Crisis Impact. China-Central Europe relations amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine

It argues that the war in Ukraine and, specifically, China’s position of “pro-Russian neutrality” on it have produced a crisis in China-CE relations. This crisis imposes on V4 countries a difficult choice between engagement and disengagement with Beijing and poses difficult questions. How to navigate this difficult choice in the face of conflicting incentives? How to strike the right balance between engagement and disengagement? These questions and the choice that lies behind them present the V4 countries with a dilemma, the “China dilemma.” To navigate this “China dilemma,” the following paper advocates a dual-track policy of limiting engagement with China in response to its position on the war but preserving a modicum of cooperation to prevent a complete rift in relations and allow for limited future engagement. This dual-track policy is embodied in a list of specific recommendations for each V4 country.