China's Relations With U.S. Allies and Partners in Europe and Asia Pacific - Belt and Road Initiative (OBOR), Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and President Xi Jinping's Engagement and Coercion Tactics

This is an important report compilation of testimony at a 2018 hearing which explored Beijing's objectives in its relations with U.S. allies and partners in Europe and the Asia Pacific and the means by which Beijing seeks to achieve those objectives. It examined how Beijing employs and integrates various elements of its national power to influence these countries, these countries' responses to Beijing's efforts, and the implications for the United States' interests and its relations with its European and Asia Pacific allies and partners.

Panel I: China's Relations with U.S. Allies and Partners in Europe * 1. Erik Brattberg Director, Europe Program, and Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace * 2. Thomas Wright, Ph. D. Director, Center on the United States and Europe and Senior Fellow, Project on International Order and Strategy, Brookings Institution * 3. Christopher Walker, Vice President for Studies and Analysis, National Endowment for Democracy * Panel II: China's Relations with U.S. Allies and Partners in the Asia Pacific * 4. Ankit Panda, Adjunct Senior Fellow, Defense Posture Project, Federation of American Scientists * 5. Russell Hsiao, J.D., Executive Director, Global Taiwan Institute * 6. Amy Searight, Ph.D. Senior Adviser and Director, Southeast Asia Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies * 7. Peter Mattis, Fellow, China Program, Jamestown Foundation

This compilation includes a reproduction of the 2019 Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community.

China is expanding its engagement in all regions of the world, not only in its backyard but far beyond. Europe and the Asia Pacific are two regions in which the United States has numerous alliances and partnerships and in which China is increasingly active. As Beijing has become more confident and assertive in pursuing its interests on the global stage, points of tension with the United States have grown. It is therefore important for the United States to understand the methods and tools China uses to achieve its objectives. In tandem with China's increased economic clout, China's toolbox has expanded accordingly and its tools have become more effective. This hearing delves into what these tools are and how China applies them. The first panel addresses China's relations with U.S. allies and partners in Europe, many of which are in NATO. It examine s China's objectives and its relations with European countries and the ways in which it seeks to achieve those objectives. The various ways in which China is engaging with European countries have significant implications for transatlantic cooperation and U.S. security interests. In recent years China has increased its economic and diplomatic engagement with European countries. Investment in Europe by Chinese entities has increased dramatically, including investments in ports and acquisitions of European technology companies. The Belt and Road Initiative—President Xi Jinping's signature initiative—connects Asia with Europe and much attention has been devoted to Chinese investment in infrastructure in Europe through this initiative. Another of Beijing's initiatives, the 16+1 framework, through which Beijing engages with Central and Eastern European counterparts, is also raising concerns in Brussels about how it could introduce intra-EU divisions and increase China's leverage in its relations with the EU.