Researcher
Bjørnar Sverdrup-Thygeson
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Summary
Bjørnar Sverdrup-Thygeson is a Senior Researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies (IFS), and part of the IFS Asia Programme. His research focuses on Chinese foreign policy, geoeconomics, and Europe-China relations.
Sverdrup-Thygeson holds a PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics, and degrees in international politics and Chinese studies from the University of Oxford, University of Oslo, NMBU, and a range of universities in China. Recipient of a number of awards and grants, including two Oxford scholarships, he has published on a broad range of topics related to Chinese foreign policies of the past and present.
In the recent book The Identity Factor in Chinese Relations with Europe: China and the Barbarian Civilization Sverdrup-Thygeson provides an analysis of contemporary China-Europe relations, in light of the role of European powers in shaping the modern Chinese state from the 1840s onwards. Drawing upon teaching experience from the London School of Economics, The Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), the University of Oslo, and Oslo New University College, he is also actively involved in the Norwegian public debate.
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Clear all filtersStore utfordringer, små steg: Europas vanskelige geoøkonomiske posisjon overfor Kina
Europeiske økonomiske og politiske strukturer innebærer et spesielt vanskelig utgangspunkt i en tidsalder hvor geopolitikk, og ønsket om å begrense økonomisk sårbarhet overfor Kina, i økende grad styrer handel og investeringer. Russlands fullskalainvasjon av Ukraina har tydeliggjort risikoen ved å være for økonomisk eksponert mot autoritære regimer, og bidratt til et signifikant skifte i europeisk Kina-politikk. Men ringvirkningene av invasjonen har samtidig gjort det vanskeligere å endre det økonomiske forholdet til Kina. Mens USA og Japan over de siste årene har lykkes i å redusere sin direkte økonomiske eksponering mot Kina, har dermed Europa innen en rekke nøkkelområder gått i motsatt retning. Dette geoøkonomiske problemkomplekset former Europas mulighetsrom overfor Beijing, og har også potensiale til å skape transatlantiske spenninger. En rekke viktige initiativ har nylig blitt igangsatt på EU-nivå for å bøte på situasjonen, men gitt det vanskelige utgangspunktet, er utfordringene store.
The Identity Factor in Chinese Relations with Europe: China and the Barbarian Civilization
This book offers a sustained, historically grounded analysis of the identity factor in China-Europe relations. The identity of the modern Chinese state was forged in the context of European emissaries, gunboats, and books. The effects still shape China’s policies towards Europe today, as it becomes a focal point in the great power competition between the US and China. The author argues that identity dilemmas are central to Chinese Europe policies, both past and present. This is reflected in the two-pronged composition of the book; one historical section, combined and complemented with one contemporary section. Case studies of three key political flashpoints between the EU, individual European countries, and China over the last two decades, demonstrates the contemporary relevance of a set of identity issues whose deep roots are uncovered through analysing Chinese political texts from the preceding two centuries. Aimed primarily at scholars and students of Chinese and European international relations, this book will also be of interest to scholars of ontological security theory, constructivism, and other identity-driven approaches to international politics.