- In Q2 2022, Beijing’s main focus was on addressing domestic challenges and trying to stabilise the country’s economic situation, which is already showing some signs of recovery despite continuous implementation of its zero COVID policy.
- While the COVID outbreak in Shanghai and Beijing is considered contained, considerable tensions and uncertainty remain in society due to the fact that severe restrictions can be reapplied at any time.
- China’s increased focus on the Pacific and the signing of a security treaty with the Solomon Islands are indicative of its growing ambitions in the region, which will inevitably lead to a fierce rivalry and confrontation with the US.
- Countries in the South-East Asia region are not very optimistic about their economic situation, but there are some positive signs of recovery from the pandemic. However, this year, the region’s economic outlook is rather cautious, not only because of the impact of the war in Ukraine, but also because of China’s unstable economic situation and disruption to supply chains.
GSSC Associate Expert and Chief Policy Analyst at the Government Strategic Analysis Center (STRATA). Since 2021, he has been a PhD candidate at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science, Vilnius University. In 2023, Boruta was a visiting fellow at National Chengchi University in Taiwan under the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Taiwan Fellowship programme. He holds an MA in International Relations from Sichuan University, China, and a BA in East Asian Studies with a focus on China from the University of Central Lancashire, United Kingdom. His research focuses on the foreign and domestic policies of China and Taiwan, as well as cross-Strait relations, with particular attention to the dynamics of China–ASEAN relations and the strategic competition between Beijing and Taipei in Central and Eastern Europe.
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