Competition over high technology has turned into a defining element of great power rivalry between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. While Europe has a close relationship with the US, interests are not fully aligned. The European Union struggles with both the risk of being squeezed between technology superpowers and its desire to uphold cooperation where possible.

In this seminar, Tim Rühlig, Senior Research Fellow, German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP),  will explore how China has turned from an unlikely candidate to an innovation powerhouse within a decade. He will propose a heuristic helping to understand how China’s technological capability turns into international influence. Focusing on scenarios around Taiwan, he will finally and exemplarily discuss future directions and policy options available to the EU.

  • How did Europe end up in this position?
  • What makes technology competition decisive for geopolitical competition?
  • What is ahead and how can Europe and Sweden position themselves?