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...

New from @merics.bsky.social's Jacob Gunter & @mikkohuotari.bsky.social: Beijing’s brute-force technology push is doing more than triggering a second “China shock”; it is submerging global markets and pulling under Europe’s industrial competitiveness. ip-quarterly.com/en/shockwave...

Help us to get China right and participate in our 🔮MERICS China Forecast Survey for 2026: 🖊️https://de.surveymonkey.com/r/WYLC7DT The results will help to forecast opportunities and challenges in Europe’s future relations with China. We guarantee participant's anonymity and confidentiality.

On its road to becoming a global power, Beijing is expanding its dual-use presence in new strategic frontiers, including outer space, the polar regions, cyberspace and the deep sea. Read our report by @helenalegarda.bsky.social for the EU-funded project China Horizons. merics.org/en/report/ar...

MERICS Lead Analyst Rebecca Arcesati will be joining a @dgap.org Morning Briefing to discuss China's technology and export restrictions this Thursday. Learn more and register via the post below⬇️

New episode of our podcast with @adavey.bsky.social looks at the upcoming Fourth Plenum from October 20 to 23, the 15th Five-Year Plan, and the CCP’s priorities for the next months. Listen to the episode here: merics.org/en/podcast/c...

The new MERICS China Essentials is out! In this issue, Jacob Gunter, Altynay Junusova, Katja Drinhausen and Helena Legarda cover China's rare-earths export controls, Nexperia, the upcoming Fourth Plenum and China-Russia-North Korea relations: merics.org/en/merics-br...

"Getting China right" needs to be a joint exercise. This is why we would like to invite you to participate in our annual 🔮MERICS China Forecast 2026. Help us build a picture of prevailing expectations and opinions about China’s trajectory in the coming year. ✍️ de.surveymonkey.com/r/WYLC7DT

✨A warm welcome to Johanna Krebs who joined MERICS as a Fellow yesterday. Previously, Johanna worked in the Beijing office of @giz.de, @gmfus.bsky.social and @diplo.de. Her research interests are on the intersection of 🌱climate, 🏭industry, and 🛡️security. merics.org/en/team/joha...

🎧The Chinese Communist Party is merging public service and control at the very local level. Katja Drinhausen and Nis Grünberg unpack how Beijing has been systematically inserting itself into all spheres of society in a new episode of our podcast. merics.org/en/podcast/l...

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

⏰Two days left to apply for our research internships from January-March 2026. This program is your chance to apply and expand the skills acquired during your studies and contribute to independent policy-oriented research on China. Learn more: merics.org/en/opportuni...

🚘A year on from the introduction of the EU’s tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, MERICS experts Jacob Gunter and @grzegorzstec.bsky.social share their assessment of the results so far and strategic choices ahead. Read a free excerpt from our new Europe China 360°: merics.org/en/merics-br...

China’s shrinking population poses a threat to economic growth and its ambitions to be a global superpower. In a new China Horizons analysis, MERICS Experts Daria Impiobato and Nis Grünberg examine how the Chinese leadership tries to reverse the demographic decline. merics.org/en/report/wh...

China’s export restrictions on rare earth elements and permanent magnets create a problem for Europe’s ability to re-arm - but Brussels has the legal and financial frameworks to address it, say Niklas Hintermayer and Antonia Hmaidi: merics.org/en/comment/c...

China’s slow and selective approval process for rare earth elements shipments to European companies raises questions about China’s bureaucracy – and its interest in keeping the process opaque. Read the analysis by Rebecca Arcesati and Altynay Junusova to learn more: merics.org/en/comment/b...

Applications for our research internships starting in January 2026 are open until October 15. 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...

„Beijing präsentiert seine Entwicklungspolitik auf der großen UN-Bühne und verknüpft sie mit BRICS und der SZO. […] Die Prioritäten sind dann eben sehr eng mit chinesischen Prioritäten verknüpft,“ sagt MERICS Direktor @mikkohuotari.bsky.social. Hier den Podcast hören: merics.org/de/podcast/c...

From solar panels to electric vehicles, Beijing has outpaced rivals before. Wendy Chang says its latest push to spread the use of #AI could now threaten other European strengths, like industrial automation. Read her comment on Beijing’s ambitious 🤖“AI+” initiative. merics.org/en/comment/c...

In a new episode of our China in 25 podcast, Bernhard Bartsch, Mikko Huotari and Claudia Wessling talk about China at the UN General Assembly, the emerging TikTok deal and the EUCCC’s new position paper. 🎧Listen to the episode (in German) here: merics.org/de/podcast/c...

Beijing’s export controls on rare earth elements introduced in April have disrupted supply chains around the globe. In a new comment, Rebecca Arcesati and Jacob Gunter emphasize that “Europe must seize this moment to advance its economic ‘derisking’ from China.” merics.org/en/comment/c...

In a new MERICS Data Insight, Altynay Junusova provides facts and figures about German and EU imports of critical minerals now on Beijing’s export control list: merics.org/en/comment/m... Learn more about China’s rare-earths export controls in our new series: merics.org/en/merics-se...

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

🆕In a new analysis for the China-Russia Dashboard, Henrik Wachtmeister (Swedish National China Centre) revisits Russia-China energy relations in light of the recent developments around the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline and discusses forward-looking scenarios & implications➡️ merics.org/en/comment/p...

Despite the optics of engagement between China, India and Russia at the recently concluded SCO summit, the relationships between the three powers remain complex, says MERICS Senior Associate Fellow Manoj Kewalramani. Read his comment on the topic: merics.org/en/comment/c..., via The Wire China

The new MERICS China Essentials is out! In this issue, we cover China-India relations and the recent SCO summit, China's "AI Plus" initiative, the battle against "involution" in the courier sector, and new urbanization guidelines: merics.org/en/merics-br...

The annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will take place in Tianjin from August 31 until September 1. In a new episode of our 🎧podcast, MERICS Analyst @claussoong.bsky.social explores the role of the group in China-Russia relations: merics.org/en/podcast/s...

Beijing recently released opinions on the development of manufacturing ⚖️📐metrology, a foundational technology that is fundamental for the manufacturing industry. 💡Find out more about the policy and its implications in a free excerpt from the new MERICS China Industries: merics.org/en/merics-br...

A decade after launching its industrial strategy “Made in China 2025”, Beijing has widened its goals to bolster economic security. MERICS Analyst Andreas Mischer says Xi surely believes China is on the right track. merics.org/en/comment/m..., via The Diplomat

Has the China-Serbia Free Trade Agreement that came into effect a year ago paid off for Serbia? @chinaobservers.eu Visiting Fellow Stefan Vladisavljev’s early verdict is one of cautious pragmatism: merics.org/en/comment/h...

China's new model of social governance merges Mao-era grassroots mobilization with digital surveillance and party-led service delivery. Nis Grünberg, Katja Drinhausen and Alexander Davey explore how China’s Communist Party is reinserting itself into daily life: merics.org/en/report/se...

🧬Biotechnology has the potential to transform humanity’s control over nature. Governments worldwide are racing to secure their positions in the field – and China is no exception. Listen to our podcast with Alexander Brown and Jeroen Groenewegen-Lau. merics.org/en/podcast/c...

🎧In a new episode of our podcast, former Financial Times correspondent and MERICS Senior Fellow James Kynge talks about his work as a journalist in China since the mid-1980s and China’s rise as a technological power: merics.org/en/podcast/c...

How do Chinese experts and netizens view the US-China trade conflict? Katja Drinhausen & Christina Sadeler provide insights in an analysis for @chinaspektrum.bsky.social - our project with the China Institute of Trier University, funded by Friedrich Naumann Foundation. merics.org/en/comment/e...

In a new analysis for the China-Russia Dashboard, MERICS Analyst Claus Soong describes how China and Russia are using multilateral institutions like the SCO to strengthen strategic coordination and build a new narrative to reshape the global order. 1/2 merics.org/en/comment/c...

With the rise of AI technologies, new forms of manipulation become possible. MERICS Senior Analyst Daria Impiombato explains how Beijing uses persuasive technologies for social control in a recent episode of the 7am podcast: open.spotify.com/episode/4Sl6...

Applications for three-month research internships in MERICS’ Economy, Foreign Relations, Public Policy & Society, and Science, Technology and Innovation programs are open until July 31. Find out more about the programs and internships beginning in October here: merics.org/en/opportuni...

China’s GDP growth held steady over the second quarter of 2025, despite a minor slowdown. But it may look stronger than it is, lifted by deflation and base effects of low growth in the reference period last year. Learn more in the MERICS Economic Indicators for Q2. merics.org/en/tracker/s...

In a new edition of MERICS Forum ahead of the EU-China summit on July 24, leading experts from Europe and China share their assessments on how a constructive EU-China agenda could look today given ongoing tensions on both the strategic and the economic fronts: merics.org/en/comment/m...

Chinese news reports and policy documents are dense with slogans and repetition. MERICS expert Katja Drinhausen unpacks the nuances of ideology formation and policy communication in China in a recent episode of “The Great Power Show”: trackingpeoplesdaily.substack.com/p/decoding-c...