The tide of great power strife is rising once again. When tensions between rivals increase, the need to understand each other becomes greater. Where newspapers write about geopolitical considerations, Undercurrents dives deeper below the surface. It argues that we need to persist in our attempt to comprehend what is obscured and asks: what undercurrents are driving China’s evolution as a global power?
In this collection of essays, introduced by political theorist Ties Dams (ed.), eminent European scholars share their view of what’s shaping China’s geopolitics:
Journalist Leen Vervaeke reflects on the unique experience of reporting the Covid-outbreak from Wuhan and the 2022 protests in Beijing.
Historian Vincent K.L. Chang traces back his family history through the many official histories written and rewritten during China’s tumultuous twentieth century.
Cultural theorist Jeroen de Kloet dismantles singular notions of Chinese identity that so often dominate geopolitical discourse by way of unconventional means: cinema.
Economist Heleen Mees observes how the US went from championing China’s entry into the global economic order to a strategy of decoupling.
Philosopher and sinologist Roel Sterckx distils the ancient philosophies that flow through China’s contemporary geopolitics.
Undercurrents – essays below the surface of China’s geopolitics is a collaboration of the Clingendael China Centre and LeidenAsiaCentre funded by the China Knowledge Network.
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About the authors
Ties Dams is a research fellow at the Clingendael Institute. His research focus is on Europe’s great power competition, particularly with China.
Ingrid d’Hooghe is the Coordinator of the Clingendael China Centre since 1 September 2022. She was previously Senior Research Associate at the Clingendael Institute. She conducts research on China’s foreign policy and diplomacy, and on higher education and science collaboration with China.