China Wake Up Call

The Consultative Forum on International Security Policy took place in Ireland from June 22nd to the 27th. It brought together an extensive range of experts who shared their insights on a wide variety of topics including cyber security, peacekeeping, the triple lock, NATO and much more. While Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was top of mind for many, China’s increasing assertiveness and support for Russia was less to the fore. Professor Andrew Cottey who is the EU Jean Monnet Chair in European Political Integration at the Department of Government and Politics at UCC was among the panel of experts. I sat down with him on the third day of the forum in Dublin to talk about China’s increasing assertiveness, the perception of China in Ireland, Confucius Institutes and China’s influence and disinformation operations in Ireland.