Paper Titles & Abstracts

It is believed that economic crisis has changed the balance of power in the world. China is perceived as one of these countries that benefits the most from global disorder. We have already noticed growing Chinese economic presence in Europe (some of us with hope others with worry). Many experts express their anxiety of raising political influences of China and 41% of citizens from 12 EU member states claim that they are afraid of China. The main aim of this paper is to confront hopes and worries with facts and to answer following questions:1. Are Chinese economic activities in Europe during this turbulent time of crisis pose a real danger for the EU? 2. To what extent China has gained a better political position in Europe and should we be afraid of so called "Chinese lobby in the Council"?3. Could China really be an important part of the solution to the economic crisis in Europe? All the answers will be presented in broader historical perspective that could allow us to notice some long term trends. Chinese activities in Europe will be presented in the theoretical framework of neorealism/defensive realism, that seems to be especially useful for the purpose of this paper because it is clearly the dominant school of thought in China.