ChinaObservers

CHOICE Newsletter: Between Two Giants: How Central and Eastern Europe Balances the US and China – chinaobservers Dear reader, Across Europe, governments are discovering that “strategic autonomy” is not a slogan but a budgeting, procurement, and permitting question – and th

Strategic autonomy is no longer just a slogan – it's a procurement decision, a permitting question, and a political flashpoint.
Read the full newsletter here 👉 chinaobservers.eu/choice-newsl... #Geopolitics #EUChina #CEE #StrategicAutonomy #ForeignPolicy

📌Poland's sober new realism – transatlantic at heart, but asking harder questions
📌Beijing's latest agricultural tariffs and the leverage game in Brussels

CHOICE Newsletter: Between Two Giants: How Central and Eastern Europe Balances the US and China – chinaobservers Dear reader, Across Europe, governments are discovering that “strategic autonomy” is not a slogan but a budgeting, procurement, and permitting question – and th

🌍 How are Central & Eastern European countries navigating the US-China rivalry? Our latest Newsletter explores:
📌Ukraine's wartime balancing act between Western security and Chinese trade
📌Estonia's sharpening de-risking stance after Baltic Sea cable incidents

📅 1-5 June 2026
📍 Kutná Hora, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Czech Republic
⏳ apply by 8 March 2026
📩 send your CV and cover letter to choice.summerschool@amo.cz
🔗 chinaobservers.eu/future-choic...
Apply or #share with people who might be interested!
AMO - Association for International Affairs

⏰Apply until Sunday, 8 March, if you want to be a part #FutureCHOICE summer school, where young professionals interested in Europe, China, and the Indo-Pacific meet leading experts, challenge their assumptions, and build lasting networks.🤝
Details👇

Don't miss the opportunity to:
🗣️ Discuss & learn about Europe's current approach to the Indo-Pacific
🤝 Meet like-minded peers who will shape Europe's future China policy
📜 Participate in expert-led lectures & one-on-one mentoring
🎮 Experience a multi-day international crisis simulation

⏰5 days left to apply for #FutureCHOICE Summer School!
Details:
📅 1-5 June 2026
📍 Kutná Hora, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Czech Republic
⏳ apply by 8 March 2026
📩 choice.summerschool@amo.cz
🔗 chinaobservers.eu/future-choic...
Please #share with people who might be interested!
@amo.cz

Key takeaway: As tensions rise, Europe is realizing that pivoting to China might not be the solution they hoped for. What do you think? Is this a wake-up call for Europe? Share your thoughts below! 👇
#ChinaRelations #EUPolitics #GlobalEconomy #TransatlanticPartnership #EconomicSecurity #EUChina

Unpacking EU-China Relations in 2026

🎙️A new episode of #ChinaObservers is out! Listen to Etienne Soula unpack the 2026 developments in EU-China relations. 🎧
open.spotify.com/episode/2BOq...

2026 Future CHOICE Summer School – chinaobservers The third iteration of our summer school is here! If you are a young professional, PhD candidate, or advance MA student interested in Indo-Pacific issues, come

🔗 chinaobservers.eu/future-choic...
Please #share with people who might be interested!

2026 Future CHOICE Summer School – chinaobservers The third iteration of our summer school is here! If you are a young professional, PhD candidate, or advance MA student interested in Indo-Pacific issues, come

🗣️ discuss & learn about Europe's current approach to the Indopacific
🤝 meet like-minded peers who will shape Europe's future China policy
📅 1-5 June 2026
📍 Kutná Hora, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Czech Republic
⏳ apply by 8 March 2026
📩 choice.summerschool@amo.cz

⏰10 days left to apply for #FutureCHOICE Summer School! Not sure if it's for you? Let our past speakers and participants convince you — see what they had to say!📹👇https://www.linkedin.com/company/43296625/admin/page-posts/published/

Debt-Trap or Diversification? Montenegro’s Highway and the Limits of China’s Leverage – chinaobservers Montenegro’s Bar–Boljare highway is often cited as an example of Beijing’s “debt-trap diplomacy.” However, although the project has strained public finances and

📖Read more about this multi vector small state strategy: chinaobservers.eu/debt-trap-or...

The €1bn Chinese loan did push #Montenegro close to fiscal collapse in 2021, yet Beijing failed to convert debt into leverage. Podgorica continued aligning with the #EU, supported Western positions on Xinjiang, and pursued accession by 2028. ⚖️

🚘Montenegro’s #BarBoljare #highway is often cited as a textbook case of Chinese “debt trap diplomacy”. Urban Jakša argues that the outcome looks very different: economic exposure without political capture.

🤝When Beijing and Moscow speak of a “no limits” partnership, history invites caution. Konrad Szatters shows that China-Russia relations have long followed a recurring pattern of alignment without trust. ⚖️🔥
Read the full article👉 chinaobservers.eu/what-the-his...

Ep. 15 - Central and Eastern Europe deals with Taiwan, Singapore Air Show, and more - Rti In this episode: - Andreea Leonte and Ivana Karásková talk about how Central and Eastern Euro...

🗣️ @ivanakaraskova.bsky.social and Andreea Leonte gave an interview to Radio Taiwan International (Rti) about how Central and Eastern Europe deal with Taiwan and China, mainly focusing on the example of Romania. 🎧 Listen here: www.rti.org.tw/en/programne...

Daniel Balazs writes that Russia–China cooperation in the Arctic is no longer tentative. ❄️ 👉 Read why the Arctic is important: chinaobservers.eu/china-and-ru...

⚖️China–Belarus cooperation through the Great Stone Industrial Park is often framed as strategic diversification. Andres Loberg & Oliver Konradt argue that it's not a geopolitical shift but a carefully calibrated hedge under continued 🇷🇺dominance.
🔗 chinaobservers.eu/china-as-bel...

CHOICE wishes happy Lunar New Year to all who celebrate! 🥳https://chinaobservers.eu/happy-new-lunar-year/

As Beijing and Moscow tout ties, China’s companies keep Ukraine’s lights on Ukrainians are buying Chinese batteries and emergency items en masse after Russian strikes, with Beijing’s ties to Moscow no damper on trade.

Moscow, however, is in no position to ask Beijing to halt this trade, having become the junior partner in their economic relationship.

Read the full article: www.scmp.com/economy/glob...

At the same time, the wide availability of Chinese products helping Ukrainians cope with blackouts may run counter to #Russia’s strategic messaging – reflecting China’s broader approach of cooperating where possible while prioritizing its own sovereign interests.

While Ukraine may offer European companies preferential treatment because of political and military support from EU governments, this is more likely to happen after the war rather than now.

In Ukraine’s case, competitiveness comes down to who can deliver certain goods both cheapest and fastest – an area where the #EU is not yet able to match the same price, scale, or speed.

CHOICE China Analyst & Lead Editor Konrad Szatters spoke with South China Morning Post about China’s economic role in #Ukraine and how it fits into the broader China–Russia context.

As Beijing and Moscow tout ties, China’s companies keep Ukraine’s lights on Ukrainians are buying Chinese batteries and emergency items en masse after Russian strikes, with Beijing’s ties to Moscow no damper on trade.

Moscow, however, is in no position to ask Beijing to halt this trade, having become the junior partner in their economic relationship.

Read the full article: www.scmp.com/economy/glob...

While Ukraine may offer European companies preferential treatment because of political and military support from EU governments, this is more likely to happen after the war rather than now.

In Ukraine’s case, competitiveness comes down to who can deliver certain goods both cheapest and fastest – an area where the #EU is not yet able to match the same price, scale, or speed.

🔗Read the full article: chinaobservers.eu/what-to-watc...

🧭 Key takeaway. This is not about replacing the dollar. It is about building parallel financial infrastructure for a multipolar order.