Fragmented Europe: Dealing with China as a technology and innovation power

Please note that this report is embargoed until June 30, 2026, 10 a.m. CEST.

Edited by: Bernhard Bartsch, Claudia Wessling
Peer reviewers: Andreas B. Forsby, Nick Nieschalke, John Seaman, Tamás Matura, Francesca Maremonti, Aurelio Insisa, Matej Šimalčík, Filip Šebok, Anastas Vangeli, Katja Zajc Kejžar, Mario Esteban, and Miriam Tardell

Recent years have seen the EU shift toward a policy of “de-risking” in relation to cooperation with China in the science and technology space, as concerns over economic and research security continue to grow. However, this ambition lacks cohesive implementation, and the current state of affairs is a patchwork of sometimes competing interests and approaches across member states.

This year’s report by the European Think Tank Network on China (ETNC) examines national approaches to dealing with China as a technological power and research partner, reflecting the broad range of approaches implemented across Europe. 

The report features 24 national chapters and a dedicated EU chapter, written by China experts covering their own country’s relationship with China in relation to science, technology and innovation, along the same line of inquiry: How does your country engage with and respond to China as a technological and innovation power, and how does it manage entanglements across cooperation, competition, and rivalry dimensions?

The authors tackle this question through:

• Analyzing recent trends in science and technology collaboration with China in their respective countries
• Highlighting focus areas where interaction with China is most relevant 
• Discussing relevant national policy adjustments related to tech cooperation with China
• Providing an outlook on how the future relationship with China may play out in the coming years. 

You can download the full report as a PDF here:

MERICS experts contributed the following chapters to this year's edition:

• Executive Summary: Fragmented Europe: Dealing with China as a technology and innovation power, by Claudia Wessling and Bernhard Bartsch
• EU: Shepherded by Brussels, Europe awakens to Chinese technology, by Rebecca Arcesati
• Germany: From mutual benefit to existential competition with China, by Claudia Wessling and Bernhard Bartsch
• Ireland: Interlocking factors shape the approach to China in science-tech innovation, by Alexander Davey
• Italy: Biopharma, automotive and telecoms sectors are facing China’s technological power, by Aurelio Insisa (formerly Istituto Affari Internazionali)
   

The European Think-tank Network on China (ETNC) is a gathering of China experts from a selection of European policy research institutes. It is devoted to the policy-oriented study of Chinese foreign policy and relations between China and European countries as well as China and the EU.