MERICS China Podcast

China has designated cyberspace, outer space, the polar regions and the deep sea as “strategic new frontiers”. It sees competition with the US and Europe extending into these areas as well. Helena Legarda, Head of the Foreign Relations Program at MERICS, joins Johannes Heller-John to talk about what interests China has in these areas and how Europe can catch up ground it has lost over time. Helena is the author of a new MERICS Report titled "The Arctic, outer space and influence-building: China and Russia join forces to expand in new strategic frontiers". Read the report here. ----This podcast is part of the project “Dealing with a Resurgent China” (DWARC) which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement number 101061700.Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Ahead of the Fourth Plenum of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), this episode of the MERICS China Podcast looks at three issues that are high on the priority list for Chinese decisionmakers, namely urban development, social welfare and global trade tensions. Alexander Davey, Analyst in the Politics and Society Program at MERICS, joins Johannes Heller-John to talk about some of the CCP’s priorities for the next months, the upcoming Fourth Plenum from October 20 to 23 and the 15th Five-Year Plan.You can also watch our media briefing on the Fourth Plenum and 15th Five-Year Plan or read our latest MERICS China Essentials for more coverage.

Governing the people and keeping society “harmonious”, stable and united is seen by the CCP leadership as a core task. The party is now systematically inserting itself into all layers and spheres of society. Johannes Heller-John talks to MERICS Experts Katja Drinhausen, Head of the Politics and Society Program, and Nis Grünberg, Lead Analyst. Together with Alexander Davey they are the authors of the report “Serving the people by controlling them: How the party is reinserting itself into daily life”. From their observations, the CCP is merging public service and control at the very local level. In their view “this is something that Xi Jinping really has put a lot of effort and resources into it since he came to power: to put the party as an organizing and structuring factor into social organization.”----This podcast is part of the project “Dealing with a Resurgent China” (DWARC) which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement number 101061700.Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

„China in 25“ – in rund 25 Minuten sprechen Mikko Huotari, Bernhard Bartsch und Claudia Wessling über aktuelle Entwicklungen in China. In dieser Folge geht es darum, wie China seine Position als globaler Akteur bei der UN-Generalversammlung in New York stärkte, wie Washington und China versuchen, einen Deal für TikTok aufzusetzen und wie europäische Firmen ihr Geschäft in China in einem neuen Positionspapier der EUCCC beurteilen.„Vor zehn Jahren hat Beijing mit seiner ‚Made in China 2025‘ Strategie einen industriellen Führungsanspruch formuliert, vor acht Jahren wurde angekündigt, dass man auch zukünftig in internationalen Institutionen eine globale Führungsrolle spielen möchte, und heute kann man an beiden Stellen sagen: China erreicht Ziele.“Mehr über die Themen in dieser Ausgabe erfahren Sie hier:UN-Generalversammlung + TikTok + Positionspapier der EU-Handelskammer, MERICS China Essentials

From August 31 until September 1, China’s party and state leader Xi Jinping will chair the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the Chinese port city Tianjin. Among the leaders expected at the summit is Russian president Vladimir Putin. In a new episode of our podcast, MERICS Analyst Claus Soong explores the role of the group in China-Russia relations. He argues that the SCO, which has significantly widened its mandate since it was founded in 2001 as a regional forum for security issues, has become a prototype for Beijing and Moscow to institutionalize their coordination on geopolitical affairs and promote their own narratives as an alternative to the Western-led global order. Recommended reading:China and Russia are using the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to push alternative global order, MERICS Comment by Claus SoongChina-Russia Dashboard: Facts and figures on a special relationship

Biotechnology is strategically important because of its potential to transform humanity’s control over nature. Governments worldwide are racing to secure their positions in the field – and China is no exception. MERICS experts Alexander Brown and Jeroen Groenewegen-Lau join Johannes Heller-John to discuss the rise of China in biotechnology. They are the authors of the report “Lab leader, market ascender: China's rise in biotechnology”, published earlier this year. Research for the report is part of the MERICS China Tech Observatory (CTO), a project funded by the Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) under funding reference number 01DO24001.

In this episode, long-time Financial Times journalist and former MERICS Senior Fellow James Kynge joins Johannes Heller-John to look at China’s technological development in the last decades and ahead into the next ones. He talks about his work as a journalist in China since the mid-1980s and China’s rise as a technological power. James argues that “China is now leading the world as a technological power, having surpassed the US and left Europe far behind.”More about the topics covered in this episode here:Streets ahead: China is winning the technology war with the US (The Observer)Global Tech Wars: China’s Race to Dominate (Pushkin)

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the way we live and work, and its potential use in military applications could alter the global balance of power. The Chinese Communist Party is taking note of this development. During a Politburo study session focused on AI in April, China’s party and state leader Xi Jinping urged a nationwide mobilization to achieve “self-reliance and self-strengthening” in AI. Wendy Chang and Antonia Hmaidi – analysts in the Science, Technology and Innovation Program at MERICS – join Johannes Heller-John to assess China’s aims and progress on its self-sufficiency drive in AI. Together with Rebecca Arcesati, Antonia and Wendy have authored our new report “China’s drive toward self-reliance in artificial intelligence: from chips to large language models”. Research for the report is part of the MERICS China Tech Observatory (CTO), a project funded by the Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) under funding reference number 01DO24001.More about the topics covered in this episode here:“China’s drive toward self-reliance in artificial intelligence: from chips to large language models,” MERICS Report by Wendy Chang, Rebecca Arcesati and Antonia HmaidiDeepSeek and the upcoming AI Action Summit, MERICS Podcast with Rebecca ArcesatiMore China Tech Observatory analyses on Artificial Intelligence

„China in 25“ – in maximal 25 Minuten sprechen Mikko Huotari, Bernhard Bartsch und Claudia Wessling über aktuelle Entwicklungen in China. In dieser Folge geht es um die Beziehungen zwischen China und der EU im Licht der Europareise des chinesischen Außenministers Wang Yi und vor dem EU-China Gipfel in Beijing, um Xi Jinpings Abwesenheit auf dem BRICS-Gipfel und um Chinas wachsende Fähigkeiten in Künstlicher Intelligenz.Die Experten sehen in Chinas Austausch mit Europa „kein Angebot für eine Partnerschaft auf Augenhöhe, sondern eine geopolitische Aufforderung, sich den Realitäten anzupassen.“ Für Europa bedeutet das, dass es sich strategisch notwendig machen muss „und dafür braucht Mehr über die Themen in dieser Ausgabe erfahren Sie hier:Medizintechnik + Handelsspannungen vor EU-China-Gipfel + BRICS, MERICS China Essentials

The next EU-China Summit will take place in Beijing at the end of this month. In this episode of our podcast, Abigaël Vasselier, Director of Policy and European Affairs and Head of Program for Foreign Relations at MERICS, joins Claudia Wessling, Director Communications and Publications, to talk about her expectations for the summit, the state of EU-China relations and outcomes of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s recent visit to Europe.