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AsiaCentre

Founded in 2005, Asia Centre is an independent research institute that holds debates and issues publications on matters relating to international, strategic, economic relations, as well as the political and social transformations underway in the Asia-Pacific region. At the crossroads of university research as well as public and private decision-making, Asia Centre researchers identify critical regional issues and analyse them in-depth, taking into consideration both local and global dimensions. Asia Centre’s programs are developed with a vast network of partners, companies and major specialist centres in Europe, North America and Asia. The Centre carries out joint operations with these groups, for a better interpretation of ideas and issues. The conclusions of these meetings, such as the results of the work carried out using original sources by our researchers, are widely distributed through the Centre’s publications as well as through international journals, books and media.

Other analyses

Taiwan cooking oil scandal: Why Isn’t Beijing Adding Fuel to the Fire? • Isabelle Feng

31 July 2026 No Comments

In this new piece, Isabelle Feng looks back at the tainted cooking oil scandal that has affected Taiwan for several weeks, and at Beijing’s measured response to the affair. She examines the protests held in Taipei on 25 July, the coverage of the event by Chinese state media, and reactions observed on Chinese social media. She puts this episode in perspective alongside the history of food safety scandals in mainland China and the question of freedom to protest on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

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CA 27 – Climate Policies after Copenhagen – June 2010

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In the latest edition of China Analysis, published by the ECFR and Asia Centre, we look at how Beijing views climate policies in the wake of the Copenhagen conference. China was blamed for forcing the conference into disarray and preventing a binding commitment on carbon emissions.

The authors analyse the response to the conference within China itself, as it faces the worst environmental position imaginable, threatening its system and its interests. China will not sacrifice economic development and growth to enter international commitments, but wants to restructure its economy towards low-carbon industries. Beijing believes a global move towards a low-carbon economy presents it with economic opportunities for the future. If Europe doesn’t fight for better international standards in these new industries, from batteries to solar energy and “clean” vehicles, the future of environmental technology could belong to the Chinese economy, just as it already does in sectors like mobile phones. China is adept at manipulating systems to deal with climate change so it gains full economic advantage from them. For instance Beijing is miles ahead of Europe in formulating carbon taxes, and will make sure that such taxes work to its own benefit. For Beijing, environmental diplomacy and its economy are more important than environmental considerations.

 

Summary

– CLIMATE POLICIES AFTER COPENHAGEN –

Lessons for China from the Copenhagen Summit (Anne Rulliat)

Carbon tax: an appraisal of the debate (Thomas Vendryes)

Towards a low-carbon economy? (Gaëlle Brillant)

The Copenhagen summit viewed as a success (Jean-François Di Meglio)

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