Matej Šimalčík

@matejsimalcik.bsky.social is currently attending the NATO Public Forum in The Hague –⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ a conference held alongside the #NATOSummit.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte opened the forum w/ a strong call to enhance the Alliance’s defense capabilities & resilience in light of threats from 🇷🇺 & 🇨🇳.

@matejsimalcik.bsky.social spoke at the conference Europe & the Indo-Pacific in a Changing Global Landscape hosted by National Chengchi University.

He presented some preliminary thoughts from his ongoing research on potential 🇪🇺–🇹🇼 cooperation on #EconomicSecurity. 🛡️

Here are some key takeaways 👇

🚘 Martin Šebeňa, Filip Šebok, and @matejsimalcik.bsky.social presented today key findings from CEIAS research on #EV and #battery investments from #China, #Japan, and #SouthKorea at the EP. 🇪🇺

🙏 Thanks to MEP Miriam Lexmann & Jan Farský
for hosting us, & Žiga Faktor for organizing the event. (1)

📊 NEW DATA RELEASE: China-Europe Academic Engagement Tracker

We've expanded our #tracker – a tool offering data-driven analysis on research security & academic cooperation with 🇨🇳 – to include #8 more 🇪🇺 countries!

🇫🇷🇮🇹🇬🇷🇸🇮🇨🇾🇱🇺🇦🇲🇦🇿

🔗 Visit our tracker to explore the data! academytracker.ceias.eu/map/eu

Our new public opinion #survey in Central European countries shows very interesting insigths about various aspects of perception of #China, #Russia, #USA, #EU & #NATO. 🇨🇿🇭🇺🇵🇱🇸🇰

✏️ Co-authored with Filip Šebok.

🔗 ceias.eu/central-euro...

Situation report: Contested narratives about China on V4 social media - CEIAS This situation report maps discourse about Chinese EVs on social media in the V4 states.

NEW REPORT ALERT 🚨

Our new situation #report 📊 maps social media 💬📱 #discourse about China within the V4 states.

This project is in cooperation with @MatejBelUni supported by @EMIF_Fund managed by @FCGulbenkian

🔗: ceias.eu/situation-re...

See the key takeaways 👇 (1/5)

Very excited for @ceias-eu.bsky.social to be part of this timely initiative.

🇪🇺🇰🇷 Our Executive Director, @matejsimalcik.bsky.social talked about how #EU & #SouthKorea can cooperate in #cybersecurity 🛡️ and countering #disinformation 📱 at yesterday's meeting of European Parliament Delegation for relations with the Korean Peninsula.

The new CEEasia Briefing is out!

In this issue, we dissect the following topics:

1️⃣ Wang Yi meets Czech Foreign Minister 🇨🇳🇨🇿
2️⃣ Czechia and South Korea hold a supply chain & energy dialogue in Seoul 🇨🇿🇰🇷
3️⃣ Vietnam-Hungary relations 🇻🇳🇭🇺

🔗 www.linkedin.com/pulse/ceeasi...

How should democracies respond to #HybridThreats?

This key issue was discussed in a panel by @europeanvalues.bsky.social. Experts shared insights on tackling hybrid threats in 🇹🇼 & CE at this critical point in time.
🗣️ Adriana Cerna, @matejsimalcik.bsky.social , Chyungly Lee
🎤 @jamesbaron.bsky.social

Dealing with Trump and US retreat from Europe needs more than panicked calls for deeper EU-China cooperation.

My latest for @visegradinsight.bsky.social

What's next for #CEE – #Taiwan and CEE – #China relations? Together with @zsuzsettte.bsky.social we talked about possible trajectories of development - read more on @9dashline.com.

9DASHLINE — In Dialogue: Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy and Matej Šimalčík on Taiwan Central and Eastern Europe’s (CEE) relationship with Taiwan is evolving amid shifting global dynamics. Dr Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy speaks with Matej Šimalčík, a Taiwan Fellowship recipient currently based...

The evolving relationship between Taiwan and Central and Eastern Europe is the focus of a new discussion between @zsuzsettte.bsky.social and @matejsimalcik.bsky.social, Taiwan Fellowship recipient at INDSR Taipei.

Here they explore the strategic and geopolitical implications.

buff.ly/4hpx9AG

It was a pleasure to join the good Visegrad friends here in Taipei – @yehaoqin.bsky.social, @zsuzsettte.bsky.social & @nasredinhoja.bsky.social – and represent @ceias-eu.bsky.social for a discussion on the #Taiwan - #EU and Taiwan - #CEE, relations hosted by the @europeanvalues.bsky.social.

It was a pleasure to join the good Visegrad friends here in Taipei – @yehaoqin.bsky.social, @zsuzsettte.bsky.social & @nasredinhoja.bsky.social – and represent @ceias-eu.bsky.social for a discussion on the #Taiwan - #EU and Taiwan - #CEE, relations hosted by the @europeanvalues.bsky.social.

As always, a great conversation with @zsuzsettte.bsky.social on the trajectory of #EU - #Taiwan relations.

China reaches out to US allies ahead of Trump’s inauguration Analysts say Beijing is trying to test Washington’s alliance with Japan and the EU ahead of Trump’s return to the White House

“China always has this anxiety that the US & EU would work together to deal w/ China, so the upcoming regime change in 🇺🇸 presents an opportunity for 🇨🇳 to exploit the anxiety that 🇪🇺 states have about the 2nd Trump adm.,” @matejsimalcik.bsky.social told VOA News.
www.voanews.com/a/china-reac...

I am excited to start my visiting fellowship with the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) in Taipei, where I will be analyzing #Taiwan's economic & research #security policies and what can we in the #EU learn from them.

🔹 𝗔 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗗𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗺𝗮
Relations w/ Vietnam pose a dilemma for principled FP. Vietnam is a key partner in countering China & EU’s de-risking policy. However, Fico’s approach prioritizes personal interests, thus serving neither of the two key considerations. /10 (end)

🔹 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗸–𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
Efforts 2 mend relations began during PM Heger’s tenure. DG-level political consultations held in 12/2022 in Hanoi. Upgrade to full ambassador expected upon next rotation. /9

The effort was blocked by then-President Andrej Kiska, who highlighted Fico’s unusual personal interest in the matter. Quang was also said to be a key personality in orchestrating To Lam’s visit which provided cover for the kidnapping. He is supposedly hiding in Nigeria. /8

🔹 𝗙𝗶𝗰𝗼’𝘀 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗻𝗮𝗺
Despite the freeze in relations during his tenure, Fico has maintained close personal ties to Vietnam. Notably, he attempted to nominate his close advisor Quang Le Hong as Slovakia’s ambassador to Vietnam. /7

The affair led to Slovakia recalling its ambassador to Vietnam and downgrading representation in Hanoi to a chargé d’affaires. While relations have shown signs of thawing, Fico’s private visit to Vietnam prior to formal normalization is highly irregular. /6

The incident involved allegations that Slovakia’s government plane was used to transport the kidnapped asylum seeker during a visit by Vietnamese delegation, headed by To Lam (then Minister of Public Security, now President) to Slovakia. /5

🔹 𝗔 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗻𝗮𝗺
Bilateral relations between Slovakia and Vietnam have been frozen since 2018, following the kidnapping of Trinh Xuan Thanh. /4

Trips to Moscow & Beijing (“the most important foreign trip of the year”) took precedence. Fico also advocated for stronger ties w/ Vietnam; official visit is planned for H1/2025. This suggests that “all-azimuth foreign policy” is just a euphemism for cozying up to autocrats. /3

🔹 𝗔𝗻 "𝗔𝗹𝗹-𝗔𝘇𝗶𝗺𝘂𝘁𝗵" 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆
Since his 2023 re-election, Fico has championed an “all-azimuth foreign policy.” In practice, his attention seems disproportionately directed eastward. /2

𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗢’𝗦 𝗨𝗡𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗩𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗢𝗜 🇻🇳
Slovak PM Robert #Fico surfaced in Hanoi after weeks of public absence. Though the trip to Hanoi is private, we can't ignore its implications for #Slovakia - #Vietnam relations given their troubled history. 🧵/1

Slovakia’s China pivot: Economic pragmatism or political subservience? A briefing on Robert Fico’s visit to China in November 2024 - CEIAS European policymakers and China watchers should be alarmed by recent decisions by European airlines to cut routes to Mainland China. Lufthansa has canceled flights between Frankfurt and Beijing, while...

📄 In our new briefing, @matejsimalcik.bsky.social & Filip Šebok unpack the key takeaways from Robert #Fico’s Nov 2024 trip to China:

✅ Full Itinerary
✅ List of Agreements & MoUs
✅ Political & Economic Outcomes
✅ Future Outlook of the evolving 🇨🇳-🇸🇰 ties

ceias.eu/slovakias-ch...

Check out our new report about the discourse on #China #EVs and the EU countervailing #tariffs found in the #V4 social media space.