Is Europe Finally Rising to the China Challenge?

By Bart Broer

17 April 2019

Last week’s EU-China summit taught Europe that acting in harmony pays off. But can Europe’s unity last?

Indonesia Facing Crucial Election on April 17

By Jan Willem Blankert

8 April 2019

Next week, 195 million voters in Indonesia, the world’s third largest democracy, will elect a new president and a number of legislative bodies. Joko Widono (nickname Jokowi) will be the first civilian president to complete his full five-year term in the post-Soeharto era. A significant factor for this achievement has been his strategy to accommodate the military’s interests to keep them on his side. 

Sustaining the Planet for our Future Generations

By Don Pramudwinai

26 March 2019

Thailand is fully committed to sustainable development, as noted by the country's past achievements and contributions nationally and internationally, argues Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand.

Dancing with the Dragon: Can the EU and China Rescue the WTO?

By Bart Broer

12 March 2019

Our Research Fellow Bart Broer explains how the WTO is in peril - and how Brussels and Beijing may team up to realize structural reforms. Spoiler: it ain't easy. 

The EU's Palm Oil Conundrum

By Alana Fitzpatrick

26 February 2019

Our outgoing Research Assistant Alana Fitzpatrick on the history, applications, and environmental impact of palm oil  - and on how it became a diplomatic hornest's nest.

China's Developing Rail Links With ASEAN

By Jan Willem Blankert

30 January 2019

Jan Willem Blankert argues that China’s ambitious plans to develop rail links in SE Asia have met a mixed response, although there is a desperate need to improve infrastructure in the region.

Prospects for EU-Asia Cooperation on Energy Security

By Alana Fitzpatrick

18 December 2018

18 December 2018

Our Research Assistant Alana Fitzpatrick argues that the EU and Asia share a strong strategic incentive to cooperate on energy security.

China's Social Credit System: Why the EU Must Engage now

By Bart Broer

17 December 2018

17 December 2018

Our Research Fellow Bart Broer argues that the EU has a number of reasons to be concerned with Beijing's latest plans. 

Brexit: Any Lessons for ASEAN?

By Jan Willem Blankert

4 December 2018

People interested in Asia and ASEAN, watching the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, may wonder: if a member state of ASEAN (the ten member Association of South East Asian Nations) wanted to leave the club, could this lead to a process as painful and long as the UK’s farewell from the EU? And the next question: does ASEAN have a formal exit option? 

Institute of International Economic Relations: China's Image in Greece 2008-2018

By Plamen Tonchev

22 October 2018

Last week, the IIER published a report on China's image in Greece - the gist of the report is that China's image in Greece is conditioned by a cocktail of four different - and even conflicting - narratives. Apart from China's ascendancy, this has a lot to do with the decade-long socio-economic and political crisis in Greece, but also with a conspicuous anti-European mood in the country.

Find the report here.