A piece by MERICS, a YCW Partner, reflects on the “America First” strategy as China strives to increase its role and influence on the world stage. This follows a panel hosted by MERICS, ChinaFile, Asia Society and YCW in New York this month on the consequences of this shift in the global order.
Announcing the winner of the inaugural Lau-YCW essay competition… Lauren Dickey! Lauren submitted an impassioned essay on China’s water security, tracing the growing water crisis from Mao Zedong’s post-1949 development projects to Zhongnanhai’s “sponge city” pilot program. She makes a compelling case for how China’s response to water scarcity will change the world, arguing, “China’s partners and friends can learn from Beijing’s mistakes. But it is the success stories that others will emulate.”
YCW’s Insa Ewert and Jan Philipp Pöter argue for a more proactive approach by European governments towards targeting Chinese investment in infrastructure. Read more about how Europe can bridge its current infrastructure gap here.
The joint statement on linking the Eurasian Economic Union and Silk Road Economic Belt was signed more than one year ago. Since then, cooperation hasn’t produced much except hot air. Vita Spivak weighs in on the lack of real partnership between Moscow and Beijing in this new YCW Partner Post.
Can popular nationalism towards China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea be contained? Read on for Billy Gore’s take on Beijing’s assertive stance, and how muscle-flexing may be a political tactic with low risk.