The first episode of the Year of the Dragon podcast after the summer is out now.
In this episode, Anna Rennéus Guthrie, director Stockholm Free World Forum, speaks with foreign policy expert Jonas Parello-Plesner. Jonas Parello-Plesner specializes in European-Chinese relations and has extensive experience in diplomacy, strategic advisory and international think tanks. He is a published author and commentator on global affairs and has contributed to key publications and policy reports on China’s global influence.
Today’s discussion focuses on Europe’s dependence on China and the implications of de-risking this relationship for the West. While the European Union has become increasingly skeptical of China, the Nordic countries, particularly Sweden, continue to grapple with a legacy of naivety in their assessments of the country. Strengthening Europe’s resilience against China will be challenging and costly, but diversifying trade could also present Europe an opportunity to uphold its commitment to expand trade with free nations. A key issue, however, remains how Europe can make such de-risking economically attractive.