MERICS China Podcast

China’s ambitions of self-sufficiency, most notably embodied by its industrial policy Made in China 2025, are still hampered by a reliance on some key technologies dominated by a few companies based in the US and likeminded countries. To alleviate this dependency China wants to use the innovation chain concept and strengthen the connection between basic research and business application. Michael Laha, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation German Chancellor Fellow at MERICS and former Senior Program Officer at the Asia Society Center on US-China Relations joins the podcast to talk about the innovation chain, its implementation in China and implications for Europe. In his view, what makes the application of the innovation chain special in China is how broadly it is implemented and its close relationship to China’s ambitions of self-sufficiency.Together with Jeroen Groenewegen-Lau, Head of Program Science, Technology and Innovation Policy at MERICS, Michael is working on an upcoming paper on the innovation chain in China. The interview was conducted by Johannes Heller-John.

Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party since 2012, has been awarded with an unprecedented third term in power and has managed to fill the ranks of the inner circles of the CCP entirely with close allies. Together with MERICS Analyst Valarie Tan and MERICS Senior Analyst Jacob Gunter we look at the leadership reshuffle and other outcomes of the 20th National Congress of the CCP. Both experts argue that as a result of the changes implemented during the party congress, the Chinese leadership has become more unpredictable for people outside but also inside China. The podcast was recorded by Johannes Heller-John.

Im Fokus des 20. Parteitags der Kommunistischen Partei Chinas steht dieses Jahr die Bestätigung von Chinas Staats- und Parteichef Xi Jinping in seinem Amt für eine dritte Amtszeit. Kontrovers wird diese historische Entscheidung jedoch nicht sein, denn Xi hat die kommunistische Partei fest in der Hand.Was von dem Parteitag erwartet werden kann und wie es danach voraussichtlich weitergeht, diskutieren Nis Grünberg, Senior Analyst bei MERICS, und Johnny Erling, Senior Fellow bei MERICS. Im Gespräch mit Johannes Heller-John sprechen sie zudem über potentielle Neuzugänge in den mächtigsten Gremien des Landes und Raum für Widerstand unter Xis zunehmend absoluter Kontrolle.Mehr zum 20. Parteitag:Chinas künftige Führungsgeneration | Merics20. Parteitag der KPC | Merics

With growing geopolitical tensions, economic relations with China are increasingly challenging. The term “economic coercion” is heard more often recently in connection with EU-China relations, as China relies on economic pressure to push for strategic goals. A prominent example of this is China’s souring relations with Lithuania over the renaming of the Taiwan representative office, with companies operating in Lithuania caught in Beijing’s crosshairs. In this podcast, MERICS Analysts Aya Adachi and Alexander Brown discuss how China’s utilization of economic pressure is changing and describe the risks for companies with business in China. Read their new Monitor “Fasten your seatbelts: How to manage China’s economic coercion” on the topic here. 

Various crisis scenarios - above all Russia's war in Ukraine - are reinforcing the impression that the world is moving toward a new formation of blocs. At the same time, Beijing seeks to use its growing global power and influence to shape the global order in its favor. How do countries in the Global South that cannot be so clearly classified to one bloc or the other view China's role in the changing international power structure and US-China competition? In this podcast, MERICS Director Communications and Publications Claudia Wessling discusses the latest MERICS Paper on China "Beyond blocs: Global views on China and US-China relations" with MERICS experts Helena Legarda and Jacob Gunter. They compiled contributions by authors representing Bangladesh, Chile, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to describe those countries’ perspectives on China and US-China competition. 

Trotz Zensur und Kontrolle gibt es immer noch ein breites Spektrum an Meinungen in China. Wo liegen die Grenzen des Sagbaren, und wie verschieben sie sich? Was erlaubt die Regierung, und wann schreitet sie ein? In welchem Verhältnis stehen die Äußerungen von Experten, Meinungsführern und Netzbürgern gegenüber offiziellen Positionen? Und: Können öffentliche Debatten politische Veränderungen bewirken? Mit diesen Fragen befasst sich das Projekt China Spektrum, eine Kooperation von MERICS und dem China-Institut der Universität Trier. Gefördert wird das Projekt durch die Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit. In dieser Folge des MERICS China Podcasts hören Sie die Projektleiterinnen Kristin Shi-Kupfer, Professorin für Sinologie an der Universität Trier mit Schwerpunkt Digitales China, und Katja Drinhausen, Leiterin des Programms Innenpolitik und Gesellschaft am MERICS. Die beiden geben im Gespräch mit Claudia Wessling, Leiterin Kommunikation und Publikationen am MERICS, Einblick in die gerade erschienene erste Analyse des Projekts. Darin geht es um Debatten zum Krieg in der Ukraine, Kontroversen rund um den Lockdown in Shanghai, Frauenrechte und das staatliche Vorgehen gegen IT-Unternehmen. Mehr zum Thema:Projektwebsite: www.merics.org/de/china-spektrumChina Spektrum Report: „Debatten jenseits der offiziellen Regierungslinie“: https://merics.org/de/debatten-jenseits-der-offiziellen-regierungslinie

China’s relations with the EU have become more difficult recently: In 2019, the Strategic Outlook of the EU Commission for the first time described China as a partner, a competitor and a systemic rival. This definition still holds today, and it is increasingly challenging to navigate in times of deepening rifts between global players. How should policymakers deal with a China that is ruled authoritarian, but that also offers economic opportunities and is needed for collaboration in the fight against climate change? In this podcast, French economist Sébastien Jean (CNAM) and MERICS Executive Director Mikko Huotari discuss options for an EU economic strategy vis-à-vis China with our host Claudia Wessling, Director Communications and Publications.Sébastien Jean and Mikko Huotari have just published a note for the the French Council of Economic Analysis (CAE): “Bolstering Europe’s Economic Strategy vis-à-vis China”. You can read and download it here.

Green hydrogen is an important component of China’s path towards reaching carbon neutrality by 2060. While 80 percent of Chinese hydrogen is still produced using coal or gas with high CO2 emissions, a surge in technology development and large-scale projects led by local governments and companies are paving the way for a rapid expansion of the green hydrogen industry.In this episode of the MERICS China Podcast, Alexander Brown and Nis Grünberg give an outlook on China’s hydrogen industry and highlight how policy support and domestic R&D are closing the gap with European technology leaders. You can read their report “China’s nascent green hydrogen sector: How policy, research and business are forging a new industry” online here. Questions were asked by Communications Manager Johannes Heller-John.

China is experiencing turbulent times: Covid-19 lockdowns in many cities and provinces have sent the Chinese economy into a dramatic decline, censors are having a difficult time keeping the Chinese internet free from statements of public discontent and rumors about political frictions. And as the war in Ukraine rages on, the Chinese leadership's course of alignment with Moscow is putting a strain on relations with Europe and the US. Beijing is confronted with unprecedented uncertainties. Do these factors merge to form a perfect storm that challenges the system’s resilience? MERICS Executive Director Mikko Huotari and Lead Analysts Nis Grünberg and Helena Legarda discussed this question at a MERICS event on May 31, which was moderated by MERICS Director External Relations Bernhard Bartsch. Today we bring you a recording of that event. A video version that also includes the slides accompanying the presentations can be found on our YouTube page. 

The close relationship between Russia and China, which has not withered in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has turned a spotlight on the simmering territorial conflict between China and Taiwan. But how much, if at all, does the Russian invasion of Ukraine impact cross-strait relations, and what does it mean for the prospect of a Chinese invasion of the island nation?To answer these and other questions we are joined by Sheryn Lee, a senior lecturer at the Swedish Defence University and an expert on strategic concepts and the foreign and defense policies of Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific nations. Questions were asked by Johannes Heller-John.