Publication

This publication contends that to understand changes in China’s foreign policy, including towards Europe, it’s necessary to analyze the country’s domestic situation. The text’s author outlines that the Chinese government has recently outlined two economic plans: Made in China 2025 and the 13th Five-Year Plan. These guidelines are not mere industrial plans but also draw crucial foreign-policy trajectories. For instance, with regards to China’s relations to Europe, it implies a two-level approach: 1) an intensification of economic and investment relations with individual EU countries in order to bring about “development through acquisition”; and 2) the strengthening of EU-China ties, which Beijing considered to be crucial for its international rise.