European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
China
EU-China relations: Taking stock after the 2020 EU-China Summit
The 22nd EU-China Summit, originally scheduled for March 2020, was postponed owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. While other summits were simply cancelled or postponed indefinitely, the EU and China decided to hold the summit by video-link, on 22 June 2020. Continue reading
Plenary round-up – Brussels, June 2020
The June 2020 plenary session was the fourth conducted with Members participating remotely, although this time a majority were present in Brussels, and using the alternative voting procedure put in place in March by Parliament’s Bureau. Continue reading
China’s democratic neighbours and coronavirus: Protecting populations without lockdowns
North-east Asian countries have deep and historical economic, human and cultural connections with China, based on their geographical proximity to the latter country, and were the first to be exposed to the coronavirus contagion after its initial outbreak. They were not caught unprepared, having dealt with the SARS and the MERS epidemics in recent times. Continue reading
Covid-19 foreign influence campaigns: Europe and the global battle of narratives
The global health crisis sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic – which is currently hitting EU Member States, not least Italy and Spain, particularly hard – raises concern that a combination of disinformation and heavily promoted health diplomacy, echoed by local proxies in Europe, could potentially pave the way for wider influence in other sectors in the wake of the crisis. Continue reading
Plenary round-up – Strasbourg, December 2019
The December plenary session highlights included the election of the European Ombudsman; commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Lisbon Treaty and the Charter of Fundamental Rights becoming legally binding; and the award of the 2019 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. Continue reading
Towards a new EU policy approach to China: 21st EU-China Summit – April 2019
With the European Parliament elections set for May 2019, the 21st EU-China Summit has been advanced, to be held in Brussels on 9 April 2019, only nine months after the previous one. Continue reading
The INF Treaty and European defence [What Think Tanks are thinking]
The United States has announced its withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, sparking fears of a fresh nuclear arms race between Russia, the United States and China. Continue reading
China [What Think Tanks are thinking]
China’s increasingly autocratic domestic stance and its assertive foreign policy pose a dilemma for European Union policy-makers as to whether to treat the Asian powerhouse as a partner or a rival, or to take a position somewhere in between. Continue reading
Foreign policy and defence challenges [What Think Tanks are Thinking]
The European Union will face increasingly serious foreign policy and defence challenges in 2019. The current Administration in the United States seems to be abandoning its traditional role of the ‘benign protector’ of the rules-based international order. Continue reading
China [What Think Tanks are thinking]
China is a major strategic partner for the European Union, despite divergences on human rights issues, as well as on some economic and foreign policies. Continue reading
President Trump’s trade and international policies [What Think Tanks are thinking]
US President Donald Trump has pushed ahead in recent months with his controversial policies on trade and defence, which critics say could undermine the global rules-based order and create new uncertainties. Continue reading
Global Trendometer – Essays on medium- and long-term global trends – July 2018
The EU faces challenges from both outside and within its borders. Most of these are the symptoms of big underlying trends, and handling them requires foresight. The annual Global Trendometer aims to provide such foresight for decision-makers in the EU, by analysing the changes in these long-term trends. Continue reading
China [What Think Tanks are thinking]
The National People’s Congress has recently confirmed Xi Jinping as China’s President, along with several appointments of his allies to top state jobs. It has also approved amendments to China’s Constitution which, in particular, abolish the limit of two five-year terms for the office of the President, prompting concerns that the country is moving towards a more autocratic system. Continue reading
2018 EU-China Tourism Year
EU-China Tourism Year (ECTY) was launched in Venice on 19 January 2018. This initiative, agreed at the 2017 EU China Summit, aims at supporting the development of new and better travel itineraries, promoting inter-cultural understanding, and enhancing travel and tourism experiences, including greater promotion and more sustainable tourism. Continue reading
Protection from dumped and subsidised imports [EU Legislation in Progress]
On 9 November 2016, the European Commission published a proposal for targeted changes to the EU anti-dumping and anti-subsidy regulations. The proposal is a response to the expiry of parts of China’s WTO accession protocol in December 2016 and to unfair trade practices from third countries. Continue reading
The EU and China [What Think Tanks are thinking]
Written by Marcin Grajewski, The European Union and China made limited progress towards improving bilateral ties at their summit in early June, and they remain at odds over a number of controversial trade issues. However, analysts say the EU and China look poised to strengthen cooperation on fighting climate change, especially after the new US … Continue reading
China’s WTO accession: 15 years on Taking, shaking or shaping WTO rules?
Written by Gisela Grieger, Graphs by Christian Dietrich, 11 December 2016 marks the 15th anniversary of China’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). In 2001, after arduous negotiations with key WTO members, China agreed not only to extensive market access commitments but also to substantial non-reciprocal rules obligations. This was unprecedented in WTO history. … Continue reading
China: Economic indicators and trade with EU
Written by Nadejda Kresnichka-Nikolchova and Giulio Sabbati (both EPRS), In cooperation with Olga Griaznova (from GlobalStat | EUI), Updated on 3.12.2019 China’s economy is slowing from past two-digit growth rates to a ‘new normal’ growth rate of ‘only’ 6.5% on average under the current five-year plan (2016-2020). To what extent does this slowdown affect China’s … Continue reading
China’s Market Economy Status debate
Written by Laura Puccio and Gisela Grieger, Since the fall of the Soviet Bloc and the opening of transition economies to international trade, a distinction between non-market economies (NMEs) and market economies has been established in international trade law, in particular in the framework of anti-dumping (AD) investigations. In a NME, domestic prices are considered … Continue reading
China and Europe [What Think Tanks are Thinking]
Written by Marcin Grajewski, China has recently taken centre-stage in many global debates, as the volatility of its stock market and currency have posed a question mark over the health of its economy, which has implications for international and European economic growth. The growing importance of China was highlighted last year, for example, by its … Continue reading
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