Chinese Investments in Europe

Abstract

China’s rapidly rising investments in Europe have spawned anxieties about the future of the Liberal International Order. This introduction to the volume situates the puzzle of China’s growing resources vis-à-vis its limited influence. Departing from flattened perspectives that predict either inevitable conflict or assured cooperation, the introductory chapter urges readers to consider the extent, limits and modalities of China’s power. Its contribution is three-fold. Conceptually, the chapter offers a relational definition of power that pinpoints attention to the ways in which China translates its growing investments in Europe towards influencing the preferences of host countries. Empirically, it outlines the different modalities through which China harnesses the agency of European countries towards its own (fragmented) preferences. Theoretically, the chapter introduces a dynamic framework to understand the interaction between state-society relations in China with state-society relations in European countries to comprehensively appreciate the extent, limits and modalities of China’s influence.