complex and fascinating story of China’s transformation on the occasion of the PRC’s 75-year anniversary on October 1st, 2024. They explore the key moments that have shaped modern China, including the influence of Deng Xiaoping’s reforms, the impact of Xi Jinping’s leadership, and the challenges and ambitions China faces today.

Don’t miss the podcast—we hope you enjoy it.

In this ‘ReConnect China’ Podcast Professor Bart Dessein unpacks China’s narrative of ‘a shared future for mankind’ as one of a series of ‘strategic narratives’ along with the country’s ‘Global Development Initiative’ of 2021, the ‘Global Security Initiative’ of 2022, and the ‘Global Civilization Initiative’ of 2023. The episode sheds light on these initiatives as part and parcel of China’s geopolitical and geo-economic initiatives (Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS+, Belt and Road Initiative), and traces the historic roots of such initiatives back to the 1950s.

Prof. Dr. Bart Dessein is full professor at the Department of Languages and Cultures of Ghent University and serves as the scientific coordinator of the ReConnect China project.

The episode is hosted by Dr Huanyu Zhao, a postdoc researcher at the Department of Languages and Cultures of Ghent University and manager of the ReConnect China project.

The podcast is to be accessed on Soundcloud and Spotify.

In this episode, we explore the EU’s recent tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs) with an expert who sheds light on the underlying dynamics of this strategic policy move. After explaining reasons behind the EU’s tariffs, the discussion delves into the fast-paced evolution of China’s EV industry, tracing its roots and remarkable expansion into global markets. With Europe’s auto industry facing fierce competition, our guest unpacks the strategic crossroads that could shape the sector’s future competitiveness. Tune in to understand how geopolitical currents, market innovations, and industry shifts are reshaping the EV landscape. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone curious about the collision of policy, geoeconomics, and technology at the forefront of the green industrial transition.

Interviewee: Victor De Decker (Egmont Institute), Interviewer: Hermann Aubié (University of Turku)

The podcast is to be accessed on Soundcloud and Spotify.

In this ‘ReConnect China’ Podcast, Bart Dessein and Jasper Roctus shed light on the composition of the European Parliament after the 2024 European elections, and how this might translate into the EU’s China policies. Against the background of a shift in global power – with an enhanced importance of South-South relations, and the growing importance of such China-initiated organizations of global governance and platforms as the SCO and the BRICS+ framework – reflections are made on the functioning of the EU’s Global Gateway initiative, a possible revival of the CAI, and the possibilities for a BAI. With regard to the latter, broader reflections are made on the relations of the EU with Taiwan.

Interviewees: Bart Dessein and Jasper Roctus (Ghent University / Egmont), Interviewer: Mieke Matthyssen (Ghent University)

The podcast is to be accessed on Soundcloud and Spotify.

Connectivity initiatives have become a major instrument in the competition among major powers. What are the implications of an exclusively geopolitical reading of connectivity? How should the EU position itself in this context? In this fourth episode of the ReConnect China podcast, Mario Esteban, Senior Analyst at Elcano Royal Institute, interviews Aurelio Insisa, Senior fellow at the Istituto Affari Internazionali. Both have recently authored a Policy Brief arguing that a geopolitical framing of the EU’s Global Gateway is counterproductive for the EU. In this conversation they discuss why this is the case and how a more positive framing of the initiative can help improve the Global Gateway’s standing in the Global South.

The podcast is to be accessed on Soundcloud and Spotify.

Both the EU and China are ramping up efforts to become global leaders in digital technologies by channeling public funding into research on and development of innovative tools and applications. Even if strategic national (or European) interests may be behind, researchers and private companies from both sides do not refrain from seeking collaborations with each other. Who is behind the most active cooperation networks between the EU and China in digital technologies? How can European actors within these networks be best advised on potential risks related to research security when it comes to cooperation with China? And what are China’s other research priorities at the moment, to which European partners should look at?

In the third episode of the ReConnect podcast University of Turku researcher Outi Luova interviews Gábor Szüdi and Philipp Brugner from the Centre for Social Innovation in Vienna. Both have several years of experience in working in EU-funded international research projects with a particular focus on the topics of science diplomacy with non-like-minded states, research integrity and trust in science. In ReConnect China, they recently finished a report and two related policy briefs on the EU’s science, technology and innovation cooperation with China in the fields of artificial intelligence, big data and machine learning.

The podcast is to be accessed on Soundcloud and Spotify

In the second episode of the ReConnect podcast, University of Tartü researcher Elo Süld interviews Ties Dams. Ties Dams is a political theorist, writer and Research Fellow at the Clingendael Institute, working on a book-project about Europe and the geopolitics of narrative. Aside from his research, he is a member of the EEAS expert group on Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference. With Ties, Elo speaks about what the power of narrative is, why it matters to geopolitics, and why the highest echelons of Chinese politics have made gaining global narrative power a top priority.

The podcast is to be accessed on SoundCloud and on Spotify.

Our first podcast deals with “Remonstrating”, or the Art of Forging Relations between the Europe and China. Based on our policy brief on the same topic published in May, its authors Bart Dessein and Jasper Roctus from Ghent University are guests in this first edition of the ReConnect China podcast.

During the conversation with Huanyu Zhao, Bart Dessein and Jasper Roctus shed more light on the origin of the term “Remonstrating” and plausibly demonstrate its practicability to interpret the challenging environment of current EU-China relations.

Sit back, relax, listen, and join us as we delve into this fascinating topic.

More information on the podcast on Soundcloud. The transcripts for the podcast can be found here.

Soon, the ReConnect China podcast series will be available on Spotify too.