RSU China Studies Centre

Make sure to check out an article written by Kristofers Krūmiņš and published by 9DashLine! ✍ The article delves a bit deeper into the EU's dependency on Chinese imports, and the implications of that on EU's industrial policy, geopolitical power, and strategic autonomy.

RSU Sociālo zinātņu fakultāte Rīgas Stradiņa universitāte (Riga Stradins University)

9DASHLINE — Europe's dependency on critical minerals: How China keeps EU industry on a tight leash Written by Kristofers Krumins. In a bid to power green and digital transitions, Europe is struggling with its dependence on Chinese exports, exposed to coercion, industrial disruption, and geopolitical pressure.

VIDEO: Kas notiek ar Latvijas ārpolitiku un drošību? 28. janvāra raidījumā "Kas notiek ar Latvijas ārpolitiku un drošību?" piedalās ārlietu ministre Baiba Braže ("Jaunā Vienotība"), aizsardzības ministrs Andris Sprūds ("Progresīvie"), Valsts prezidenta...

Are US allies resetting their relations with China? What does the latest visit to China by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney mean for the changing world order? 🇨🇦 🇨🇳 🇺🇸

Una Aleksandra Bērziņa-Čerenkova recently gave her comment on the latest developments to AP. According to her, US allies, including the EU, are not so much changing their position towards China, but rather "pivoting towards sort of fending for Europe as a bloc". Read the full article here:

https://apnews.com/article/china-trump-europe-allies-trade-greenland-ff445f3c6e2c52d6229d05441aae23f0

RSU Sociālo zinātņu fakultāte Rīgas Stradiņa universitāte (Riga Stradins University)

"European Policy Perspectives on China: Security, Investment, Climate, Development" - 季風人文講壇第94期 [CC Subtitle Provided 本影片提供CC字幕]The Transatlantic and European Dialogue on China, an initiative of the Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China Relations dev...

📰 Dr. Una Aleksandra Bērziņa-Čerenkova recently commented on the military cooperation between China and Russia in LRT. The article is titled "Double strike – can Russia cause NATO trouble if Beijing attacks Taiwan?" and discusses the prospect of an alliance between these two countries beyond military exercises but in a case of open kinetic warfare.

"The idea that these two countries have the determination to coordinate military action in real life, not just in an exercise, is not such a straightforward conclusion," says Dr. Bērziņa-Čerenkova, but make sure to read her full analysis in the article which is available here:

https://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/pasaulyje/6/2792274/dvigubas-smugis-ar-rusija-gali-pridaryti-bedu-nato-jei-pekinas-puls-taivana

Rīgas Stradiņa universitāte (Riga Stradins University) RSU Sociālo zinātņu fakultāte

Dvigubas smūgis – ar Rusija gali pridaryti bėdų NATO, jei Pekinas puls Taivaną? Agresyvūs Kinijos Liaudies Respublikos veiksmai aplink Taivaną tapo nauja norma, nors anksčiau kiekvienas toks incidenta...

🪖 As China holds military drills to deter what it calls separatist and 'external' forces, Taiwan worries that it is a sign that an invasion could be held in the next few years. It comes after the US signed a historic $11 billion arms deal with Taipei.

🗣️ Our very own Una Aleksandra Bērziņa-Čerenkova believes that these drills are significant since "it's the first time they're aimed at deterrence". To hear the full commentary about the recent developments, listen to the full interview at FRANCE 24 here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C90Pinc91AI

Rīga Stradiņš University (Rīgas Stradiņa universitāte) RSU Sociālo zinātņu fakultāte

If you are searching for holiday reads, look no further than our very own Dana Dūda's latest chapter on Latvia-Taiwan relations in a longer report by CEIAS: Central European Institute of Asian Studies 🇱🇻🇹🇼

📑Read the full report here:
https://lnkd.in/gK-Yd8rU

Some of Dana's key takeaways include the following:

1. Taiwan has been mentioned more frequently in Latvian parliamentary and ministerial discourse since 2022, with officials expressing growing concern over Chinese military coercion in the Taiwan Strait. 🔊
2. In November 2024, Latvia and Taiwan’s drone and defense industries signed an MoU to strengthen cooperation, trade, and competitiveness in drone technology. 🪖
3. Since 2022, visits by high-ranking Latvian officials to Taiwan have increased. The August 2025 visit by the Parliamentary Taiwan Friendship Group was the first substantive parliamentary delegation in recent years focused on defense technology cooperation, marking a shift from earlier, more limited interactions. ✈️

You can also see some of Dana's colleagues in the picture, who contributed their respective chapters to the CEIAS report (from the left): Bernadett Szél, PhD (Hungary), Marcin Mateusz Jerzewski (Poland), Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, PhD (European Institutions), Matej Šimalčík (Slovakia), Dana Dūda (Latvia).

Rīgas Stradiņa universitāte (Riga Stradins University) RSU Sociālo zinātņu fakultāte

Noteikti ziemas brīvlaikā vērts vairāk palasīt par mūsu pašu Dana Dūda nesenajiem panākumiem un interesanto ceļu akadēmiskajā pasaulē. 🤩

RSU doktorante Dana Dūda par Ķīnas ideoloģijas labirintiem un Latvijas izvēlēm starp biznesu un vērtībām Foto no privātā arhīva

📰 📢 We are glad to share that Dr. Una Aleksandra Bērziņa-Čerenkova has recently been cited by Nikkei Asia regarding the French president Macron's visit to China:
https://asia.nikkei.com/politics/international-relations/xi-jinping-tells-france-s-macron-that-decoupling-means-disruption

In the article Dr. Bērziņa-Čerenkova notes that during his visit Macron was expected to "remain on script" as promoting French business interests in China was the priority amid his dwindling popularity at home. 🇫🇷

RSU Sociālo zinātņu fakultāte Rīgas Stradiņa universitāte (Riga Stradins University)

Xi Jinping tells France's Macron that decoupling means disruption Dozen deals signed in Beijing as trade imbalances, Ukraine and Taiwan loom