🏆#5 Top research: Between October 2024 and October 2025, our sister project Women Insight on China (WiCH) tracked gender representation across 268 events and 210 podcast episodes organized by 63 European think tanks.

🏆#6 Top team🫶CHOICE had a wonderful 2025 together with @ivanakaraskova.bsky.social, Jan Blinka, @emma-belmonte.bsky.social, Paulína Ovečková and Konrad Szatters. We can't wait for what 2026 brings. 🥳

TOP #8: The most impactful CHOICE public appearance of 2025 was @ivanakaraskova.bsky.social's testimony in the European Parliament.👏Read the transcript here:🔗 chinaobservers.eu/why-europe-i...

🌍Competing engagement models: The EU’s Global Gateway emphasizes transparency, governance, and sustainability. vs. China promotes a South–South cooperation approach, offering infrastructure and investment with fewer political conditions. Read the full article: chinaobservers.eu/chinas-growi...

Yes, Taiwan's Vice President gave a speech at the EP, but do you know what happened in the room?🕵‍We do!🤫 Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to get the behind the scenes from Brussels & more from CEE in your inbox this week!👉https://amo.ecomailapp.cz/public/form/15-864b4f4872272bdd94aadbc81dfd8b18

Who are the experts who explain China to us? We’ve spent the last five years asking China experts to nominate other China experts until we had gathered more than 2000 individuals across the world and in a variety of professions: doi.org/10.1017/S104...

🌍 Ever wondered how China is reshaping its story on the global stage? 🤔 In our latest podcast episode, @emma-belmonte.bsky.social dives deep into the new narratives being crafted by China with David O'Brian & @nawrotkiewiczj.bsky.social 👉 chinaobservers.eu/beyond-propa...

The Xi–Trump meeting in Busan wasn’t historic—it was tired. In today's article, Konrad Szatters writes that two powers are locked in rivalry, yet unable to separate without hurting themselves. 🔗 chinaobservers.eu/enemies-who-... 🧵👇

🔗If you want to know all about our findings, take a look at our newest article by @ivanakaraskova.bsky.social & @emma-belmonte.bsky.social 👉https://chinaobservers.eu/where-have-all-the-china-girls-gone/

🚨Women in China Research🚨 Our CHOICE team has long been experiencing a worrying pattern at #China conferences: #manels.👨To understand the scope of the issue, we took matters into our own hands.💪

🎤In case you haven't watched @ivanakaraskova.bsky.social's testimony at the European Parliament yet, we bring you the full transcript 👉 chinaobservers.eu/why-europe-i... Highlights:

👩‍🔬Xi Jinping celebrates women as “protagonists” of China’s modernization – yet his policies push them into domestic roles, urging a “new culture of marriage and parenting.” Full analysis on gender equality in China's STEM by Elze Pinelyte from @gssc-lt.bsky.social👉 chinaobservers.eu/chinas-float...

🚨🎤Today at 4pm (UTC+01:00) our lead @ivanakaraskova.bsky.social will testify on China’s influence in the European Union at the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs Special & Committee on the European Democracy Shield public hearing. Watch👇 multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/webstream...

Tune in for the EP hearing on Wednesday!

🗳️Today’s Dutch elections could quietly reshape Europe’s approach to China. How? Read our new article by @sensehofstede.nl 👉 chinaobservers.eu/will-the-dut... Key takeaways:🧵👇 #Netherlands #China #Elections #EU #Geopolitics #ForeignPolicy #ASML #Nexperia #Trade #TechSecurity #Europe

📢A new episode of our 🎧podcast China Observers is out! What Europeans got wrong about the #China - #Russia friendship? That is one of the questions Emma Belmonte asked @ivanakaraskova.bsky.social & @abachulska.bsky.social. 👂Learn how to get China right: chinaobservers.eu/what-europea...

Through this full-time (Prague based, possibly remote or hybrid) position, you would help us with our projects – including but not limited to China Observers in Central and Eastern Europe (CHOICE), MapInfluenCE and Women Insight on China.

🔍 What was last week's EU-China Parliamentary Meeting about? Read the insights by CHOICE network analysts from all over the EU in our new article 👉 chinaobservers.eu/the-eu-china...

📣 Don't just follow us, join us! 🤝 Attention Junior China Analysts, we’re #hiring! Join our dynamic team as we expand our #China Projects Team at @amo.cz. Apply until November 1, 2025: www.amo.cz/en/the-assoc... We look forward to our new colleague to be a part of our journey!

📣The more the merrier!📣 We are hashtag#hiring a Deputy China Team Lead/ Senior China Analyst to join our dynamic team as we expand our China Projects Team at AMO - Association for International Affairs. Apply until November 9: chinaobservers.eu/we-are-looki...

🤰Why are flights from Georgia to China full of crying babies? Our analyst @emma-belmonte.bsky.social wrote a very interesting investigative piece on the phenomenon of the "Surrogacy Silk Road" for @chinafile.bsky.social, read it here 👇 www.chinafile.com/reporting-op...

1/ 🚨 China's new #RareEarth export controls are hitting Europe’s rearmament plans hard - but they open a strategic window. 👉Read our new article by Niklas Hintermayer & Antonia Hmaidi originally published as a part of @merics.bsky.social rare-earth series 👉 chinaobservers.eu/chinas-rare-... #China

Vita Golod unpacks the evolution of Ukraine-China relations — from early cooperation to today’s uneasy coexistence shaped by war, sanctions, and global competition over critical minerals. Read the article👇 chinaobservers.eu/sino-ukraini...

Vita Golod unpacks the evolution of Ukraine-China relations — from early cooperation to today’s uneasy coexistence shaped by war, sanctions, and global competition over critical minerals. Read the article👇 chinaobservers.eu/sino-ukraini...

💪Tanks painted with doves. A $5B parade of missiles and AI weapons. And a message about peace.🕊️ @emma-belmonte.bsky.social writes about how China’s 2025 Victory Day Parade reveals military might fused with moral narrative. 🧵 Read the article🔗 chinaobservers.eu/peace-with-c...

🧪🔐 Research security was the topic of the newest CEE-Nordic Dialogue on China, co-organized by CHOICE and our Swedish partner @kinacentrum.bsky.social, @sceeus-ui.bsky.social. See the key takeaways, tips and resources on research security👇 chinaobservers.eu/choice-and-u...

🚨Xi Jinping has a new system to influence Europe’s political class - the Global Civilization Initiative. @sensehofstede.nl breaks down how the CCP’s “Leninist leash” extends beyond borders in our new article👇 chinaobservers.eu/xi-jinpings-...

📢 Our October newsletter is out! 1/This time we look into Wang Yi's visit to Central Europe - Konrad Szatters provides a perspective from Poland, where 19 Russian were spotted days before Wang Yi's arrival. chinaobservers.eu/choice-newsl...

Likely outcome? A shift toward a more pragmatic, “Czech interests first” policy. Some extent of rapprochement with Beijing, while keeping continued Taiwan cooperation (semiconductors). 📖Read more: chinaobservers.eu/czech-electi...

🗳️Czechs vote for a new govt this week, and the populist ANO will probably win. What does it mean for China policy? Paulína Ovečková writes about the possible outcomes 👉https://chinaobservers.eu/czech-elections-whats-next-for-china-policy/ #CzechElections #China #Taiwan #ForeignPolicy #volby

Marcin Jerzewski argues Wang Yi’s visit showed reactive Chinese diplomacy and Poland’s limited leverage. The result? Parallel monologues, not progress. 📖Read the article: chinaobservers.eu/talking-past...

Wang Yi just became the first Chinese FM in 6 years to visit Poland. New article by @yehaoqin.bsky.social reveals that this trip showed more disconnect than alignment. Highlights👇& article👉https://chinaobservers.eu/talking-past-each-other-examining-poland-china-relations-following-wang-yis-visit/

🚨New paper out!🕵️‍♀️In a unique investigation, CHOICE examined how Beijing could target EP assistants to gather intelligence & the structural vulnerabilities in the EP that create space for interference. Highlights & link👇 🔗 buff.ly/7HjjbJx #ChinaInfluence #EuropeanParliament #EU

✨CHOICE had a productive team-building trip in Czechia - a fantastic opportunity to get to know each other better and brainstorm exciting projects💡. We are excited to take this energy forward and bring you fresh ideas in the months ahead🚀. @ivanakaraskova.bsky.social @dominikaremzova.bsky.social

CHOICE calls for stronger safeguards to balance openness & security in the EP. Find the full paper with our recommendations here: buff.ly/7HjjbJx 🎨 Interactive visualization where you can search MEPs names & see their APA connections: buff.ly/S8Kop9x

Why it matters: 👉 Xi Jinping seeks to shape EU discourse, reset EU views on China & drive wedges in transatlantic relations. 👉 Informal entry points, like APAs shared by multiple MEPs, are vulnerabilities foreign actors can exploit.

🔎We found that: APA hiring is informal, there is little transparency, no security screening. Non-EU nationals (incl. from China) can serve as APAs. ❗ Many assistants are shared across MEPs, granting cross-party access - making them perfect targets for malign foreign actors.❗

🚨New paper out!🕵️‍♀️In a unique investigation, CHOICE examined how Beijing could target EP assistants to gather intelligence & the structural vulnerabilities in the EP that create space for interference. Highlights & link👇 🔗 buff.ly/7HjjbJx #ChinaInfluence #EuropeanParliament #EU

🚨 New @chinaobservers.eu investigation: The trial of MEP Maximilian Krah’s ex-assistant shows how vulnerable the EP is to foreign influence. We analyzed 3,000+ assistants. The issue isn’t people — it’s the system: no vetting, little oversight, high risks. chinaobservers.eu/invisible-bu...

Under Xi, Beijing’s thinking is anchored in a deeply realist worldview. International relations are not to be guided by rules but fought out in an arena of relentless power, write @abachulska.bsky.social and @ivanakaraskova.bsky.social @ecfrasia.bsky.social @chinaobservers.eu https://bit.ly/3IpOXPR

Since Berlin’s China Strategy entrenched “de-risking, not decoupling,” Beijing has pursued a twin track, says Stefan Messingschlager (Helmut Schmidt University): courting Berlin, while adopting a harder line at the EU level. Read his comment: merics.org/en/comment/c..., via @chinaobservers.eu

🚨The second “China shock” is threatening Europe’s automotive industry. In a must-read CHOICE article, Jakub Jakóbowski and Janka Oertel map the problems and propose solutions to avoid a Detroit-style collapse in Europe.👇 chinaobservers.eu/when-the-ass...

We also discussed scenarios for Europe's China policy based on different outcomes of the Russia's war in Ukraine. To see our takes, read the article🛋️👉https://chinaobservers.eu/china-russia-and-the-strategic-blind-spots-of-europe-conference/

More moments from our Monday workshop with @ecfr.eu and @osweng.bsky.social that brought together CEE experts from Czechia, Baltics, and Poland to discuss the future of China-Russia alliance and its meaning for Europe. Read the highlights here👇 chinaobservers.eu/china-russia...

Europeans should acknowledge the consequential strategic challenges posed by China’s integration of economic and technological tools into geopolitical statecraft, write @abachulska.bsky.social and @ivanakaraskova.bsky.social @ecfrasia.bsky.social @chinaobservers.eu https://bit.ly/46EY3S4

Under Chinese leader Xi Jinping, China places security above all other policy implications, write @abachulska.bsky.social and @ivanakaraskova.bsky.social @ecfrasia.bsky.social @chinaobservers.eu ecfr.eu/publication/...

Che 'vinca', 'perda' o 'pareggi' in Ucraina, la 🇷🇺 continuerà a ricevere il sostegno 🇨🇳. 🖋️ @abachulska.bsky.social & @ivanakaraskova.bsky.social x @ecfrasia.bsky.social

Europeans must recalibrate their China policy - to recognise the country's role effectively supporting Russia in its war on Ukraine, write @abachulska.bsky.social and @ivanakaraskova.bsky.social @ecfrasia.bsky.social @chinaobservers.eu https://bit.ly/3VRnjyh

Under Chinese leader Xi Jinping, China places security above all other policy implications. In their latest paper, @abachulska.bsky.social & @ivanakaraskova.bsky.social analyse the China-Russia nexus and European security. @ecfr.eu @chinaobservers.eu @amo.cz buff.ly/YaYpRoW

Yesterday in Prague, AMO hosted a roundtable in cooperation with @ecfrasia.bsky.social and @osweng.bsky.social. The event brought together experts to discuss our latest study on China, Russia & the strategic blind spots of Europe 👇 @chinaobservers.eu