... not finding themselves in the crucible of an intensifying confrontation between great powers. Even now, strictly speaking, they remain quite distant from the regions where the military-political capabilities of the principal global powers—Russia, China, and the United States—might truly clash in earnest. When it comes to genuinely serious security threats that could have devastating consequences for the fate of entire peoples, the attention of the world is fixed on Europe, South-East and North-East ...
The outcomes of Friedrich Merz’s visit to China provide for several key conclusions
Introduction. Evolution of the German Approach to China
The visit of Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz to the People’s Republic of China on February 25–26, 2026, took place against the backdrop of a well-established,...
... only structure and order, but also dialogue and a constant sensitive exchange that considers all the nuances of geopolitics. Both structure and dialogue are necessary. One should never replace the other; they must always remain in harmony.
Germany and China – a constant balancing act of nuances
During Friedrich Merz's first visit to China in 2026, when both delegations sat opposite each other at the long table and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke about the importance of cooperation between the ...
China’s main strategic objective regarding the South Caucasus is the establishment of a Eurasian land and sea transport corridor
Introduction
In the early 1990s, relations between China and the South Caucasus countries did not experience significant ...
... action is undermining their reputation as safe havens for economic activity. They are clearly interested in a swift end to the conflict. But their influence remains limited. To one degree or another, they have found themselves hostages of the situation.
China
China is unlikely to suffer any significant losses overall. Of course, rising oil and gas prices are not in the interests of Chinese buyers. Beijing opposes the destabilisation of international relations, as it harms its trade interests. Given the ...
... institutional culture of caution, which limits transparency and predictability, both of which are essential for deeper forms of economic integration. At the same time, security cooperation remains the only domain in which all major powers within the SCO such as China, Russia, and India can engage without compromising their strategic autonomy or national interests. For Russia in particular, this architecture is especially valuable. In a period of shifting regional alignments, the SCO provides Moscow with a reliable ...
... were rolled out to the
launch pad
at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the Artemis II mission. This will be the first crewed expedition beyond low Earth orbit since 1972, involving a flyby of the Moon on a free-return trajectory. On January 12, China conducted its first-ever
experiment
in 3D printing metal components directly in space—an important step toward preparing to deploy infrastructure on other planets. On January 26, Oman
joined
the U.S.-developed Artemis Accords, which, among other ...
...
Has a Transatlantic Split Occurred?
A year ago, such a question would have rarely occurred to anyone. Brussels and Washington were closely aligned on the issue of containing Russia. There was also common ground on the issue of growing competition with China. The level of economic ties remained high. Military-political integration has been revived. NATO has welcomed two new EU members—Finland and Sweden. Surprises were expected from Donald Trump. But the experience of his first term still served as ...
... space, decisions taken on the basis of regional cooperation will always be well considered and reflect the interests of as many states as possible. Eurasia, unlike the West, cannot embrace the path of authoritarian global governance.
The SCO summit in China, held in early September 2025, showcased the high levels of political trust between participants and their readiness to continue developing the organization as an element that binds together all other frameworks of cooperation among Eurasia’s ...
... becoming a key concept in Russia’s foreign policy. It was first outlined in the Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly in February 2024. [
1
] Later that year, it was included in the agenda of the Russian President’s summits with the leaders of China and India, discussed by CIS foreign ministers, and further developed within the Union State of Russia and Belarus. Russian diplomacy consistently incorporates the theme of a Eurasian security system into the dialogue with its partners in various ...
