CKN and think tank partners team up in European China Knowledge Network

The European China Knowledge Network (ECKN) supports timely and strategic dialogue on China among participants from the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the European External Action Service, member states and other experts.

ECKN is an intiative of the Dutch China Knowledge Network (CKN), the German Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) and the Swedish National China Centre (at UI), supported by The Netherlands, Germany and Sweden. In Q2/2025 ECKN holds its first series of confidential Round Tables in Brussels – where it seeks to set up a permanent presence.

The first Round Table was hosted by the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) on 2 April 2025, where a new MERICS report on overcapacity and macro-economic imbalances in China was discussed. 

China Knowledge Network

The Dutch China Knowledge Network (CKN) is a network established to connect China experts and disseminate knowledge within the government of the Netherlands and beyond. 

Map
11 Affiliated institutions 32 Publications

Latest projects

37
Show all projects

Events

28
Meyskens CKN

CKN Knowledge Session - Taiwanese Perspectives on Russia’s War in Ukraine

In this March edition of the CKN Knowledge Sessions, Dr. Covell Meyskens - Associate Professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in California, USA - explored Taiwan’s perspectives on Russia’s war in Ukraine. It a very topical subject, given the deal Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are discussing to end the war in Ukraine. Some people in Taiwan might understandably wonder whether something similar could ever happen to them: a deal struck by Trump and Xi without the direct involvement of Taiwan’s leadership.
Pig butchering

CKN Knowledge Session - How Pig-Butchering Scams are Spreading from China to the Netherlands

Digital fraud has become a pressing issue worldwide, transcending cultural and geopolitical boundaries. One of the newer forms is the “pig-butchering” scam, a sophisticated online fraud scheme where victims—often approached on social media and dating apps—are slowly manipulated into making fraudulent cryptocurrency investments. These scams, which first emerged in China, have now expanded globally, affecting thousands of victims—including in the Netherlands.  They have become more challenging with the help of AI, as seen in a recent case where a French interior designer was conned out of €830,000 by an AI-deep-faked Brad Pitt. 
Show all events