Central Europe and China: Economic and Political Relations

The aim of the course is to present the development of relations of Central European countries with China, with special emphasis on their economic and political aspects. With exception of increasing level of imports, up until the 2010s, the People’s Republic of China kept a relatively low-profile in the region. Similarly, with the exception of Germany, Central European countries had only a limited presence in China. This changed rapidly in early 2010s when PRC started to be proactive internationally and its presence in the region increased visibly (in terms of diplomatic relations, political and economic activities, influence, as well as the growing interest of companies in penetrating respective markets and politicians in China as such). The course tracks this development since the establishment of PRC in 1949 with a particular interest in the contemporary era. It analyses the development, aspires to give interpretations of the motivations of main actors and introduces the most important features of Central Europe – China Relations. It also asks students to critically assess the level and depth of those relations. Last but not least, the course uses the comparative perspective to show what CEE countries have in common in their relations with China and where they differentiate.