Latvia and the two other Baltic states—Lithuania and Estonia—are located at the crossroads of the East and West. Their proximity to Russia, with which they share historic ties and proficiency in the Russian language, has attracted Russian money to the region, and vice versa. However, as this paper by Evija Djatkoviča shows, Russia’s economic presence… Continue reading Gas and Dirty Money: Russian Corrosive Capital in Latvia
Relations between Croatia and China in the last three decades were stale despite many efforts to intensify economic cooperation. Recently, the pace of political cooperation between the two countries has accelerated in the broader context of the so-called 17+1 initiative between China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans. In 2017,… Continue reading Many a Mickle Makes a Muckle: Chinese Corrosive Capital in Croatia
A new paper by Rumena Filipova provides a captivating insight into the financial presence of China in two countries of the Eastern Balkans – Bulgaria and Romania, and Chinese tactics of using corrosive capital to influence political decision making. Overall, the influx of Chinese corrosive capital in Bulgaria and Romania and the accompanying deterioration of… Continue reading Danger Almost Deferred? Chinese Corrosive Capital in Bulgaria and Romania
Despite the physical distance, China is increasingly attempting to project its power and influence policymaking in Central Europe. Even though a latecomer, it has managed to make considerable inroads into Central Europe in the past decade, especially since it initiated a platform of cooperation with Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries known as the 16+1.… Continue reading Oligarchs and Party Folks: Chinese Corrosive Capital in Slovakia and Czechia
Over the last decade, world affairs have become increasingly dominated by geopolitical tension between major global actors as each strives to maintain or acquire a strategic advantage over the other – economically, technologically, diplomatically, and militarily. Particular attention has been dedicated to the case of China, which many commentators believe may become the world’s biggest… Continue reading China’s Engagement in Central and Eastern European Countries
