China

There were signs of easing tensions in some parts of the international system last week, but warnings of deepening crises on other fronts.

Read the full World Politics Review article Big-Power ‘Buffering’ Mechanisms Needed to Manage Era of Disorder

There are reasons to think that Africa may be a place where prospects of Sino-European cooperation are promising. EU members – and above all France – continue to play an active role in crisis management in weak African states like Mali, Somalia, and the Central African Republic. 

Read the Full ECFR article African Security – a bright spot for Sino-European cooperation

Russia and China are good friends these days. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited Moscow last week and, by signing a bundle of economic agreements, demonstrated Beijing’s disregard for Western sanctions on Russia over Ukraine. Early in the Ukrainian conflict, American and European officials hoped that Beijing would take steps to penalize Russia over its annexation of Crimea. But it has confined itself to token complaints, while reinforcing its trade relations with its northern neighbor.