Author: Tom Harper, Lecturer in International Relations, University of East London

Germany’s proposal to ease trade tensions with China has not gone down well in Beijing

Tom Harper, Lecturer in International Relations, University of East LondonLeave a Comment on Germany’s proposal to ease trade tensions with China has not gone down well in Beijing

Trade tensions between the EU and China are deepening. On June 16, the EU’s trade chief, Maroš Šefčovič, said the bloc’s unbalanced trade relationship with China “had reached a point that requires a reset”. The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, then criticised Beijing days later for what he claimed were its unfair trade practices. In comments […]

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Xi Jinping has learned from Trump’s first trade war and is ready to fight back

Tom Harper, Lecturer in International Relations, University of East LondonLeave a Comment on Xi Jinping has learned from Trump’s first trade war and is ready to fight back

The start of 2025 has been good for China and its reputation as a high-tech innovator. The unveiling of the Chinese-made artificial intelligence (AI) tool, DeepSeek, caused consternation on the US stock exchange and from potential competitors in Silicon Valley. Chinese firms are increasingly at the forefront of key high-level technologies such as electric vehicles […]

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Five things at the top of China’s agenda for 2025

Tom Harper, Lecturer in International Relations, University of East LondonLeave a Comment on Five things at the top of China’s agenda for 2025

2024 has been a challenging year for China. As its government has tackled economic problems at home, internationally it has handled the complexities of an alliance with Russia. And, while China has continued to play a significant role in the global economy, there are five possible areas that could derail its plans in 2025. 1. […]

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