CEIAS: Central European Institute of Asian Studies

In the latest edition of China Trends published by @institutmontaigne.bsky.social, Filip Šebok contributed with a piece on China’s Response to US Semiconductor Export Controls.

💡 Explore full analysis here: www.institutmontaigne.org/en/expressio...

With great-power rivalry reshaping the #Indo-Pacific, how can the #EU and #ASEAN defend a rules-based order?

Learn more at a panel discussion organized by #EUVIP, @ceias-eu.bsky.social and @aies.at as part of the 3rd dissemination workshop.

On 24 November at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna ⬇️

🕊️🇨🇿 Democracy, freedom, and human rights are not empty phrases for CEIAS.

They are reflected in our work on issues such as the women’s political representation, asylum or death penalty, for instance within our HUREA project analyzing human rights in East Asia.

🔗 ceias.eu/human-rights...

3⃣⚠️ The EU’s most potent economic defence tools go unused, underscoring its lack of genuine strategic autonomy.

2⃣⚠️ The EU’s overdependence on China leaves it little choice but to tread carefully, relying on diplomacy rather than economic statecraft, even when Beijing plays by its own rules.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

1⃣⚠️ The truce between Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump highlights the bloc’s vulnerability to the will of these two strongmen.

The EU is stuck between China and a hard place - CEIAS With China and the US agreeing to suspend the enforcement of strict export controls on Chinese rare-earth materials, the EU can breathe a sigh of relief. But the episode underscores that if the EU wan...

With #China & 🇺🇸 agreeing to suspend the enforcement of strict export controls on 🇨🇳 rare-earth materials, the #EU can breathe a sigh of relief. But the episode underscores that if the 🇪🇺 wants to shape its own future, it must confront its critical vulnerabilities.
ceias.eu/the-eu-is-st...
More below 👇

3️⃣💡 Trump’s tariff volatility has accelerated negotiations, and Malaysia’s existing ties will test whether Europe’s “de-risking” strategy can succeed with Chinese trading partners.

2️⃣💡 Malaysia needs European technology partnerships and market access to realize its €4.5 billion semiconductor strategy and move beyond assembly toward chip design and fabrication.

1️⃣💡 Talks over an EU-Malaysia FTA, stalled since 2012 over palm oil, have been revived as both sides urgently seek to diversify trade amid US-China tensions.

From oil to chips: How the EU-Malaysia FTA became a semiconductor power play - CEIAS A trade negotiation that collapsed over agricultural protectionism in 2012 has been resurrected as a key element of Europe’s technology sovereignty strategy. With a second round of talks scheduled for...

FROM OIL TO CHIPS 🛢️➡️💻

How did the EU–Malaysia #FTA 🇪🇺🇲🇾 turn into a #semiconductor power play?

See the KEY TAKEAWAYS below!

✍️ By James Iocovozzi

For the full picture, dive deeper into our latest analysis here: ceias.eu/from-oil-to-...

United Kingdom: Opaque research ties, hidden CCP influence at the expense of a large Chinese student diaspora - CEIAS The UK hosts one of the world’s most reputable higher education sectors. With a strong emphasis on world-class research and international partnerships, the academic rigor and global prestige of Britis...

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🔍 Explore our academic tracker and read the full UK-China 🇬🇧🇨🇳 analysis here: ceias.eu/united-kingd...

🚨🇬🇧 UK Parliament set to investigate Chinese government interference in British academia
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

📖 Our analysis found 1,500+ links between UK universities and Chinese entities. 👇 The investigation exposed an array of concerning partnerships. 1/2

2/2 They interviewed Paola about the EU's Indo-Pacific policies, particularly in Southeast Asia, and presented our policy recommendations. 📊

Thank you for the insightful discussion!

🇪🇺 🤝 Alfred Gerstl, together with David Broul (EUVIP), met with Paola Pampaloni (@eudiplomacy.bsky.social Director/Deputy Managing Director of the Asia Pacific Department) and Ivo Schutte (EEAS Head of Division, Regional Affairs and Indo-Pacific) in Brussels. (1/2)

@euvip.bsky.social

CEEasia Briefing #70: Poland adopts a new cyber bill, EU countering Chinese steel, Slovakia pushes for closer ties with China Welcome to the 70th issue of the CEEasia Briefing. In this issue, we dissect the following topics: Poland adopts a new cyber bill, seemingly targeting China EU counters Chinese steel Slovakia pushes f...

The new CEEasia Briefing is out!

This issue covers:

1️⃣ Poland adopts a new cyber bill, seemingly targeting China 🇵🇱
2️⃣ EU counters Chinese steel 🇪🇺
3️⃣ Slovakia pushes for closer ties with China 🇸🇰

🔗 www.linkedin.com/pulse/ceeasi...

4⃣ Takaichi’s Europe policy extends her broader security agenda: firm on Russia, supportive of Ukraine, and geared toward deeper defense and tech cooperation with the EU. This pragmatically embeds Japan in Europe’s security networks while advancing shared Indo-Pacific goals.

3⃣ Her assertive agenda promises greater visibility & confidence for 🇯🇵, but it also risks regional friction, economic strain, & domestic division. Whether her leadership delivers lasting stability or renewed tension will define her legacy & 🗾’s trajectory in the decade ahead.

2⃣ Early diplomacy with Donald Trump and her cabinet choices signal that the Japan–US alliance remains the cornerstone of her foreign policy, while economic and defense commitments underscore Japan’s bet on Washington, even at significant fiscal cost.

1⃣ Despite her reputation as a staunch nationalist, newly-appointed Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s posture so far has been restrained and pragmatic, while still hardline on key geopolitical issues.

Assertion and alignment: Sanae Takaichi and Japan’s new strategic posture - CEIAS Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s early diplomacy underscores Japan’s emerging strategic posture: tightening the alliance with the United States, sustaining pragmatic dialogue with South Korea, and push...

Here is the 2nd article in a two-part series by CEIAS on the election of Sanae Takaichi as 🇯🇵 #Japan’s new Prime Minister and what it means for Japan’s politics, security, and strategic posture.

🔍 Key takeaways below!

Read the full piece here:
ceias.eu/assertion-an...

@rvancel.bsky.social

Europe’s race to secure rare earths has begun, but can it succeed without China? In its biggest resource test yet, the EU is stepping up as export bans tighten and costs soar.

📺 youtu.be/zwpdYXUcSLs
🎙️ Matej Šimalčík (CEIAS) / @matejsimalcik.bsky.social / @ceias-eu.bsky.social

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➡️ Indonesia and Vietnam explicitly include Russia in their #hedging strategies, pursuing independent foreign policies to strengthen their international standing.

The Russia card: How Jakarta and Hanoi leverage Moscow amid great power rivalry - CEIAS Following its annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russia came under severe Western sanctions and launched a so-called “Turn to the East” (povorot na vostok). The goal was to diversify Russian diplomacy and ...

How #Jakarta and #Hanoi leverage Moscow amid great power rivalry

➡️ Neither Indonesia 🇮🇩 nor Vietnam 🇻🇳 has condemned #Russia’s invasion of #Ukraine, and both continue to deepen cooperation with Moscow. 1/2

ceias.eu/the-russia-c...

5/5 At that moment, 🇨🇳's coercive retaliation against 🇱🇹 stopped being a bilateral conflict between the 2 countries, and morphed into a broader issue, which challenged one of the fundamental principles on which 🇪🇺 is built: free movement of goods between member states," he said.

4/5 Simalcik explained that Beijing weaponized supply chains to coerce Lithuania but in doing so threatened the integrity of Single market. "China pressured German 🇩🇪 companies to stop using 🇱🇹 suppliers of intermediary goods if they want to maintain uninterrupted access to 🇨🇳 market.''

3/5 ''But Taiwan is facing a dilemma - whether to get held up on the naming, or accept the conventionally used name Taipei and establish a new representative office which will strengthen institutional, political and economic ties with Estonia and Europe."

2/5 "Naturally, Taiwan 🇹🇼 wants to project its sovereignty by a variety of means, including by symbolic moves like properly referring to Taiwan in the name of its representative office.''

Taiwan's plan to set up mission in Estonia hits wall over name China's past retaliation against Lithuania for engaging with Taipei haunts Europe

Taiwan's plan to set up mission in Estonia hits wall over name

@matejsimalcik.bsky.social explains why the dispute over a name reveals much deeper tensions in Europe–Taiwan relations, haunted by 🇨🇳’s retaliation against Lithuania. ⤵️ 1/5

🔗 asia.nikkei.com/politics/int...

✍️ @thomchau.bsky.social

🕒 16.00 – 18.30

🌏 🗣️Joint hearing w/ @afet.europarl.europa.eu on China’s influence in the EU 🇪🇺 and globally 🌐

Participants include @ivanakaraskova.bsky.social @ruehlig.bsky.social @merics.bsky.social @rturcsanyi.bsky.social @ceias-eu.bsky.social @grzegorzstec.bsky.social

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