Discover the February issue of The Navigator – Out Now

This month we examine Berlin’s economic and political challenges, a tough stance on China, and Southeast Asia’s reaction to the arrival of the Trump 2.0 presidency amid US policy uncertainty.

News9DLFebruary 28, 2025Trump, ASEAN, Hunter Marston, Roderick Kefferpütz, Taiwan, The Navigator, 9DASHLINE, US, United States, Ukraine, German, Friedrich Merz, Germany, Indo-Pacific, China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Samoa, USAID

Germans may not be interested in war, but war is interested in them

Written by Jana C. von Dessien

Two decades of wallowing in the comforts of cheap Russian energy, open Chinese markets, and US security guarantees seem to have thoroughly corrupted the entire political class.

In Dialogue: Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy and Matej Šimalčík on Taiwan

Central and Eastern Europe’s (CEE) relationship with Taiwan is evolving amid shifting global dynamics.

Dr Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy speaks with Matej Šimalčík, a Taiwan Fellowship recipient currently based at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) in Taipei, to explore the implications of these developments for CEE, Taiwan, and the broader geopolitical landscape.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLFebruary 25, 2025In Dialogue: Taiwan, Central and Eastern Europe, Dr. Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, Matej Šimalčík, 9DASHLINE, Taiwan, China, Russia, Taiwan Fellowship, Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), Taipei, Robert Fico, Hungary, Slovakia, Donald Trump, CEE, great power rivalry, Europe-Taiwan relations, US foreign policy, Israel, Egypt, development aid, Chinese assertiveness in Europe, Europe, Democratic Progressive Party, polarisation, new US administration, Germany, South Korea, Key US ally, Fico administration, Slovakian society, the West, communist nostalgia, Crimea, Vladimír Mečiar, NATO, Russian hybrid warfare, 2014 annexation of Crimea, Victor Orban, CEE region, Hungarian government, Chinese investment, bridge between the East and West, EV sector., EV sector, German value chains, Eastern Opening, All Azimuth Foreign Policy, Hanoi, Moscow, Beijing, Seoul, Vietnam, strategic partnership with China, Western allies, Brazil, Serbia, Orbán’s Eastern Opening, greenfield investments, hinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs), Volvo, EV factory, Gotion, Chinese battery producer, Volkswagen, transitioning to EV production, Automative sector, EU-Taiwan relations, cultural exchanges, people-to-people exchange, Slovakian perceptions, engagement with Taiwan, Mask diplomacy, COVID-19, trade and economic security, invasion of Ukraine, Central Eastern Europe, Polarisation, domestic politics, Civil Society, Grassroots, symbolic and substantive cooperation, One China policy, One China principle, PRC, like-minded partners in Europe, Taiwan-Europe relations, Normative power Taiwan? Human rights and Taiwan-EU relations, cooperation with Taiwan, Partners in Peace: Why Europe and Taiwan Matter to Each Other, Central European Institute of Asian Studies, ational Dong Hwa University, diplomatic recognition, deter coercion, grassroots leve, grassroots level, cities and regions, Tsai administration, Sweden, Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, In Dialogue: Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy and Matej Šimalčík on Taiwan

Towards explicit criteria for de-risking? What the new European Commission has in store vis-à-vis China

Written by Dr Una Aleksandra Bērziņa-Čerenkova

Risks remain for Europe not just internally, but also externally, as China's support for Russia in its war against Ukraine and US pressure for a unified transatlantic approach limit the EU's room for manoeuvre.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLFebruary 19, 20259DASHLINE, Towards explicit criteria for de-risking? What the new European Commission has in store vis-à-vis China, UNA ALEKSANDRA BĒRZIŅA-ČERENKOVA, EU, European Union, European Commission, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Ursula von der Leyen, China, geopolitics, EU's China policy, partner-competitor-rival trifecta, de-risking, critical raw materials, supply chains, EV imports, anti-subsidy investigation, 2019 strategic outlook, Political Guidelines, cooperation-competition-rivalry, “no-limits” friendship, Russia, economic security, economic statecraft, G7, resilient, rare earths, semiconductor, Mission letter, European Green Deal, Maroš Šefčovič, Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) Forum, AI, US, Chinese military, tariff, Japan, high value-added markets, US bipartisan anti-China stance, Beijing, PRC, EU member states, China-Russia relationship, US President Joe Biden, Ukraine, Donald Trump, Hungary, Germany, Slovakia, transatlantically

Europe braces for a turbulent ride with China

Written by Victor De Decker

However, a key question remains: to what extent can European authorities strike a deal with China while facing coercive pressure from the Trump administration on the one hand and Beijing’s inflexible negotiation tactics on the other?

Europe and the Indo-Pacific, Most Popular9DLJanuary 28, 20259DASHLINE, China, EU, Germany, China-Europe relations, EVs, Tarrifs, Trump 2024, Victor De Decker, European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, Trade war, Chinese EVs, Trump 2.0

Hong Kong’s arrest warrants and bounties and why this matters in the EU

Written by Anouk Wear

Novel threats from the Hong Kong government are already causing real consequences for Hong Kongers in the EU — activists and more ‘ordinary’ citizens alike — and they are creating new challenges for advocacy from civil society and diplomatic channels.

East Asia, Europe and the Indo-Pacific, Editor's Picks9DLOctober 11, 20249DASHLINE, Hong Kong’s arrest warrants and bounties and why this matters in the EU, Anouk Wear, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Protests, Hong Kong extradition bill, Hong Kong’s human rights situation, Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, Article 23 legislation, 2020 National Security Law, 2019 pro-democracy protest movement, EU countries, European Parliament, UN, United Nations, UN Human Rights Committee, UN Universal Periodic Review, China, Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, international law, rules-based international order, human rights violations, Beijing, international human rights norms, international human rights language, arrest warrants, activists, Article 96, absconders, transnational repression, European Convention on Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, American Convention on Human Rights, autonomous Hong Kong, bounties, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO), impunity, extraterritorial human rights violations, diaspora, Hong Kong activists, underground resistance, Taiwan Strait, undemocratic, EU jurisdictions

In Conversation with Walter F. Hatch

9DASHLINE recently had the pleasure of speaking with Dr Walter Hatch about his latest book Ghosts in the Neighborhood: Why Japan Is Haunted by Its Past and Germany Is Not.

In Conversation9DLApril 12, 2024Walter F. Hatch, 9dashline, Ghosts in the neighborhood: Why Japan is haunted by its past and Germany os not, In Conversation with Walter F. Hatch, Germany, Japan, United States, European Union, NATO, Europe, Asia

At China’s Universal Periodic Review, European states must defend human rights in Hong Kong

Written by Megan Khoo and Anouk Wear

The UPR is an opportunity to enhance what EU member states have been practising at the domestic and EU level over the past five years, and one which complements and solidifies their positions.

Faultlines, Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLJanuary 23, 20249dashline, At China’s Universal Periodic Review, European states must defend human rights in Hong Kong, Megan Khoo, Anouk Wear, China, Universal Periodic Review (UPR), Palais des Nations, Geneva, United Nations, international human rights law, human rights, EU, Hong Kong, Beijing, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Albania, United Arab Emirates, Malawi, transparency, historical narrative, accountability, UN archives, enforcement, NGO, activists, human rights activists, multilateral, international law, Hong Kong Protests, Hong Kong’s human rights situation, European Parliament, export controls, elections, National Security Law, Jimmy Lai, pro-democracy, pro-democracy protests, media, press freedom, religious freedom, European Parliament Informal Hong Kong Watch Group, diaspora, Germany, France, extradition treaties, extradition, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, condemnation, human rights violations, Hong Kong Informal Friendship Group, Bundestag, political prisoners, Olivier Cadic, André Gattolin, André Vallini, Constance Le Grip, Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), Taiwan, Vilnius, Paris, Lithuania, Tiananmen Square massacre, Tiananmen Square, extraterritoriality, Chow Hang-tung, independence of the judiciary, freedom of assembly, Hong Kongers

Germany’s Indo-Pacific aspirations and realities

Written by Dr Rafal Ulatowski

Germany is too weak militarily to change the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific. Its military presence satisfies the expectations of the regional middle powers and of the United States while having only a minor adverse impact on Germany’s relations with China.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLJanuary 10, 20249DashLine, Germany’s Indo-Pacific aspirations and realities, Rafal Ulatowski, Germany, Indo-Pacific, European Union, EU, bilateral, regional powers, liberal international order, open markets, China, trade, Chinese-German cooperation, intergovernmental consultations, German-Chinese partnership, Policy Guidelines for the Indo-Pacific, National Security Strategy, Strategy on China, German Navy, German frigate Bayern, German National Security Strategy, German Strategy on China, US-Chinese competition, diversifying, diversification, democratic values, German-Chinese relations, comprehensive strategic partnership, Federation of German Industries (BDI), partner, competitor, Italy, important partner, systemic rival, military presence, Bayern frigate, Operation Rapid Pacific, Australia, symbolic, middle powers, Japan, India, South Korea, Singapore, democracies, shared values, resilient supply chains, German arms exports, investments, export, Taiwan, Hing Kong, Hong Kong, malaysia, Thailand, FDI, Luxembourg, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, de-risking, decoupling, Alliance 90/The Greens, Social Democrats, German companies, sensitive technologies, United Kingdom, Bundeswehr, Zeitenwende, NATO, defence spending, 2 per cent goal, Berlin, United States, confrontation, strategic interests, SIPRI, Russia-Ukrainian war, dependence, great powers, COVID-19 pandemic

Italy and the Indo-Pacific: towards an Italian Indo-Pacific strategy

Written by Dr Gabriele Abbondanza

All things considered, it seems evident that Italy is ready to develop and issue a formal Indo-Pacific strategy that considers national, European, and Indo-Pacific interests as vital components of a strategic whole.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLDecember 6, 20239dashline, Italy and the Indo-Pacific: towards an Italian Indo-Pacific strategy, Gabriele Abbondanza, Indo-Pacific, Italy, flashpoints, Taiwan, East China Seas, South China Seas, Korean Peninsula, choke points, global maritime trade, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, macro-region, US, Indo-Pacific nations, Europe, IPSR, International Political Science Review, European foreign policy, France, UK, Germany, EU, European Union, Indo-Pacific strategy, Indo-Pacific committee, Italian parliament, naval deployments, Rome, Enlarged Mediterranean, Mediterraneo Allargato, United Nations, Carabiniere frigate, European missions, NATO missions, Indian Ocean, Indo-Pacific mission, Morosini offshore patrol vessel, offshore patrol vessels, South China Sea, multilateral exercises, Cavour carrier strike group, international law, multilateralism, strategic partnerships, China, beijing, international order, Pacific Island Forum, PIF, Vietnam, South Korea, Indian Ocean Rim Association, IORA, ASEAN, Italian-Indian-Japanese trilateral, Japan, Global Combat Air Programme, Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, multilateral approach, strategic compass, political affiliation, foreign policy priorities, Chamber of Deputies, parliamentary committee, risk-benefit analysis

Walking a tightrope: Balancing research security concerns with a need for China competence

Written by Dr Hannes Gohli

To make judgements on research security, but also business transactions and diplomatic relations with China, establishing a knowledge base on the country is of vital importance. Yet precisely at this critical moment, when European governments are calling for more China competence, student numbers in Sinology are declining.

German submarines for India: An arsenal for democracies?

Written by Hendrik A. Pasligh

As the European arms industry scrambles to manage the needs of and lessons from Russia’s war against Ukraine, Germany has sought to rekindle its defence-industrial cooperation with India.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLSeptember 21, 20239dashline, German submarines for India: An arsenal for democracies?, Hendrik A. Pasligh, Germany, India, submarines, weapons arsenal, arms industry, Russia-Ukraine war, defence-industrial cooperation, key technologies, domestic defence industry, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, Indian Navy, Mumbai, Project-75, geopolitical dynamics, defence industries, US defence, European defence, artillery shells, long-term economic feasibility, Rheinmetall, Zeitenwende, Boris Pistorius, strategic partnership, Berlin, New Delhi, Germany-India partnership, arms sales, border disputes, Pakistan, China, PRC, nuclear powers, Moscow, beijing, Russian arms, strategic interest, Indian Ocean, Pakistan’s navy, uncrewed surface and underwater vehicles, USV, UUV, self-sufficiency, indigenous aircraft carrier programme, international cooperation, ‘Make in India’ policy, technology transfer, domestic industrial capacity, rules-based international order, German National Security Strategy, Annalena Baerbock, feminist foreign policy, gender-based violence, NATO, defence startups, economies of scale

NATO’s future in the Indo-Pacific: Tilt or jilt?

Written by Mathieu Droin

The limitations of what NATO can offer or execute in the Indo-Pacific raise the question of whether there may be other more appropriate frameworks to publicly tackle shared security challenges between the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLSeptember 8, 20239DashLine, NATO’s future in the Indo-Pacific: Tilt or jilt?, Mathieu Droin, NATO, Indo-Pacific, Europe, Chinese Foreign Ministry, NATO Summit, Lithuania, AP4, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, south korea, transatlandopacific, alliance, hegemon, NATO’s partnership, NATO partnerships, Allies, Vilnius Summit Communiqué, dialogue, Washington DC, People’s Republic of China (PRC), NATO’s agenda, NATO’s 2022 Strategic Concept, Euro-Atlantic security, military alliance, legacy of the Cold War, Cold War, blocs, bloc building, NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, United Kingdom, Indo-Pacific tilt, 2021 Integrated Review, France, AUKUS, AUKUS crisis, Paris, President Macron, Emmanuel Macron, NATO’s global partnerships, Canada, Denmark, Western Europe, Germany, Italy, North Korea, Russia, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, NATO liaison office, NATO International Staff, President Yoon Suk-yeol, Five Eyes intelligence alliance, Five Eyes, India, New Delhi, Indonesia, honest broker, Jakarta, Non-alignment, Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN), Philippines, Myanmar, pro-China, pro-US, critical infrastructure, telecommunications, port facilities, military threat, no limits partnership, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, autocratic, Russo-Chinese alignment, Moscow, military posture, deter, deterrence, historical revisionism, spheres of influence, NATO’s eastward expansion, the West, Georgia, 2008 Bucharest Summit, Ukraine, Beijing, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Individually Tailored Partnership Programs (ITPP), cybersecurity, interoperability, Article 5, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Sanctions, humanitarian aid, European Union, Ramstein Group, G7, Taiwan Strait, Senkaku Islands, contingency, signalling, Eastern flank, trade, foreign direct investments, Brussels, anti-coercion instrument, critical raw materials, Sweden, EU Indo-Pacific Forum, Strategic Partnership, systemic rival, de-risking, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, leverage, Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, Quad, Global Combat Air Programme, Franco-Indian-UAE initiative, UAE, flexilateral

Germany’s new China Strategy – A roadmap for climate foreign policy

Written by Belinda Schäpe

Germany’s China Strategy is a first attempt to address climate change in a key foreign policy strategy, encapsulating all related areas, and going beyond empty cooperation rhetoric.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLAugust 18, 20239dashline, Belinda Schäpe, Germany’s new China Strategy – A roadmap for climate foreign policy, Germany, China, German Strategy on China, bilateral relationship, climate change, Beijing, climate cooperation, climate engagement, strategic cooperation, accountability, green tech, multilateral finance, climate foreign policy, global responsibilities, climate targets, coal power, Xi Jinping, global coal pipelines, energy security concerns, global green transition, climate finance, Paris Agreement, Belt and Road Initiative, South-South Climate Cooperation Fund, multilateral funds, multilateral financial system, emerging debt crises, developing countries, Paris Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, climate negotiations, G20, World Bank, IMF, foreign policy, economic agendas, Europe, green tech supply chains, (geo)political tool, Nancy Pelosi, Taiwan, human rights, de-risking, green technologies, energy supply, International Energy Agency, Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, CBAM, carbon intensive products, Climate and Transformation Dialogue, industrial decarbonisation, National Security Strategy, Germany-China Memorandum of Understanding

Parting ways? The uncertain future of the Belt and Road Initiative in Italy

Written by Francesco Giovanni Lizzi

While an automatic continuation of the MoU might dissuade a Chinese reaction, it would squander the political capital invested to reassure the American allies. Conversely, exiting the Initiative would complicate Chinese-Italian relations even further since an alternative agreement with Beijing would be needed.

Taiwan needs to establish its own World Bank — today

Written by Dr Oliver Scanlan

Taiwan has always sought ways to expand its geopolitical influence; expanding its ‘international space’ is a way of mitigating the risks of Chinese coercion. If establishing an SWF would serve this end, then a much larger development bank would be even more effective.

Editor's Picks9DLAugust 2, 20239DashLine, Oliver Scanlan, Taiwan needs to establish its own World Bank — today, Taiwan, Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), geopolitics, Development Finance Institution, development bank, foreign exchange reserves, “Taiwan Development Bank” (TDB), government debt, concessionary finance, loans, interest rates, investment, decarbonisation, economic leverage, International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds, Santiago Principles, Yang Chin-Long, Taiwan’s Central Bank, Germany, KfW, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau, Ethical, profitable, strategic sectors, Taiwania national investment fund, green energy, startups, joint ventures, circular economy, Taiwan’s “5+2” industrial strategy, resilience, adaptation, mitigation, official development assistance (ODA), “Indigenous Peoples Economic and Trade Cooperation Arrangement” (IPETCA), New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Indigenous Nations, World Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), International Monetary Fund (IMF), export-led economy, whose sovereign debt is an attractive, international credit ratings agencies, Fitch, Public Debt Act, Net International Investment Position, Philippines, debt-to-GDP ratio, Austria, Netherlands, G20, OECD, South Korea, E3G, Nick Mabey, risk, US Inflation Reduction Act, supply chain, climate change, Chinese coercion, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Soft power through connectivity: How do China and the US compare?

Written by Daniele Carminati

China’s blend of ‘soft’ and economic strategies is arguably becoming one of the most pressing domains of competition with the US, and even includes connectivity initiatives towards other Western allies such as the EU and Japan.

Power Politics9DLJuly 5, 20239dashline, Soft power through connectivity: How do China and the US compare?, Daniele Carminati, China, US, China-US relations, trade, advanced technologies, strategic interests, geopolitical interests, Taiwan, Beijing, Russia, soft power, hard power, multifaceted competition, power of attraction, Joseph Nye, culture, foreign policy, values, domestic policies, foreign policymakers, interdependence, high-speed railways, advanced digital networks, ideology, foreign-policy narrative, Global South, developmental needs, soft-power strategies, liberal democratic values, human rights, David Shambaugh, Belt and Road Initiative, BRI, economic interdependence, developing countries, Chinese leaders, Chinese scholars, Chinese traditional culture, Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, connectivity initiatives, domestic political issues, American Dream, South Korea, Hallyu, policy outcomes, sociocultural, US allies, Build Back Better World, B3W, EU, Global Getaway, Japan, Partnership for Quality Infrastructure, debt trap accusations, infrastructure boost, economic opportunities, Washington, Global Soft Power Index, UK, Germany, Russia-Ukraine war, pragmatism

The transatlantic puzzle in the Indo-Pacific

Written by Mathieu Droin

The brewing Indo-Pacific architecture is inherently “flexilateral” due to the breadth of factors and the rapidly changing stakes that determine its many actors’ positions.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLJune 28, 20239DashLine, The transatlantic puzzle in the Indo-Pacific, Mathieu Droin, European Union, Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, AUKUS, transatlantic, minilateral, Indo-Pacific, Japan, China, Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), India, strategy, flexilateral, Thucydides trap, geoeconomic, trade, geostrategic, ASEAN, ASEAN centrality, clubs, biannual EU-US high-level consultations on the Indo-Pacific, Washington, France, overseas territories, Indian Ocean, Pacific, strategic autonomy, puissance d’equilibres, power of balances, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Pacific Islands, Netherlands, Germany, Council of the EU, EU presidency, Italy, Rome, Tempest programme, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Raisina Dialogue, Denmark, maritime domain, Hungary, Chinese coercion, Lithuania, dependence, Berlin, Beijing, German Indo-Pacific strategy, Central and Eastern Europe, Xi, Putin, Czech Republic, Poland, Russia-China axis, NATO, EU Indo-Pacific forum, South Korea, New Zealand, President Macron, GLOBSEC Forum, North Macedonia, Sweden, Djibouti, Laos, transatlantic Quad, Anglo-Saxons, aspiring powers, rising powers, strategic autonomists, GCAP, Franco-Indian-UAE initiative, freedom to manoeuvre, Quaderateral Security Dialogue, Quad, EU, UK, Thucydides, Giorgia Meloni, Ukraine, Czech, Nato, GLOBSEC, NZ, UAE, CSIC, CSIS