China's top 2023 risks: The war in Ukraine one year on

Over the last days, the trip by China's top diplomat Wang Yi to Europe and his speech at the Munich Security Conference demonstrated how Beijing plans to navigate its worsening geopolitical environment. Very critical of the United States, Wang appealed to European leaders in the room and announced a Chinese “peace plan” for Ukraine, all the while reiterating Beijing’s support for Moscow. Geopolitical competition with the US remains front and center in shaping China’s foreign policy and also its stance on Russia’s war against Ukraine.

MERICS lead analyst Helena Legarda and leading China experts from Poland and Ukraine shared their insights on the key questions facing policy makers and companies in the months to come: How do Chinese experts view the war in Ukraine and China’s relationship with Russia one year on? What are the prospects for Beijing playing a more constructive role in the conflict and what can we expect from this “peace plan”? How may China’s partnership with Russia develop in the second year of the war?

Speakers:

• Helena Legarda, Lead Analyst, MERICS
• Jakub Jakóbowski, Deputy Director, Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW), Poland. Former MERICS European China Policy Fellow.
• Yurii Poita, Head of the Asia-Pacific Section, New Geopolitics Research Network (NGRN), Ukraine. MERICS European China Policy Fellow.

Moderator:
Claudia Wessling, Director Communications and Publications, MERICS

This online event was part of our portfolio for MERICS Members and key stakeholders, and by personal invitation only.

Every quarter, the MERICS China Security and Risk Tracker analyzes the latest developments in China and in global affairs as well as implications for European actors. MERICS Members can read the most recent edition "Chinese Forecasts for 2023: A worsening geopolitical environment" here.