The Stockholm China Center engaged in high-level discussions in Prague as part of the EuroHub4Sino (EH4S) project

June 3, 2025: In May 2025, the Stockholm China Center, represented by Fatoumata Diallo and Maud Descamps, engaged in high-level discussions in Prague as part of the EuroHub4Sino (EH4S) project. On May 20, the Center participated in an expert workshop at the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, co-organized by the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS), ReConnect China, and the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs. This gathering united policymakers, academics, and think tank representatives, including Ales Karmazin, Jan Švec, and David Hutt, to examine how smaller states within the EU and the Global South navigate their relationships with an increasingly assertive China. Discussions concentrated on strategies to enhance strategic autonomy and safeguard national interests amidst a rapidly evolving global landscape, marked by escalating US-China rivalry and shifting transatlantic relations.

On May 21, Fatoumata Diallo and Maud Descamps, alongside Jeremy Garlick, attended the EH4S partners’ meeting hosted by the Prague University of Economics and Business (VŠE). This workshop brought together stakeholders from across the EU to deliberate on China’s expanding global influence and increasing alignment with Russia through platforms like BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). With new BRICS members such as Egypt, Ethiopia, and the UAE, and numerous other countries reportedly seeking membership, the emergence of these alternative geopolitical frameworks presents a growing challenge to the Western-led international order. Participants critically assessed how the EU, both independently and in collaboration with the US, should respond to this evolving strategic environment.