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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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Memo – The significance of demographics in understanding Chinese foreign policy – Eva Merle

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Memo of the 29th of September 2021 webinar.

With Eva Merle (Comité France Chine)
Memo by Soo Min Hong

Why approach a subject of international relations from the angle of demography? This is the first question that needs to be addressed when we speak of the topic at hand. First, it is important to consider Chinese policy in the long-term – and to do this, it is important to consider foreign policy by also considering domestic policy. In China today, demographic data is used significantly for the establishment and development of domestic policy. Foreign policy should also be considered in a similar manner. Second, considering demographic data allows us to create a link between the macro and micro scales. Using demographic data can allow us to understand social, and economic variations as well as the more specific variations within Chinese family units. Last, by considering demographic data and crossing the multiple types of demographic datasets, there was considerable evidence pointing towards what seemed to be a great weakness in China. Today, China’s image leans heavily on aggressive politics, a somewhat “predatorial” image on the international stage. However, during Covid-19 it was also perceived as a success story when it came to dealing with the global pandemic – and was the sole country recorded by the OECD as having positive growth in 2020. Yet China has still been showing slowed growth among other matters that can be brought up as issues – which shows the country isn’t infallible.
  • Opening remarks
  • Main presentation
    • Why approach a subject of international relations from a demographic perspective?
    • I – The influence of demography in the development of Chinese foreign policy
      • A) Strong control of the birth rate: the political construction of a demographic danger
      • B) The urgent need for the transformation of the Chinese development model: the one-child policy as an explanatory factor
      • C) Aggressive assertion on the international scene dictated by an imperative around the regime’s survival
    • These analyses make it possible to understand…
    • II – Illustrations: using demography as a tool to understand Chinese news
      • A) The economic strategy of dual circulation
      • B) The takeover of the private education sector
      • C) The bankruptcy of Evergrande
  • Q&A
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