ReConnect China: BRI and Europe: China’s evolving diplomacy in Europe

This episode examines the evolving contours of China’s economic diplomacy in Europe. We consider emerging mechanisms for resolving commercial and political disagreements within BRI frameworks, the varied local responses to large scale Chinese projects, and signs of adjustment in China’s strategic discourse toward European partners. Host Carmen Amado Mendes is joined by Tiago Santos, Diogo Borges and Gábor Szüdi to discuss their latest research publications and the broader implications for trade, governance and bilateral relations. Host: Carmen Amado Mendes, the President of the Macau Scientific and Cultural Centre (CCCM) Guests: Diogo Borges , PhD Researcher, Centre of International Studies (CEI-ISCTE) and Macau Scientific and Cultural Centre (CCCM) Tiago Botelho dos Santos, PhD Researcher, Centre of International Studies (CEI-ISCTE) and Macau Scientific and Cultural Centre (CCCM) Gábor Szüdi, Senior Researcher, Centre for Social Innovation (ZSI) Links to the publications discussed in this podcast: Navigating a Multipolar Legal Order: European Institutions and Dispute Resolution in the Age of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) https://www.reconnect-china.ugent.be/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026_Tiago-Diogo-CAM_ReConnectChina_D2.8.2-ResearchPaper_NavigatingMultipolar-LegalOrder.pdf The Geopolitics of Perception: Non-Elite Views of the BRI and a New Policy Blueprint for the European Global Gateway https://www.reconnect-china.ugent.be/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026_TiagoDiogoCAM_ReConnectChina_D2.8.3-ResearchPaper-GeopPerception.pdf Policy and discursive shifts in China’s economic diplomacy amid rising geopolitical tensions https://open-research-europe.ec.europa.eu/articles/6-109/v1