China’s Westward Footprint in Central and Eastern Europe

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is expanding its economic and political reach into Central and Eastern Europe through trade deals, infrastructure projects, and not-so-subtle comments by state officials. Over the last year, Edward Lucas, Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) and long-serving foreign correspondent, has been following the CCP’s westward footprint. His weekly newsletter China Influence Monitor, which was published by Coda Story in collaboration with CEPA, provided a roundup of CCP activity, as well as a close examination of Chinese influence operations in the region. With the newsletter ending its regularly scheduled distribution, Coda Story sits down with Lucas to discuss China’s motivations and goals in the region and what he will be watching in terms of European-Chinese relations going forward.