Emily S. Weinstein, Research Fellow at the Georgetown Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), Nonresident Fellow at the Atlantic Council Global China Hub and the National Bureau of Asian Research, and Martin Hala, Sinologist at Charles University in Prague, founder and director of the Sinopsis Project, gave presentations at an event organized by the International Office of the University of Public Service and the Embassy of the United States of America on February 28 in the Zrínyi Hall of the Ludovika Main Building. The event was moderated by Attaché Douglas J. Tanner. The Presentations focused on the Sinopsis Project's analysis of China-related issues in Europe.
Emily S. Weinstein explained one of the Chinese Communist Party's important long-term projects on digitalization, which runs from 2015-2025. "It is not starting from the bottom, but directly from the top, from the high party leadership level", Weinstein added. This phenomenon, unique to the Chinese model, demonstrates the force of party will. Innovation in China has changed radically in the last 15-20 years. While outright copying is no longer a feature of technological development, implementing original ideas in a form that the party can accept is (a perfect example is the social media apps used in China, such as "we chat").
Martin Hala took the floor from Emily Weinstein. He analysed not only from a global but also from a Czech perspective the China-related issues. Martin Hala argued that the trend in recent years in the Central and Eastern European region is that society is less and less willing to cooperate with the Eastern superpower. In his opinion, the European approach should definitely focus on managing the existing relations in an appropriate way.
The presentations were concluded by a short Q&A session, where the audience had the opportunity to engage in a more informal discussion with the speakers.
Text: International Office
Photos: Dénes Szilágyi