China, the EU and economic development in Eastern Europe and Eurasia

Together with its partners Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient, and Bonn International Center for Conversion, ZOiS has successfully applied for funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research for the research consortium “Local Perspectives on Transregional Processes of Entanglements and Disentanglements” (De:link//Re:link).

As part of the consortium, Dr Julia Langbein leads the ZOiS project “China, the EU and Economic Development in Eastern Europe and Eurasia” in the research cluster Political Economy and Integration. The research project seeks to investigate when and under what conditions China challenges the EU as a global market and regulatory power in countries covered by the Belt and Road Initiative. To this end, the project examines how China shapes local capacities and opportunities for development through case studies of Chinese investments in local infrastructure and economic sectors in East European and Eurasian economies. The research findings will have implications for a pragmatic and realistic approach to the BRI on the part of the EU and Germany.

ZOiS has secured funding of nearly 180,000 euros for this project.