There is no denying that the Mekong region has become an economic battleground where Japan and China are competing to gain and sustain economic influence in the region.

China

In 2017, Secretary General Xi Jinping said: "This is an era that will see China move closer to the center of the world stage". The People's Republic of China is indeed at a pivotal moment in its history, gradually acquiring all the components of power and competing with, if not surpassing, the major world powers. This new status is challenging the global balance of power, raising questions and awakening fears. The European Union and its member states are seeking to adapt their position vis-à-vis China, to face its new diplomatic assertiveness, the rise of its military and technological capacities, and to deal with the Sino-American rivalry. However, since Beijing's international policy cannot be dissociated from its domestic context, it is also necessary to analyze the internal political dynamics that dictate foreign policy choices.
Through its research activities, Ifri's Center for Asian Studies aims to provide a better understanding of contemporary China and its position on the world stage.
Senior Research Fellow and Director of Ifri's Center for Asian Studies
...Research Fellow, Center for Asian Studies
...Senior Advisor, Center for Asian Studies
...The Chinese presence in the Mediterranean is raising new questions among the diplomatic services of the Maghreb countries, as well as those of southern Europe. Indeed, over the past five years, China has been translating its national priorities with increasing activism in the Mediterranean....
As 2017 drew to close, China officially approved plans for its long-awaited national Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) outlined some of the implementation details[1]. Though it will be limited...
Assessing the state of democracy in Asia is a challenge. While some countries, such as Japan and India, have been showing the way from early days, some others, such as in Southeast Asia are still struggling to ensure stable and sustainable democratic institutions and practices.
The global environment for trade is undergoing significant changes. New emerging players such as China are aiming to adapt the rules and institutions inherited from the postwar Bretton Woods system.
Chinese investments in Europe have surged in recent years, becoming both a source of hope and growing concern across the continent.
As the 19th National Congress is now over, questions about foreign policy implications of China’s leadership reshuffle are raised.
Alice Ekman deciphers the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in foreign policy terms.
Since Xi Jinping became president of China, the number of think tanks has considerably increased.
Going beyond the numerous claims of rupture, is Trump overturning the international order and the place occupied in it by the United States?
Chinese power continues to grow both militarily and economically: its disputed territorial gains in the South China Sea are complemented by its extensive investment initiative in the New Silk Roads through the Eurasian continent.
Stumbling Giant - The threats to China's future
Most of the recent literature on China"s rise forecasts that the country will sooner or later overtake the U.S. as the world"s superpower. Timothy Beardson explains why this will not happen in his book: Stumbling Giant: the Threats to China"s Future
The Future of China's Economy
Prof. Cheng Siwei is the Dean of School of Management, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is a famous Chinese scholar in economic, financial and managerial fields as well as in chemical industry. He devotes himself in the reform and opening up of China for 30 years...
Xi Jinping's Vision for Chinese Power - A strongman in the making?
Chinese President and Commander-in-Chief Xi Jinping has taken less than six months to consolidate his status as China's New Helmsman. He has also taken a tough line toward the projection of Chinese power on the world stage. Dr. Willy Lam will talk about Xi's priorities in realizing what ...
China - EU Economic Partnership
The EU is now China"s most important trading partner while China is the EU"s second most important partner after the US. With such an intensive trade relationship, it should come as no surprise that trade tensions have intensified between the two partners, particularly on issues such as...
Leadership Change in East Asia and Implications for Regional Stability
Seminar with Ryo Sahashi, Associate Professor, Kanagawa University and Fellow with JCIE (Japan Center for International Exchanges), Marie-Orange Rivé-Lasan, Professor, University Paris Diderot and Alice Ekman, Associate Research Fellow,...
La Chine, l'Inde et l'enjeu birman
Séminaire autour de Renaud Egreteau, chercheur et maître de conférences au Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences, The University of Hong Kong. Discutante : Sophie Boisseau du Rocher, chercheur spécialiste de l'Asie du Sud-Est et auteur de ...
Controlling the South China Sea - A Chinese Monroe Doctrine?
Seminar with James R. Holmes, associate Professor of strategy at the Naval War College, Senior Fellow at the University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs.
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The growing Chinese presence in Japan - What impact on the bilateral relationship?
Seminar with Reinhard Drifte, Emeritus Professor at the Newcastle University, UK. Chair: Céline Pajon, Research Fellow, Ifri Center for Asian Studies.
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Confronting Rising Inequality in Asia
What is the economic outlook for developing Asia and what risks lie ahead?
Will the sovereign debt crisis in Europe and slow growth in the US undermine developing Asia's prospects?
What consequences would Asia face if inequality grows unchecked, and how can developing Asia...
Ambiguïtés et pragmatisme de la politique étrangère chinoise
Lors de ce séminaire-débat, Alice Ekman, chercheur associé au Centre Asie Ifri, chargée des activités de recherche touchant à la Chine, présentera les conclusions de sa récente étude sur les orientations de la politique étrangère chinoise.
...Dans 3D dimanche, partout la Chine, désormais 1ère puissance économique mondiale devant les Etats-Unis selon le FMI (Fonds Monétaire International). Or, l'Histoire démontre que pouvoir politique et militaire ont toujours dépendu de la puissance économique.
La Chine vient-elle de franchir un cap à la faveur du sommet de l’APEC (le forum économique Asie Pacifique) qui se tenait à Pékin la semaine dernière ?
...À Pékin, les autorités célèbrent ce mercredi l'anniversaire de la création de la Chine communiste. Au même moment, des dizaines de milliers de Hongkongais profitent de ce jour férié pour descendre dans les rues et exiger le respect de leurs libertés publiques. À la mi...
A Hong Kong, le bras de fer se poursuit entre les autorités chinoises et les dizaines de milliers de protestataires qui veulent plus de démocratie. Ils veulent que Pékin tienne sa promesse : laisser les Hongkongais élire leur chef de l'exécutif en 2017 au suffrage universel...
A Hong Kong, le bras de fer se poursuit entre les autorités chinoises et les dizaines de milliers de protestataires qui veulent plus de démocratie. Ils veulent que Pékin tienne sa promesse : laisser les Hongkongais élire leur chef de l'exécutif en 2017 au suffrage universel...
Une histoire commune douloureuse, des îles disputées, les relations entre la Chine et le Japon sont pour le moins compliquées. Les tensions entre les deux géants sont toujours intenses, et la montée du nationalisme, dans les deux pays, joue un rôle important.
...Nearly three decades after Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping famously instructed his diplomats to "be good at maintaining a low profile and never claim leadership," a new generation of rulers has made it clear that they're ready to shed the humility and show off their country's...
China is increasingly asserting its influence economically and militarily throughout Asia. But its impact can also be felt further afield, through foreign aid and investment, particularly in Africa.
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