Book Series
Vol. 9
THE GROWING DIGITAL PRESENCE OF CHINA IN THE CEE COUNTRIES
The recent technological competition between the United States and China seems to be the most critical battleground in the struggle for hegemonic power. This struggle has often been described as a long-term race between two different political regimes. Another obvious aspect is that in this contest, although it occurs on many levels and in several places simultaneously, the European Union appears to be an ideal battleground as it is wealthy and inherently weak as a political power.
Papers in this book contribute to the Central European level of this geopolitical dispute, however, they often seek to address questions of soft power. In this search, the focus is on China's policies and achievements in this area, not on the policies and actions of the United States. In our understanding, the recent political, economic and technological rise of China and the withdrawal of the United States from multilateral commitments have created a new and more unstable geopolitical environment in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Against this backdrop, the recent assertion that CEE countries are becoming hubs for geopolitical competition among the great powers should not come as a surprise.
The edited volume is part of the OBIC Book Series, in which nine books have been published to date. The aim of the edited book is to shed light on China's geopolitical motivations in the CEE region, and it raises the question of whether the United States is able to contain China's advance in this particular area. Studies published in the book examined the potential impact of China's digital presence in Hungary and the CEE region.
We are very grateful for the support of Magyar Nemzeti Bank (Central Bank of Hungary, MNB) and Budapest Business School, without whose generosity and commitment to collaboration this volume would not have been possible.