Stefan Messingschlager
Historian & Political Scientist
with a focus on Modern China
News and Public Outreach
New Publication
07/25/2025
Letzte Chance für Europa, in: wochentaz
Die neue Selbstsicherheit der EU gegenüber China ist positiv. Nötig sind nun konsequentere Entscheidungswege in der EU, um Blockaden zu verhindern.
New Publication
07/02/2025
Europe’s Dangerous Gap in China Expertise, in: The Diplomat
Most European capitals still treat China expertise as a background resource, not a strategic asset. That needs to change.
New Publication
07/01/2025
Decoding Xi’s China: The Return of Pekingology, in: The Interpreter
The art of deciphering Beijing’s carefully guarded politics
has been reawakened under Xi’s increasingly secretive rule.
New Publication
06/25/2025
Europe’s Fragmented China Expertise: Toward Strategic Integration – Lessons from Germany, the UK, and France, in: SOAS China Institute Blog
Stefan Messingschlager explores how fragmented knowledge networks across Germany, France, and the UK are weakening Europe’s ability to respond to China. He argues that without better coordination and integration, Europe risks strategic blind spots in an era of rising geopolitical competition.
New Publication
06/25/2025
Weltordnung am Wendepunkt: Trump und der sino-amerikanische Handelskrieg, in: Blätter für deutsche und internationale Politik 7/2025, pp. 71-77.
Trump’s 2025 tariffs on China triggered more than just a short-term economic crisis — they marked a turning point in the global order. This essay examines how the U.S.-China trade war exposed the limits of transactional diplomacy, revealed China’s strategic resilience, and accelerated the erosion of multilateral institutions. A sobering look at the dawn of a more fragmented world.
New Publication
04/28/2025
Von Verflechtungen und Verwerfungen, in: Internationale Politik. Das Magazin für globales Denken 80/3 (2025), pp. 120-123.
Steuern wir auf eine Konfrontation zwischen Washington und Peking zu, oder gibt es noch Spielraum für multilaterale Konfliktlösung? Neue Bücher zur amerikanisch-chinesischen Rivalität.
New Publication
04/22/2025
Europe’s China Challenge: Why Unity Is the Only Way Forward, in: SOAS China Institute Blog
As transatlantic uncertainty grows and geopolitical tensions rise, Europe’s “partner–competitor–rival” framework is reaching its limits. This piece argues that only a more coordinated and strategically integrated China policy—across trade, technology, and security—can equip the EU to respond effectively to both Washington’s volatility and Beijing’s assertiveness.