Made in China 2025 (MIC 2025) is an industrial strategic plan, with which the chinese government wishes to turn China into a manufacturing superpower within 2025. The plan stretches from 2015 to 2025, with the biggest target industries being automotive, aviation, machinery, robotics, high-tech maritime and railway equipment, energy-saving vehicles, medical devices and information technology. The inspiration for the initiative was found in Germany’s industry 4.0 plan, however the MIC 2025 is much more outwards oriented when it comes to transfer of technology and at the same time very restrictive and protective for the access to the domestic market.

Chinese presence in European ports has intensified and grown the past few years. As of July 2019, Chinese companies were present in more than 13 European ports, through either investments, ownership, or operator’s license and management.

The Romanian government wants to diversify its energy mix and increase the share of nuclear power in the national energy mix by finalizing the construction of reactors 3 and 4 of the Cernavoda nuclear power plant. In 2013, the Romanian government started the negotiations with China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) to ensure external financial assistance for the construction.

Economic sanctions are powerful instruments of national states’ foreign policy, conducted by some international organisations as well. They comprise various measures through which a sanctions–targeted country is becoming isolated of goods and services export/import.

China’s rapid economic development has increased the country’s dependence on energy imports within all domains of its energy mix – coal, oil and natural gas. Moreover, China has become too reliant on coal to meet its energy needs, which has caused major environmental challenges and spread pollution across China.