China’s Ideational Influence in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE): A Comparative Analysis of Chinese and European Scholars’ Interpretations of China-CEE Cooperation

Abstract

ABSTRACT Chinese and European scholarly debates on China’s relations with Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have steadily heated up since the introduction of the 16/17 + 1 cooperation mechanism in 2012. However, they have tended to take place in discrete linguistic and academic bubbles. This article has three aims: first, to introduce Chinese scholarly debates on China-CEE cooperation to an Anglophone readership; second, to conduct a critical assessment of Chinese and European scholars’ inclusions and omissions; and third, to compare the narratives presented by Chinese scholars concerning China-CEE cooperation with European scholars’ interpretations. The content analysis demonstrates that Chinese scholars under-emphasize the influence-forming and ideational aspects of the platform, while European scholars insufficiently analyze the extent to which the 16/17 + 1ʹs characteristics are shared with other Chinese regional cooperation platforms.