The 2026 MERICS European China Talent Program (ECTP) is open for applications until April 5! Taking place September 22-25 in Berlin, it will offer unique training and mentorship, deepening participants’ understanding of China and its global impact. Learn more and apply: merics.org/en/call-appl...

The 2026 MERICS European China Talent Program (ECTP) is open for applications! Taking place September 22-25 in Berlin, it will offer unique training and mentorship, deepening participants’ understanding of China and its global impact. Find out more and apply: merics.org/en/call-appl...

The National People’s Congress is expected to upgrade China’s climate objectives when it signs off on the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan, however the energy transition remains a challenge for the CCP, writes MERICS Analyst Johanna Krebs in her latest comment piece: merics.org/en/comment/c...

As the National People’s Congress convenes today, attention is turning to the draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan for 2026 to 2030. MERICS has updated its calendar of party and state meetings to help track the priorities taking shape ahead of the next planning cycle: merics.org/en/comment/f...

Beijing looks set to once again declare boosting domestic consumption a top economic priority in its upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan, however Chinese households have so far seen little benefit, writes MERICS Alexander Brown in his latest comment piece, which you can read here merics.org/en/comment/c...

Beijing looks set to declare boosting domestic consumption a top economic priority in its upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan, however Chinese households have so far seen little benefit, writes MERICS Senior Analyst Alexander Brown in his latest comment piece. Read here: merics.org/en/comment/c...

The 2026 MERICS European China Talent Program (ECTP) is open for applications! Taking place September 22-25 in Berlin, it will offer unique training and mentorship, deepening participants’ understanding of China and its global impact. Apply by April 5: merics.org/en/call-appl...

The US National Security Strategy of November 2025 and National Defense Strategy of January 2026 have created openings for challengers outside of the Western Hemisphere, arguably giving China space to pursue regional hegemony in Asia, argues @claussoong.bsky.social. merics.org/en/comment/c...

Many countries launched new trade defence measures in 2025, but China’s exports just keep growing. In a new comment, Jacob Gunter and @claussoong.bsky.social argue that US protectionism and tariffs have weakened the global push to curb Chinese exports. merics.org/en/comment/m...

In a new comment piece, Daria Impiombato and @helenalegarda.bsky.social assess the recent purges in China’s military. They argue that the most unusual aspect of the latest purges is not so much who was taken down, but rather the speed and timing: merics.org/en/comment/u...

MERICS wishes you a happy Chinese New Year of the Fire Horse! As China researchers, we stay true to our mission of getting China right in a rapidly shifting global context – and let ourselves be inspired by the energetic character of the fire horse. merics.org/en/merics-wi...

“[European] leaders must consider what actions are necessary to protect critical European interests that should be taken in response to China’s ongoing behavior irrespective of what the US is up to,” argues Jacob Gunter in his new comment piece: merics.org/en/comment/d...

The new SOAPBOX newsletter is out - this time covering the EU’s trade deficit with China which rose to about 1 billion per day in 2025. Soapbox is a weekly newsletter on EU-China trade published via Substack and in collaboration with MERICS. soapboxtrade.substack.com

As a strategic, dual-use civilian and military infrastructure, satellite internet has become a focal point in global competition. In a China Tech Observatory report, Altynay Junusova, Rebecca Arcesati & Antonia Hmaidi take a deep dive into China’s ventures in this domain: merics.org/en/report/or...

✨MERICS is proud to introduce the 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿, a new project which aims to shed light on trade and industrial patterns in China. It consists of regularly updated graphics as well as in depth research and analyses. Explore the Monitor on our website: merics.org/en/china-ove...

MERICS European China Talent Program (ECTP) is open for applications! Taking place September 22-25 in Berlin, it will offer unique training and mentorship, deepening participants’ understanding of China and its global impact. Apply by April 5: merics.org/en/call-appl...

🎊We are very happy that Nele Fabian joined MERICS as a Senior Editor! Based in Brussels, she will also support us in managing and organizing our activities there. A warm welcome to the team, Nele! merics.org/en/team/nele...

“Even though there is a discussion about re-engagement in Chinese thinking, there doesn't seem to be a reassessment of how China sees Europe. […] We're supposed to stay this good, big, quiet, open market for China,” says @grzegorzstec.bsky.social in our podcast: www.buzzsprout.com/1825833/epis...

🚀MERICS is thrilled to announce that we (1) now have an official Substack account where we will share our publications, short analyses and our experts’ takes and (2) start a collaboration with Soapbox, a weekly newsletter on Substack on EU-China trade. More here: substack.com/@mericseu

In the new MERICS China 360°, @grzegorzstec.bsky.social sheds light on how Chinese think tanks and policy commentators discussed tensions over Greenland. Find out more in a free excerpt from the analysis. MERICS Members have access to the full publication. ➡️ merics.org/en/merics-br...

In Q4/2025, China’s exports delivered a record trade surplus of USD 1.2 trillion, helping to offset a slower GDP growth of 4.5 percent in Q4 and meeting the overall GDP growth target of 5 percent for 2025. Learn more in the latest edition of MERICS Economic Indicators: merics.org/en/merics-ec...

We are proud to announce the successful conclusion of @chinaspektrum.bsky.social. China Spektrum aimed to provide a comprehensive analysis of current debates and positions among Chinese intellectuals and experts, as well as public online discussions. merics.org/en/china-spe... 1/3

✨We are delighted to welcome Jonathan Lundberg on board as an External Relations Manager. He is a communications expert who has previously worked for leading agencies Burson and Ogilvy, supporting private and public sector projects. Learn more about Jonathan here: merics.org/en/team/jona...

Applications for research internships starting in April 2026 are open until January 20! As an intern at MERICS you will have the opportunity to apply and expand the skills acquired during your studies and contribute to independent policy-oriented research on China. merics.org/en/opportuni...

Iran recently hosted militaries from China, India, Russia, and six other countries for the first Shanghai Cooperation Organization military exercise on Iranian soil. Eva Seiwert says this marks a major milestone in Iran’s pursuit of greater international recognition. merics.org/en/comment/i...

@claussoong.bsky.social says Beijing has so far blended pragmatic bureaucracy with steadfast ideology to navigate both competition and cooperation during the US president’s second term. Learn more in his new comment: merics.org/en/comment/a... ½

📣We’re hiring! There are two exciting new job opportunities in our foreign relations and economy and industry programs: 📌Analyst/Senior Analyst/Senior Economist (m/f/d) - Economy and Industry 📌Senior/Lead Analyst (m/f/d) Foreign Relations More info: merics.org/en/opportuni...

The COP30 conference in November made clear that China dominates the global climate discourse now, argues MERICS Visiting Fellow Johanna Krebs. Find out more in her new comment piece: merics.org/en/comment/a...

China's vision for the global order is the topic of a new podcast episode with Manoj Kewalramani and Katja Drinhausen. The episode is part of @chinaspektrum.bsky.social, funded by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. merics.org/en/podcast/c...

To help European actors anticipate what 2026 might bring, MERICS has developed a foresight effort to identify key China risks, especially those with the biggest impact on European interests and security. Find out more in the new MERICS China Security & Risk Tracker: merics.org/en/tracker/m...

"The tables have turned: Western governments are now contemplating extracting industry-leading know-how from Chinese investment in order to help modernize their domestic manufacturing", argues MERICS Senior Associate Fellow Yanmei Xie: merics.org/en/comment/r..., via @thewirechina.bsky.social

Europe should place conditions on Chinese greenfield investments to secure local benefits, argues MERICS Analyst Andreas Mischer in a new comment piece. Find out more here: merics.org/en/comment/t...

We are very pleased that Rafael Jimenez Buendía joins us as a Senior Associate Fellow for the next 12 months. Rafael is the editor of the SOAPBOX weekly newsletter, where he provides insights on EU–China trade. A warm welcome to MERICS, Rafael! merics.org/en/team/rafa...

766 China experts from 49 countries took part in our MERICS China Forecast. They have high expectations for Chinese innovation but low expectations for relations with the US and EU. Find the results and a summary by @claussoong.bsky.social and Niklas Hintermayer here: merics.org/en/comment/m...

We are about to start our European China Conference 2025 “European China Choices – Navigating relations amid geopolitical turbulences” at #Kulturbrauerei Berlin organized by @ecfr.eu, @amo.cz, and MERICS. We thank our partners and look forward to rich discussions and deep insights.

#European engagement with #China is essential, but that should not stop #EU member states from developing a more coordinated and assertive China policy, says @grzegorzstec.bsky.social in his recent comment piece on resilient EU-China engagement. Read more: merics.org/en/comment/r...

New podcast episode „China in 25” (in German) with @mikkohuotari.bsky.social, Bernhard Bartsch and Claudia Wessling on German vice chancellor Lars Klingbeil’s visit to China, growing trade deficits and falling fixed asset investments in China. Listen here: www.buzzsprout.com/1825833/epis...

China’s domestic debates under the shadow of geopolitics are the topic of the new @chinaspektrum.bsky.social report. Alexander Davey, Christina Sadeler, Kristin Shi-Kupfer and Wutao Wen explore how views about the economy, commercial culture, and trending topics reveal self-perceptions. 1/2

The new MERICS China Essentials is out! In this issue, you can read about: 🤖 China's AI investments 🌏 The China–ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 protocol ⚖️ Beijing’s new program to tackle trade imbalances 🎓 A UK investigation of Chinese state interference in academia merics.org/en/merics-br...

We are very honored to host @iandenisjohnson.bsky.social and @josephtorigian.bsky.social for a discussion with @helenalegarda.bsky.social and Bernhard Bartsch on “Why China’s past matters: Understanding Xi Jinping and the CCP’s tight grip on history”.

The late-October agreement between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping shelved some of China’s sweeping export controls on rare earth elements. MERICS Senior Analyst Antonia Hmaidi says that “Europe finally needs to use the window now open to de-risk its economic ties with China.” merics.org/en/comment/t...

For China, "involution" is a blessing and a curse, says MERICS Senior Associate Fellow Yanmei Xie: “The same mechanism that generates wasteful investment and a race to the bottom also forges China's national champions primed to crush foreign rivals.” merics.org/en/comment/c... (via Financial Times)

🗓️Join us for our discussion on “Why China’s past matters: Understanding Xi Jinping and the CCP’s tight grip on history” with Joseph Torigian, @iandenisjohnson.bsky.social, @helenalegarda.bsky.social and Bernhard Bartsch on Nov. 10, from 18-20:00 pm (CET) at MERICS. merics.org/en/events/wh...

🎙️A new episode of China in 25, our German-language podcast, is out! Our topics: the eagerly awaited Trump-Xi meeting, the state of German-Chinese relations following the cancellation of Foreign Minister Wadephul's trip to Beijing, and the next Five-Year Plan: merics.org/en/podcast/c...

In a special issue of MERICS China Essentials, our experts share their takeaways from the Fourth Plenum of the Chinese Communist Party’s current Central Committee which charted the course for China’s forthcoming 2026-2030 Five-Year Plan (FYP). Read it here: merics.org/en/merics-br...

European countries have made only limited progress in strengthening resilience-building measures and reducing vulnerability towards China over the past year. This is the conclusion from the 2025 MERICS Europe-China Resilience Audit: merics.org/en/report/me... 1/5

China’s economy faced growing challenges in Q3 as GDP growth slowed to 4.8%. Alexander Brown and Andreas Mischer stress that this latest economic slowdown will, however, not derail Beijing’s policy priorities. Read a free excerpt from the new MERICS Economic Indicators: merics.org/en/tracker/c...

New Q&A: Katja Drinhausen, Head of Program of the research team "Politics & Society" at MERICS, shares her first assessments on the outcomes of the Fourth Plenum and the course charted at the Plenum for the next Five-Year Plan (2026-2030): merics.org/en/press-rel...

Happy to contribute to urgent @merics.bsky.social Forum, expertly hosted by Grzegorz Stec and colleagues! I argue that risky promote policies (price floors, state investment, guaranteed offtake) that "plug holes" are necessary... But not enough... merics.org/en/comment/m... @euiss.bsky.social

Beijing’s expanding export controls pose a critical challenge to EU industry and could hinder efforts to strengthen its defense sector. How can the EU navigate China’s rare earths export restrictions? In a new MERICS Forum, leading experts share their takes: merics.org/en/comment/m...