Thorsten Benner is Co-founder and Director of the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) in Berlin. His most recent publications include “Authoritarian Advance: Responding to China’s Growing Political Influence in Europe” (jointly with MERICS). He is an adjunct faculty member at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin.
Last Updated: September 14, 2020
Conversation
06.21.21
Will I Return to China?
ChinaFile sent a short questionnaire to several hundred ChinaFile contributors to get a sense of their feelings about traveling to China once COVID-19 restrictions begin to ease. Media reports at the time had suggested, anecdotally, that foreigners...
Conversation
09.17.20
Europe and China’s ‘Virtual Summit’
Meeting via video conference on Monday, China’s leader, Xi Jinping, held a summit with European Council President Charles Michel, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Slimmed down in format thanks to the...
Conversation
11.04.19
How Should Universities Respond to China’s Growing Presence on Their Campuses?
How should universities encourage respectful dialogue on contentious issues involving China, while at the same time fostering an environment free of intimidation, harassment, and violence? And how should university administrators and governments...
Conversation
10.18.19
The Future of Huawei in Europe
On October 9, the European Commission and the European Agency for Cybersecurity released their long-awaited risk assessment of the region’s 5G network. Written with input from all 28 European Union members, the report warned about a 5G supplier from...
Conversation
04.08.19
How Should Europe Handle Relations with China?
When Xi Jinping visited Europe in late March, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker portrayed the future of EU-China relations in mixed terms: “We are strategic partners, and yes, rivals,” he said, “but competition among us is a good...
Conversation
08.20.18
How To Fight China’s Sharp Power
There is a debate raging about China’s sharp power and how to defend against it, whether it’s investment screening, shuttering Confucius institutes, or forcing visa reciprocity for journalists. But how does a fractious, divided world not only resist...