Overview

During the Cold War, the People's Republic of China used Switzerland as headquarters for its economic, political, intelligence, and cultural networks in Europe. Based on extensive research in Western and Chinese archives, China's European Headquarters charts not only how Switzerland came to play this role, but also how Chinese networks were built in practice, often beyond the public face of official proclamations and diplomatic interactions. By tracing the development of Sino-Swiss relations in the Cold War, Ariane Knüsel sheds new light on the People's Republic of China's formulation and implementation of foreign policy in Europe, Latin America and Africa and Switzerland's efforts to align neutrality, humanitarian engagement, and economic interests.

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9781009169479

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Reviews

'Ariane Knüsel delivers a compelling historical account of how Switzerland became a key hub for Chinese foreign policy, commercial interests and intelligence operations in Europe during the Cold War. This is a must-read for anyone interested in Sino-European relations at the intersection of trade, human rights, intelligence and Cold War politics.' Christian F. Ostermann, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars 'This is a profoundly important book with a relevance that extends beyond its Cold War focus up to the present day. Drawing on a unique set of sources, the focus on Chinese espionage in Switzerland soon expands to encompass a thorough exploration of the meaning of neutrality, the decisive interests of trade, and the level of inter-state competition that existed within the communist world as much as in the West. This is a refined, multi-layered work which opens up new terrain for reconsidering international relations during the Cold War.' Giles Scott-Smith, Roosevelt Chair in New Diplomatic History, Leiden University 'Knüsel's book makes a welcome contribution to the study of Chinese–European relations during the Cold War. It is based on deep research into Swiss and Chinese archival sources and a solid grasp of the secondary literature on China's foreign relations and Cold War history. It is clearly written and well organized. … Knüsel's volume remains a valuable addition to the study of Chinese foreign policy and Cold War history.' Qiang Zhai, Journal of Chinese History '… an important and welcome contribution to the history of the global Cold War.' Thoralf Klein, H-Soz-Kult

Author Information

Ariane Knüsel is Associate Researcher at the University of Fribourg and the University of Basel's Europainstitut.

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