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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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China EU Relations: Where to Now?

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Note n°11 de l’Observatoire de la Chine, par le Pr. Kerry Brown

Since a period of mutual idealism in the early 2000s, the European Union (EU) and China have used their disappointments in the period over 2003 to 2016 to craft a relationship which is now much more pragmatic and structured on tangible outcomes. It is based on a clear understanding by each of the relationship’s value as well as their goals. This article looks at the way the relationship has developed through a series of high level strategic documents, notably the two White Papers issued by the Chinese State Council, and the two Communications issued by the EU Commission in 2006 and 2016. It shows the progress these documents attest to in the relationship, but also looks at the potentially highly destabilizing impact that the United Kingdom’s attempts to exit the EU following the June 23rd 2016 referendum. While the foundations for EU-China relations have never been more soundly thought through and deliberated on, therefore, the future between both still looks challenging and potentially highly complex.

  • The early 2000s – the Era of Mutual Idealism
  • Post 2009 – The Dawn of Realism
  • June 2016 Brexit: A Shocking Blow
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