MERICS China Podcast

After months of weak economic performance, Beijing has introduced a series of measures aimed at stabilizing the economy. They include a 10 trillion yuan local government debt restructuring package.To shed light on the blatant levels of local government indebtedness, Claudia Wessling, Director Communications and Publications at MERICS, talks to Victor Shih and Max Zenglein. Victor is a professor of political science, director of the 21st Century China Center at the School of Global Policy and Strategy and the Ho Miu Lam Chair in China and Pacific Relations at UC San Diego. Max is the Chief Economist at MERICS and the driving force behind the Economic Indicators, a quarterly series of analyses for MERICS members that puts China’s economic statistics into context. --This podcast episode is part of the “Dealing with a Resurgent China” (DWARC) project, 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. 

What will the renewed election of Donald Trump to the White House mean for the United States’ already complicated relations with China? How does China discuss Trump, both on an informal and expert level, but also in the official realm? And how does all of this concern the EU and member states?To answer these questions Claudia Wessling, Director Communications and Publications at MERICS, talks to Jude Blanchette and Katja Drinhausen. Jude is one of the most outstanding US experts on China. He is the director of the RAND China Research Center and Distinguished Tang Chair in China Research at RAND. Previously, he held the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington. Jude has written for a range of publications, including Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the Wall Street Journal, and the Financial Times. He also serves as a public intellectual fellow at the National Committee on United States-China Relations. Katja is the Head of the MERICS program researching China’s politics and society. Her research focuses on the development of China’s legal and governance system. Katja is one lead researchers of “China Spektrum,” a joint research project with the China Institute of the University of Trier funded by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation. The project analyzes expert and public debates in China. It was previously only available in German, but is now published in English as well. For more on why China's experts are expecting prolonged US-China competition, check out our recent China Spektrum analysis on the topic. China Spektrum is a joint project of the China institute of the University of Trier (CIUT) and the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS). The project is made possible by a grant from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.

Building resilience, i.e., the ability to manage risks without compromising long-term development, is at the heart of Europe’s adjustment of its China policy. To contribute to this process, we recently launched the MERICS Europe-China Resilience Audit, which is based on a database of 98 indicators for the economy, security, politics and society. The analysis confirms some significant differences between the eleven countries studied in terms of vulnerability and progress in measures to strengthen resilience towards China. Among the countries covered, Sweden and the Netherlands stand out for their resilience building.In this episode of our podcast, project leads Grzegorz Stec and Helena Legarda explain the methodology of the index and discuss key findings from their analysis with MERICS Director Communications and Publications Claudia Wessling.

Beijing’s global push to establish a global network of ports with Chinese involvement is slowing. Today’s guests Clark Banach, Program Director at the Alethia Research Institution and former MERICS Futures Fellow, and Jacob Gunter, Lead Analyst at MERICS, discuss the development and changes in China’s global infrastructure investments. In this conversation with Johannes Heller-John, they analyze the aims Beijing wants to achieve by these investments and the impact of Chinese port investments on the European and global market. You can find the interactive map mentioned in the podcast here.--This podcast episode is part of the “Dealing with a Resurgent China” (DWARC) project, 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. 

The rivalry between the US and China about technological and military leadership has one key component: export controls.  What is the cutting edge of the United States’ export controls? What do they entail and what role do Washington’s international partners play? Can and will they be effective?In this episode, MERICS Lead Analyst Rebecca Arcesati and Communications Manager Johannes Heller-John are joined by Kevin Wolf, a partner in Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP’s international trade practice. From 2010 until 2017, he served as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration in the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) at the US Department of Commerce and is a renowned expert on export controls.You can find the report "Keeping value chains at home: How China controls foreign access to technology and what it means for Europe" on our website.

China ist zu einer bedeutenden Wissenschafts- und Technologiemacht geworden. Über Chinas Streben nach Unabhängigkeit in kritischen Technologien wie künstliche Intelligenz, Quanten- oder Bio-Technologie spricht Johannes Heller-John mit Antonia Hmaidi, Senior Analystin am MERICS. Sie leitet die Daten-Taskforce des Instituts und das vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung geförderte Projekt „China Tech Observatory“ (CTO). 

Over the last decade, China’s arms makers have gone beyond solely supplying the People’s Liberation Army and began to look for overseas markets to supplement sales and support Beijing’s geopolitical goals. Arms sales are an often-overlooked aspect of China’s global security and economic footprint and can present challenges to European policy makers and arms producers.To discuss this topic Johannes Heller-John is joined by Helena Legarda and Jacob Gunter, both Lead Analysts at MERICS. They are the authors of the recent edition of our China Global Competition Tracker looking at China’s arms industry. 

Das Jahr 2024 birgt viele Unsicherheiten für China: Die wirtschaftliche Lage im Land ist schwierig. Vielschichtige Konflikte auf regionaler und internationaler Ebene und die Ergebnisse der Wahlen in der EU und den USA werden sich auch auf China auswirken. Wie geht Beijing die Herausforderungen an? Podcast-Moderator Johannes Heller-John spricht mit dem deutsch-chinesischen Journalisten Shi Ming, einem Kenner von Chinas Innenpolitik. Der Publizist, der für führende Medien tätig ist, war im Sommer 2024 als Senior Fellow zu Gast bei MERICS. 

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius' trip to the Asia-Pacific region in recent days shows that the region is becoming increasingly important for Germany and Europe. The trip took place against the backdrop of growing tensions in the region, particularly in the South China Sea. Beijing’s claims in the waters are far reaching and cover nearly 90 percent of the area. This claim is mostly based on its use in history by Chinese fishermen – and not supported by international law. Other countries bordering the South China Sea, like Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam, also lay claim to parts of the same area. The waters of the South China Sea are vitally important for international trade and rich in natural resources – oil and gas fields are suspected to lie underground – and fishing grounds. Yet, the failure to find a mode of cooperation has precluded the extraction of resources and put in question the safety of the region for commercial shipping.In this episode, MERICS Lead Analyst Helena Legarda and podcast host Johannes Heller-John talk about recent developments in the region. This episode was recorded on July 17, 2024.For more on the topic, check out the recent edition of our MERICS China Security and Risk Tracker. This podcast episode is part of the “Dealing with a Resurgent China” (DWARC) project, 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’s foreign policy has grown more assertive and confident under the leadership of Xi Jinping. How has China’s foreign policy evolved and what does this mean for European interests? Johannes Heller-John talks to Akio Takahara about the rivalry between China and the United States, China’s relations with Russia, the meaning of the Global South in China’s foreign policy – and the worrying tensions in the South China Sea. Akio is a distinguished Visiting professor at the Tokyo Woman's Christian University and professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo and a renowned specialist for current politics and diplomacy in China. He also sits on MERICS’ International Scientific Council and just recently visited our institute as a Senior Fellow.Recommended reading:How do smaller countries in the Indo-Pacific region proactively interact with China? An introduction, article by Akio Takahara in the Journal of Contemporary East Asian Studies