The Role and Influence of the People’s Republic of China on Visegrad Group Countries
By Warsaw Institute
The Role and Influence of the People’s Republic of China on Visegrad Group CountriesJan 25, 2021
Polish President Andrzej Duda Met with Chinese Leader Xi Jinping in Beijing
President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda attended the opening ceremony of the 24th Olympic Winter Games in Beijing on February 4, 2022. The highlight of the Polish President’s three-day visit to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Sunday, February 6.
Czech and Slovak Intelligence Report on China
Czech and Slovak intelligence and counterintelligence agencies mention the threat from China in their reports more and more often. The growing importance of the PRC and its attempts to influence these countries are closely monitored. The degree of danger is frequently compared to Russian actions.
Will the New Czech Governing Coalition End Friendly Relations with the PRC?
The new Czech governing coalition views relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) significantly differently than the incumbent Czech President Miloš Zeman. Although most of the key state positions were distributed smoothly, Zeman opposed the appointment of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Crisis on the Polish-Belarusian Border. Can China Help to Get Out of It?
The Polish-Belarusian border crisis is definitely one of the most significant events of 2021, both in the European and international arena. Not only Lithuania (which is struggling with the same situation), but also important European players, such as Germany and France, the United States, as well as international organizations, for instance, NATO or the European Union, are already showing interest in the problem. According to political and media circles, China could play a significant part in solving this situation.
Chinese Influence in the Slovak Information and Media Space
In recent years, the Slovak information and media space has been struggling with active disinformation actors, who have been quite willing to disseminate mostly pro-Russian narratives. China is currently an almost unknown phenomenon for Slovaks.
Polish Support for Taiwan
In early September 2021, Polish authorities donated 400,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan, which was enthusiastically welcomed by Taipei. However, this does not translate to a deterioration of relations between Warsaw and Beijing and a sudden strong support for Taiwan in its efforts to be recognized as an independent state.
Wolf warriors against European hawks. Can the European Parliament spearhead EU foreign policy on China?
Recent research on the European Parliament’s party groups’ voting patterns in the European Parliament has revealed that the EP is among the most resilient European institutions when it comes to foreign malign influence. This is especially true in the case of China, which has almost no soft power tools in its arsenal to influence the European decision-makers in the European Parliament. Beijing, even more so than the Kremlin, needs to resort to relations with individual member states on a case-by-case basis to pursue its interests within the EU, which is a highly effective strategy in the eastern part of the EU.
Is the Dispute over the Chinese University in Budapest a Measure of the Hungarians’ Sympathy for the PRC?
Among the countries of the Visegrád Group, Hungary is perceived as having relatively close ties with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). However, the recent protests in Budapest, Hungary’s capital, over the construction of a branch of China’s Fudan University seem to show that the public is divided on the issue of Viktor Orbán government’s foreign policy.
A Thaw in Relations Between Warsaw and Beijing?
In 2021, we may observe a gradual improvement in relations between Warsaw and Beijing. This is indicated by a number of factors, most notably the increasing frequency of talks and high-level meetings, during which more openness to cooperation and the maintenance of current joint initiatives was expressed. However, this is not synonymous with a change of course in Poland’s foreign policy.
Foreign Ministers of Poland and Hungary in China
On 29-31 May, at the invitation of the Chinese side, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Poland and Hungary, Zbigniew Rau and Péter Szijjártó, visited Guiyang city in Guizhou province. There they met with Minister Wang Yi, with whom they discussed the matters of current economic and political cooperation, in particular the future of the 17+1 group. The visits coincided with a crisis in relations between China and the EU as well as the imposition of sanctions by each side in connection with the persecution of the Uighur minority in Xinjiang. The meeting was also prompted by the announcement of the Lithuanian Foreign Minister who said that Vilnius would effectively withdraw from the 17+1 format, which is a platform for cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries.
The echoes of PRC voices in Czech experts’ language
In recent years, Chinese influence activities have flourished in the Czech Republic. In this episode, we examine some stories surrounding these activities involving academia and expert circles.
China’s Vaccine and Mask Diplomacy in Hungary
A several-hour long virtual summit of the Heads of States of the 17+1 format members, i.e., the Central and Eastern European Countries and China, took place on February 9, 2021. For the first time in the history of the initiative, China was represented by the President of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Xi Jinping. It was another opportunity for Beijing to make its presence in the region known.
17+1 Summit: The Difficult Future of the Initiative
A several-hour long virtual summit of the Heads of States of the 17+1 format members, i.e., the Central and Eastern European Countries and China, took place on February 9, 2021. For the first time in the history of the initiative, China was represented by the President of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Xi Jinping. It was another opportunity for Beijing to make its presence in the region known.
Read the original article: https://warsawinstitute.org/171-summit-difficult-future-initiative/
The following podcast is a part of the project "The Role and Influence of the People's Republic of China on Visegrad Group Countries" funded by the International Visegrad Fund.
Like it? Follow us for more at warsawinstitute.org
Poland-China Relations in 2021: Current State and Prospects
A telephone conversation between Polish and Chinese Ministers of Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau and Wang Yi took place on January 22, 2021. The Ministers discussed plans for 2021, including the organization of a summit of the 17+1 initiative. Furthermore, Wang Yi expressed his desire to “deepen trust” in Poland-China bilateral relations, which “should not be influenced by a third party.” Despite growing trade and good relations between the presidents of the two countries, communication between Warsaw and Beijing has stalled for some time. Following a period of dynamic development of relationships between 2008 and 2016, the cooperation has weakened under the rule of the United Right (Polish: Zjednoczona Prawica). This is due to a disappointment with the lack of significant progress of the Belt and Road Initiative, the 17+1 format as well as limited access to the Chinese market for Polish manufacturers. The confrontational policy of Donald Trump’s administration towards China, described as the biggest threat to the United States’ position, has been an additional obstacle. Poland, most likely under pressure from Washington, rejected the possibility of greater Chinese involvement in the construction of the Central Communication Port (CPK) and took steps to limit Huawei’s access to the 5G infrastructure market.
Red the full article: https://warsawinstitute.org/poland-china-relations-2021-current-state-prospects/
The following podcast is a part of the project “The Role and Influence of the People’s Republic of China on Visegrad Group Countries” funded by the International Visegrad Fund.
Like it? Follow us for more at warsawinstitute.org
Photo: Andrzej Hrechorowicz / Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland
Public Opinion on China in European and V4 Countries
The November 2020 report “European public opinion on China in the age of COVID-19. Differences and common ground across the continent” prepared by the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS), a Slovak think tank, presents interesting data on the attitudes of European citizens, including the members of the Visegrad Group (V4), towards China. The V4 countries are more or less in the middle of the ranking and its citizens generally have negative opinions about Beijing. However, the public opinion on China has worsened in the case of nearly all European citizens. It is a result of both the COVID-19 pandemic and the so-called “wolf warrior diplomacy,” adopted by Chinese officials.
Read the original article: https://warsawinstitute.org/public-opinion-china-european-v4-countries/
The following podcast is a part of the project “The Role and Influence of the People’s Republic of China on Visegrad Group Countries” funded by the International Visegrad Fund.
Like it? Follow us for more at warsawinstitute.org
Huawei in Poland and Hungary. Could it be a part of 5G?
Since the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century, Huawei has achieved a leading position on the markets of the Visegrád Group, both in terms of digital infrastructure and mobile devices. During Donald Trump’s presidency (2017-2021), the US authorities made extensive diplomatic efforts to eliminate Huawei from the European Union’s (EU) 5G infrastructure, pointing to political and intelligence threats and the company’s cooperation with the Communist Party of China. As a result of these actions, numerous bilateral declarations on 5G were adopted, also by the V4 countries (Poland and Slovakia). Simultaneously, the position of the EU has aggravated – its institutions began to put more emphasis on level playing field and reciprocity in economic relations. The report on the EU coordinated risk assessment, presented in October 2019, and the EU Toolbox, adopted in January 2020, highlighted the risks of cooperation with “untrustworthy suppliers.” This was a clear message to the company from Shenzhen that the political climate has deteriorated.
Read the original article: https://warsawinstitute.org/huawei-poland-hungary-part-5g/
The following podcast is a part of the project “The Role and Influence of the People’s Republic of China on Visegrad Group Countries” funded by the International Visegrad Fund.
Like it? Follow us for more at warsawinstitute.org
Beijing Reacts to Czech Visit to Taiwan
From August 30 to September 5, the President of the Czech Senate Miloš Vystrčil visited Taiwan. This stay resulted in a series of diplomatic and media events, which in turn worsened China-Czech Republic relations. The articles published in the Chinese media and statements by political representatives of the Communist Party of China (CPC) critically approached this situation, which is yet another manifestation of the Chinese diplomatic and information offensive. In this episode, we talk about the events and comments regarding this visit based on statements made by the CPC diplomats and materials mainly from the Global Times daily, which were reprinted in other Chinese media.
Read the original article: https://warsawinstitute.org/beijing-reacts-czech-visit-taiwan/
The following podcast is a part of the project “The Role and Influence of the People’s Republic of China on Visegrad Group Countries” funded by the International Visegrad Fund.
Like it? Follow us for more at warsawinstitute.org
China Plans to Build the First University Campus in Hungary
On December 16, 2019, the Minister for Innovation and Technology of Hungary – László Palkovics, and the rector of Fudan University – Xu Ningsheng, signed an agreement in Shanghai to establish the first foreign Fudan campus in Budapest. In mid-September 2020, there were also reports in the Hungarian media that the campus is to be completed by 2024 with a goal of educating 5-6 thousand students. These plans would result in Fudan gaining a strong position in Hungarian higher education.
Read more: https://warsawinstitute.org/china-plans-build-first-university-campus-hungary/
The following podcast is a part of the project “The Role and Influence of the People’s Republic of China on Visegrad Group Countries” funded by the International Visegrad Fund.
Like it? Follow us for more at warsawinstitute.org