MERICS China Podcast

The relationship between the US and China has been fraud with conflict for many years and its twists and turns have global effects. In this episode, George Yin joins Johannes Heller-John to decipher the China policy of the US and its continuities and changes over the last administrations. They also discuss what the EU can do to find its place amidst the rivalling superpowers. George is a Senior Fe...

In dieser Folge des "China in 25"-Podcasts sprechen Bernhard Bartsch , Mikko Huotari und Claudia Wessling über die mit Spannung erwartete Begegnung von Donald Trump und Xi Jinping in Südkorea, über den Stand der deutsch-chinesischen Beziehungen nach der Absage der China-Reise von Außenminister Wadephul und den nächsten Fünfjahrplan, dessen Schwerpunkte die chinesische Führung gerade auf...

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. Helen...

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 abo...

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...

„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 Po...

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, w...

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...

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...

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 A...

„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...

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...

With an uncertain geopolitical environment and ongoing competition with the US and Europe, national security has become even more important than before in China. So much so that a National Security White Paper, the first of its kind, was published in May of 2025. How has China’s approach to security changed under the changing international environment? What new risks does the paper identify domest...

„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 Eskalation zwischen dem Iran und Israel und wie Chinas Reaktionen darauf einzuschätzen sind, um die Forschungsinvestitionen des chinesischen Telekom Riesen Huawei sowie um die EU-chinesischen Beziehungen.  Mehr über die Themen in...

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is widening its influence over private companies. Since Xi Jinping took office as party and state leader, the CCP has increased its control over the private economy by guiding capital, controlling shares and engaging in corporate governance.  In this episode, Kasper Ingeman Beck , Postdoc at the Copenhagen Business School, and Nis Grünberg , Lead Analyst at MERICS...

Chinese outbound foreign direct investment in the EU and UK rose for the first time in 2024 after seven consecutive years of decline. In this episode we look at what has changed, where the money is going, and what is happening in the particularly important sector of electric vehicles. Armand Meyer , Senior Research Analyst with Rhodium Group’s China Data Services team, and Andreas Mischer , Analys...

The Labor government in the UK launched an audit of the country’s relations with China in 2024. The results are set to be released in June. In this episode of the MERICS China Podcast, Charles Parton joins Johannes Heller-John to talk about the UK’s China Audit and the importance of science and technology in the China context. Charles Parton is a member of the UK think tank Council on Geostrategy,...

„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 eine neue Eskalation zwischen den USA und China im Bereich Hochleistungschips und Künstliche Intelligenz, um Chinas Sicherheits- und Rüstungspolitik sowie um Chinas erstmals seit Jahren wieder gestiegene Investitionen in Europa. Die...

„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 überraschende Einigung im Zollstreit zwischen den USA und China in Genf, die eine Senkung der gegenseitigen Zölle für 90 Tage vorsieht. Außerdem beleuchten wir die enge Beziehung zwischen China und Russland, die während der Feierl...

After weeks of fierce confrontations, the US and China are making first steps to negotiate in the ongoing tariff row. Ahead of a meeting of representatives of both sides in Geneva, MERICS Director Communications and Publications Claudia Wessling talked with Thomas E. Kellogg , Executive Director of the Georgetown Center for Asian Law. In the new episode of our podcast, Thomas shares his expectatio...

High US tariffs on China have raised concerns in the EU of Chinese goods being rerouted from the US to Europe. This has also rekindled an ongoing discussion about overcapacities in the Chinese industry. Why are they a danger to European industries? What drives them in China? And what options do European decisionmakers have? Max J. Zenglein , Chief Economist at MERICS, and Jacob Gunter , Lead Analy...

„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 Reisediplomatie von Partei- und Staatschef Xi Jinping, der sich bei Besuchen in Südostasien darum bemüht hat, Unterstützer im Handelskrieg mit den USA zu gewinnen. Wir sprechen auch über die – überraschend positiven – Wachstumszahl...

Global tariffs introduced by the US government under the second Trump administration on April 2nd have rocked global markets. While they have been reduced to a blanket rate of 10 percent a week later, they have increased for China to 145 percent. In retaliation, the Chinese government raised tariffs on all US goods to 125 percent. Johannes Heller-John talks to Jacob Gunter , Lead Analyst at MERICS...

„China in 25“ – in maximal 25 Minuten sprechen Mikko Huotari , Bernhard Bartsch und Claudia Wessling über aktuelle Entwicklungen in China im laufenden Jahr 2025. In dieser Folge geht es um den eskalierenden Handelskrieg zwischen den USA und China sowie um den Koalitionsvertrag zwischen CDU, CSU und SPD. Diese Folge wurde am 10. April um 15:30 Uhr aufgezeichnet. Zu dem Zeitpunkt war von US-Seite no...

The widening rift between the United States and Europe will have an effect on the EUs relationship with China. How does Beijing see the EU in the first months of the second Trump administration? Is there an appetite for closer engagement? And what does this mean for Europe? Johannes Heller-John talks to Grzegorz Stec , Head of our Brussels Office and Senior Analyst at MERICS to get a better unders...