Knowledge as power
China’s think tanks and the European Union
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12047232 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Silvana Tarlea (0000-0002-3225-5847, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Pages | 1-17 |
| Publication date | 2025-07-27 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of European Integration (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0703-6337 • E-ISSN: 1477-2280 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/07036337.2025.2537378 |
| OpenAlex | W4412680130 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 36 |
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is a key trading partner of the European Union (EU). As the PRC’s global relevance continues to grow, it is important to understand its domestic processes for producing knowledge about Europe, since these processes have the power to shape China’s foreign policy towards the EU. Based on interviews conducted in Beijing, this paper identifies think tanks affiliated with the Party-state as key producers of knowledge about Europe. The mechanism that allows them to play this role depends on input factors, such as access to information and funding, and output factors, such as the capacity to publish research and gain recognition. This largely depends on the Party-state. Consequently, knowledge production becomes a political construct typical of an authoritarian state, with think tanks emerging as key players in foreign relations between Europe and China. This article improves our understanding of knowledge production in authoritarian settings
Business · China · Economics · Economy · European union · International trade · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Think tanks · European Union Policy and Governance · International Development and Aid · Law · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies
Buying National Security
The dos and don’ts of influencing policy
Regulating Intellectual Life in China
The media and think tanks in China
Research, Ethics and Risk in the Authoritarian Field
What Do Think Tanks Think? Proximity to Power and Foreign Policy Preferences
Geopolitical triangle
What do Think Tanks do? Chatham House in search of the United States
Chinese Think Tanks and Public Diplomacy in the Xi Jinping Era
The Role of Think Tanks in Chinese Foreign Policy
Executive power in European Union politics
Sociology of Knowledge and Production of Normative Power in the European Union’s External Actions
Does the Academic Programme Work? The Jean Monnet Programme and European Union Public Diplomacy
Interests, Influence and Information
Academia and practice in European foreign policy
Researching Authoritarianism in the Discipline of Democracy
The Universal Values of Science and China’s Nobel Prize Pursuit
Politics of Immobility
Think tanks in politically embedded knowledge regimes
The Influence of Think Tanks in the Chinese Policy Process
How Should Academics Engage in Policymaking to Achieve Impact
The power of expertise
The Authoritarian Assault on Knowledge
The autocratic bias
Academic Censorship in China
China’s ‘New-Type’ Private Think Tanks
Responding to crises in authoritarian environments
The use of triangulation in qualitative studies employing elite interviews
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |