Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) gGmbH

New MERICS China Essentials: In this issue, we look at Europe's increasing reliance on #China for critical drugs, the latest changes to the Foreign Investment Negative List, China-Africa relations and online debates about economic woes and tight public finances:

Let's have a look into our #ThinkTankToolbox, where you can find many interesting, article guides and templates all around thinktanking: 🔎 Need help with your #policy & #stakeholder analysis? We’ve got templates for that: https://lnkd.in/dXvzu_fz & https://lnkd.in/dw-Ns9K7 🔎 Interested in how think tanks can leverage #AI? Dive into Joscha Wirtz's, Sonia Jalfin's & María Belén Felix' insights: https://lnkd.in/dZ4SGA6C 🔎 Curious about the evolution of the think tank landscape in Germany? Don’t miss Martin Thunert’s article: https://lnkd.in/dkzGTVYm Our toolbox covers a wide range of topics, including "Policy and Stakeholder Analysis," "Communication & Advocacy," "Networking and Collaboration," "Management and Fundraising," and "Impact and Evaluation" in think tank organizations. Discover more and find the resources you need here: https://lnkd.in/eURWeqsX Looking for something specific and didn’t find it? Let us know—we’re always working to expand the toolbox! #ThinkTanking #PolicyResearch #StakeholderAnalysis #ThinkTank Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik e.V. | DGAP Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) gGmbH Stiftung Mercator GmbH Robert Bosch Stiftung

Join the upcoming webinar on “Challenges and Perspectives of China’s Youth” with the director of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology Xiang Biao, hosted on September 10, from 3:00 to 4:30 pm CET by our China Spektrum project partner, the China Institute of the Universität Trier: https://lnkd.in/d7m6AY2T The event is part of “China Spektrum”, a joint research project with the China Institute of the University of Trier (CIUT) funded by the Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit.

Beijing recently announced new research funding rounds for 16 categories such as smart sensors, industrial software and rare earth new materials. According to Alexander Brown and Andreas Mischer 米安德, the measures reflect the eagerness of #China’s leaders to turn investments in R&D into tangible commercial results. Read their assessment in a free excerpt of the MERICS China Industries Brief: https://lnkd.in/eqNz7iAx The MERICS China Industries Brief is part of our publication portfolio for MERICS Members. Learn more about our membership program here: https://lnkd.in/dxd5wF3

Beijing’s strategy of overseas arms sales is an often-overlooked aspect of China’s global security and economic footprint. In our new #China Global Competition Tracker, MERICS Lead Analyst Helena Legarda Herranz takes a closer look at the issue. Read a free excerpt from the China Global Competition Tracker: https://lnkd.in/e3MGAyKv   This product is part of our publications portfolio for MERICS Members. For more information, visit: https://lnkd.in/dxd5wF3

BYD (+29.1%) eclipsed VW's (-8.6%) sales in the first seven months this year by approximately 500k units in China. If these dynamics continue, BYD is set to significantly outpace VW in 2024. Even if the margin will turn out to be smaller by end of the year, the scale of the shifts that have set in over the past 5 years are massive.

🏖️ End of the Summer Party in Prague: #GlobsecForum2024 marked for me the end of the Summer and the time to return to thinking. 👉 Overall understanding that security and prosperity are intertwined & possible weaponization of our trade relations is an important weakness of Europe because trade has been the foundation of the European project. Equally innovation and security as well as security and energy will be key for European resilience in the future. 🌟 Security, resilience, competitiveness and innovation will be the buzzwords of the year. 👉 My incredible panel this morning was the articulation of the questions related to technological entanglement, security of supply chains, competitiveness of European companies in third countries and security, in particular energy security. Together with Robin Shepherd Koray Köse Mirek Dusek & Petr Pudil 🇪🇺 The next Commission needs to be political, strategic and geopolitical – even more than before. President of the Commission von der Leyen delivered two political speeches going in that direction and announcing a Commissioner for Defence. 👉 As Mette Frederiksen said over the fantastic gala dinner hosted in the Prague Castle: Ukraine needs to win the war. The future of Ukraine, its integration to the Union and to NATO, the European security architecture and the future of Enlargement were at the center of the discussions. The outcomes of the NATO Summit and the priorities for the Alliance were put into scrutiny in light of the US elections. 🇨🇳 China was understood as a comprehensive challenge for Europe that would feature in the whole European political agenda. 👉 Ukrainians are rather clear about the fact that China cannot play a role in mediating an end of the conflict but could help to set the right conditions or at least improve the situation on a selected number of issues. 🇺🇸 Long discussions on US elections with a sense that the US will remain a key partner for Europe, even if the bloc has to adapt to a new reality. 👉 Peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and the relations between the war in Ukraine and Taiwan were also discussed. The key question remains the capacity of Europe to be a security actor in the Indo-Pacific. 💫 This was also the opportunity to meet with friends and colleagues from Europe, the US and Ukraine to start working again together! Thanks Róbert Vass and GLOBSEC team for the series of brilliant discussions, fantastic encounters & the whole organisation !

How do young people in #China cope with over-digitalization 👨💻📱🤳and the erosion of public life in Chinese cities? Wutao Wen from the China Institute of the University of Trier (Universität Trier) and MERICS Analyst Alexander Davey looked at the strategies discussed on the social media platform Douban. They found that while some try to limit their reliance on digital technology, others find ways to use digital tech to meet their social needs. The analysis is part of “China Spektrum,” a joint research project with the China Institute of the University of Trier (CIUT) funded by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. 🔗EN: https://lnkd.in/gZvNHdrT 🔗DE: https://lnkd.in/gnRPs-xf

MERICS #China Essentials is back from the summer break. Our topics: US-China AI competition, South China Sea tensions, Deng Xiaoping's 120th anniversary, and Beijing's anti-subsidy investigation into EU dairy imports.

Beijing’s strategy of overseas arms sales is an often-overlooked aspect of China’s global security and economic footprint. In our new #China Global Competition Tracker, MERICS Lead Analyst Helena Legarda Herranz takes a closer look at the issue. Read a free excerpt from the China Global Competition Tracker: https://lnkd.in/e3MGAyKv   This product is part of our publications portfolio for MERICS Members. For more information, visit: https://lnkd.in/dxd5wF3