Dr Pascal Abb

Dr Pascal Abb

Research Group Coordinator
Researcher
Research Department:
Intrastate Conflict
Research Group Regime Competition

Contact

E-Mail: abb @prif .org

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CV

since 2023Coordination of the research group “Regime Competition” at PRIF
since 2020Senior Researcher at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF)
2018–2020Senior Researcher at the Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution (ASPR), Vienna
2016Visiting fellow at Tsinghua University, Beijing
2015Visiting fellow at National Chengchi University, Taipei
2013–2017Research fellow at the GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Hamburg
2009–2013Research fellow and Ph.D. candidate at the German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA) and University of Hamburg, awarded Ph.D. (Dr. phil.) degree in 2013
2004–2005Scholarship for Modern Chinese studies at Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing
2002–2008University studies in Political Science, Sinology and Philosophy at the University of Zurich, Switzerland

Expertise

Dr Pascal Abb is working on the following issues:

  • Chinese Foreign Policy
  • Belt and Road Initative
  • Chinese Conceptions of World Orders
  • Infrastructure and Conflicts
  • Knowledge and Governance
  • Taiwan

Publications

Going over the Guardrails? China Policy in the 2024 US Election | 2024

Abb, Pascal (2024): Going over the Guardrails? China Policy in the 2024 US Election, PRIF Blog, 4.9.2024.

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The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor at Ten | 2024

Abb, Pascal / Boni, Filippo / Karrar, Hasan (2024): The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor at Ten. Taking Stock of the Belt and Road’s “Flagship” Project, in: Abb, Pascal/Boni, Filippo/Karrar, Hasan (eds), China, Pakistan and the Belt and Road Initiative: The Experience of an Early Adopter State, London: Routledge, www.taylorfrancis.com/(...).

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Do regime differences shape developmental engagement? How China and Japan compete in post-coup Myanmar | 2023

Abb, Pascal / Yennie Lindgren, Wrenn (2023): Do regime differences shape developmental engagement? How China and Japan compete in post-coup Myanmar, PRIF Blog, 20.12.2023.

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International Conference Dealing with Autocracies in a Fragmented World Conference Report | 2023

Abb, Pascal / Weipert-Fenner, Irene / Wolff, Jonas / Driedger, Jonas J. (2023): International Conference Dealing with Autocracies in a Fragmented World Conference Report, PRIF Conference Report, 11.12.2023.

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An Audible Silence. The Role of Autocracy and Democracy in Germany’s National Security Strategy | 2023

Abb, Pascal / Pfeifer, Hanna / Weipert-Fenner, Irene / Wolff, Jonas (2023): An Audible Silence. The Role of Autocracy and Democracy in Germany’s National Security Strategy, EDP Wire, 22.9.2023.

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Germany’s New China Strategy: A Defensive Shift | 2023

Abb, Pascal (2023): Germany’s New China Strategy: A Defensive Shift, PRIF Blog, 19.7.2023.

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Nicht darüber reden ist auch keine Lösung: Die Rolle von Autokratie und Demokratie in der Nationalen Sicherheitsstrategie | 2023

Abb, Pascal / Pfeifer, Hanna / Weipert-Fenner, Irene / Wolff, Jonas (2023): Nicht darüber reden ist auch keine Lösung: Die Rolle von Autokratie und Demokratie in der Nationalen Sicherheitsstrategie, PRIF BLOG, 17.7.2023.

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Institutionelle Friedenssicherung: Handel und Frieden: Wie viel Entflechtung verträgt der Frieden? | 2023

Abb, Pascal / Deitelhoff, Nicole / Kroll, Stefan / Peez, Anton / Schreiber, Franziska / Wolff, Jonas (2023): Institutionelle Friedenssicherung: Handel und Frieden: Wie viel Entflechtung verträgt der Frieden?, in: onn International Center for Conversion (BICC)/Leibniz-Institut Hessische Stiftung Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (HSFK)/Institut für Friedensforschung und Sicherheitspolitik an der Universität Hamburg (IFSH)/Institut für Entwicklung und Frieden (INEF) (Hg.), Friedensgutachten 2023, Bielefeld: transcript Verlag, 103-121, https://www.friedensgutachten.de/.

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Xi and Putin’s Strategic Tango: Unpacking the Complexities of Russia-China Relations After the 2023 Moscow Summit | 2023

Abb, Pascal / Polianskii, Mikhail (2023): Xi and Putin’s Strategic Tango: Unpacking the Complexities of Russia-China Relations After the 2023 Moscow Summit, PRIF Blog, 20.4.2023.

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Regime Competition in a Fragmented World: Consequences for Peace and Conflict | 2023

Abb, Pascal / Weipert-Fenner, Irene (2023): Regime Competition in a Fragmented World: Consequences for Peace and Conflict, PRIF Blog, 19.4.2023.

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The Belt and Road Initiative in Southeast Asia: a delicate balance between external and internal security | 2023

Abb, Pascal / Tan, Jeslyn / Phan, Hien (2023): The Belt and Road Initiative in Southeast Asia: a delicate balance between external and internal security, in: EANGAGE edited volume (ed.), Singapur: Select Books.

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China's New Global Security Initiative | 2023

Abb, Pascal (2023): China's New Global Security Initiative. A rising power spreads its wings, PRIF Spotlight 2/2023, Frankfurt/M, DOI: 10.48809/prifspot2302.

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With friends like these: the Sino-Russian partnership is based on interests, not ideology | 2023

Abb, Pascal / Polianskii, Mikhail (2023): With friends like these: the Sino-Russian partnership is based on interests, not ideology, in: Zeitschrift für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung, DOI: 10.1007/s42597-023-00090-2.

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Inklusion statt Systemkonkurrenz | 2023

Abb, Pascal / Pfeifer, Hanna / Wolff, Jonas (2023): Inklusion statt Systemkonkurrenz, PRIF BLOG, 12.1.2023.

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Standpunkt: Inklusion statt Systemkonkurrenz | 2022

Abb, Pascal / Pfeifer, Hanna / Wolff, Jonas (2022): Standpunkt: Inklusion statt Systemkonkurrenz, Vereinte Nationen, 8.12.2022.

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All geopolitics is local: the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor amidst overlapping centre–periphery relations | 2022

Abb, Pascal (2022): All geopolitics is local: the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor amidst overlapping centre–periphery relations, in: Third World Quarterly, DOI: 10.1080/01436597.2022.2128329.

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Together Against Evil Autocracies? On the Pitfalls of Basing Germany’s Security Strategy on Democratic Alliance-building | 2022

Wolff, Jonas / Abb, Pascal / Pfeifer, Hanna (2022): Together Against Evil Autocracies? On the Pitfalls of Basing Germany’s Security Strategy on Democratic Alliance-building, EDP Wire, 6.8.2022.

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Gemeinsam gegen die bösen Autokratien? Zu den Fallstricken demokratischer Allianzbildung als Pfeiler einer zukünftigen deutschen Sicherheitsstrategie | 2022

Abb, Pascal / Pfeifer, Hanna / Wolff, Jonas (2022): Gemeinsam gegen die bösen Autokratien? Zu den Fallstricken demokratischer Allianzbildung als Pfeiler einer zukünftigen deutschen Sicherheitsstrategie, PRIF BLOG, 13.7.2022.

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Chinas Belt-and-Road-Initiative ist ein Sicherheitsproblem – aber nicht so, wie oft gedacht | 2022

Abb, Pascal (2022): Chinas Belt-and-Road-Initiative ist ein Sicherheitsproblem – aber nicht so, wie oft gedacht, PRIF BLOG, 6.7.2022.

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Fokus: Friedens- und Sicherheitspolitik nach der Zeitenwende | 2022

Abb, Pascal / Daase, Christopher / Debiel, Tobias / Dembinski, Matthias / Deitelhoff, Nicole / Polianskii, Mikhail / Schetter, Conrad / Schröder, Ursula / Schörnig, Niklas (2022): Fokus: Friedens- und Sicherheitspolitik nach der Zeitenwende, in: Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC)/Leibniz-Institut Hessische Stiftung Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (HSFK)/Institut für Friedensforschung und Sicherheitspolitik an der Universität Hamburg (IFSH)/Institut für Entwicklung und Frieden (INEF) (Hg.), Friedensgutachten 2022, Bielefeld: transcript Verlag, 25-43, www.friedensgutachten.de.

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Institutionelle Friedenssicherung: Nur Mittel zum Zweck: Erfolgsbedingungen von Sanktionen | 2022

Deitelhoff, Nicole / Daase, Christopher / Peez, Anton / Brzoska, Michael / Abb, Pascal / Attia, Hana / Grauvogel, Julia (2022): Institutionelle Friedenssicherung: Nur Mittel zum Zweck: Erfolgsbedingungen von Sanktionen, in: Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC)/Leibniz-Institut Hessische Stiftung Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (HSFK)/Institut für Friedensforschung und Sicherheitspolitik an der Universität Hamburg (IFSH)/Institut für Entwicklung und Frieden (INEF) (Hg.), Friedensgutachten 2022, Bielefeld: transcript Verlag, 111-131, www.friedensgutachten.de.

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Infrastructural transformation in high-risk environments: The BRI’s impact on conflict states | 2022

Abb, Pascal (2022): Infrastructural transformation in high-risk environments: The BRI’s impact on conflict states, Belt & Road in Global Perspective, 20.5.2022.

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Nicht viel Liebe in Zeiten des Krieges: Sicherheitspolitik als neues Konfliktfeld in den europäisch-chinesischen Beziehungen | 2022

Abb, Pascal (2022): Nicht viel Liebe in Zeiten des Krieges: Sicherheitspolitik als neues Konfliktfeld in den europäisch-chinesischen Beziehungen, PRIF BLOG, 5.4.2022.

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Frieden am Ende? Die Eskalation im Russland-Ukraine-Konflikt und die Rolle der Friedenspolitik | 2022

Daase, Christopher / Abb, Pascal / Dembinski, Matthias / Fehl, Caroline / Kroll, Stefan / Marauhn, Thilo / Peez, Anton (2022): Frieden am Ende? Die Eskalation im Russland-Ukraine-Konflikt und die Rolle der Friedenspolitik, PRIF BLOG, 24.2.2022.

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A new Sino-Russian Entente? | 2022

Abb, Pascal / Polianskii, Mikhail (2022): A new Sino-Russian Entente? The limits of cooperation on Ukraine and beyond, PRIF Spotlight 2/2022, Frankfurt/M, DOI: 10.48809/prifspot2202.

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Der Koalitionsvertrag von SPD, Grünen und FDP zur Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik | 2021

Abb, Pascal / Birchinger, Sophia / Coni-Zimmer, Melanie / Gromes, Thorsten / Scheyer, Victoria / Wisotzki, Simone (2021): Der Koalitionsvertrag von SPD, Grünen und FDP zur Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik, PRIF Blog, 6.12.2021.

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Deutsche China-Politik zwischen Partnerschaft und Rivalität | 2021

Abb, Pascal (2021): Deutsche China-Politik zwischen Partnerschaft und Rivalität, PRIF Blog, 16.11.2021.

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China’s ‘constructive involvement’ in Afghanistan: an alternative to Western peacebuilding? | 2021

Abb, Pascal / Swaine, Robert (2021): China’s ‘constructive involvement’ in Afghanistan: an alternative to Western peacebuilding?, PRIF Blog, 3.11.2021.

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Deutsche China-Politik zwischen Partnerschaft und Rivalität | 2021

Abb, Pascal (2021): Deutsche China-Politik zwischen Partnerschaft und Rivalität, PRIF Blog, 2.9.2021.

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Road to Peace or Bone of Contention? (chin.) | 2021

Abb, Pascal / Swaine, Robert / Jones, Ilya (2021): Road to Peace or Bone of Contention? (chin.). The Impact of the Belt and Road Initiative on Conflict States, PRIF Report 3/2021, Frankfurt/M.

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Fokus: China – Partner, Konkurrent oder Rivale? | 2021

Abb, Pascal / Hartmann, Christof / Kreuzer, Peter / Noesselt, Nele / Sebastian, Gregor (2021): Fokus: China – Partner, Konkurrent oder Rivale?, in: Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC)/Leibniz-Institut Hessische Stiftung Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (HSFK)/Institut für Friedensforschung und Sicherheitspolitik an der Universität Hamburg (IFSH)/Institut für Entwicklung und Frieden (INEF) (Hg.), Friedensgutachten 2021, Bielefeld: transcript Verlag, 24-47, www.friedensgutachten.de.

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Road to Peace or Bone of Contention? | 2021

Abb, Pascal / Swaine, Robert / Jones, Ilya (2021): Road to Peace or Bone of Contention? The Impact of the Belt and Road Initiative on Conflict States, PRIF Report 1/2021, Frankfurt/M.

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China in transitionary Myanmar. Challenging paths to democratization and peace | 2021

Abb, Pascal / Adhikari, Monalisa (2021): China in transitionary Myanmar. Challenging paths to democratization and peace, PRIF Spotlight 5/2021, Frankfurt/M.

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The EU-China Investment Agreement: a sign of political naïveté or strategic autonomy? | 2021

Abb, Pascal (2021): The EU-China Investment Agreement: a sign of political naïveté or strategic autonomy?, PRIF Blog, 8.1.2021.

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From China Threat to Red Scare: a Post-Trump Republican Perspective on US-China Relations | 2020

Abb, Pascal (2020): From China Threat to Red Scare: a Post-Trump Republican Perspective on US-China Relations, PRIF Blog, 26.11.2020.

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China Policy in the 2020 Election: Same Same, but Different? | 2020

Abb, Pascal (2020): China Policy in the 2020 Election: Same Same, but Different?, PRIF Blog, 22.10.2020.

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From "Peaceful Rise" to "Peacebuilder"? How Evolving Chinese Discourses and Self-Perceptions Impact Its Growing Influence in Conflict Societies (online first) | 2020

Abb, Pascal (2020): From "Peaceful Rise" to "Peacebuilder"? How Evolving Chinese Discourses and Self-Perceptions Impact Its Growing Influence in Conflict Societies (online first), in: Journal of Contemporary China, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10670564.2020.1827353.

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Fraying Ties | 2020

Abb, Pascal (2020): Fraying Ties. The Securitization of the US-China Relationship, PRIF Spotlight 11/2020, Frankfurt/M.

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The Korean Peace Process: A Regional Solution? | 2019

Abb, Pascal (2019): The Korean Peace Process: A Regional Solution?, in: ASPR Policy Brief 1/2019, https://www.friedensburg.at/uploads/files/2019_01_Korean_peace_process.pdf.

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The Devil Is in the Detail: The Positions of BRICS Countries Towards UN Security Council Reform and the Responsibility to Protect | 2019

Abb, Pascal / Jetschke, Anja (2019): The Devil Is in the Detail: The Positions of BRICS Countries Towards UN Security Council Reform and the Responsibility to Protect, in: Stephen, Matthew D./Zürn, Michael (eds), Contested World Orders: Rising Powers, Non-Governmental Organizations, and the Politics of Authority Beyond the Nation-State, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 167–201.

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Leaders or "Guides" of Public Opinion? The Media Role of Chinese Foreign Policy Experts | 2019

Abb, Pascal (2019): Leaders or "Guides" of Public Opinion? The Media Role of Chinese Foreign Policy Experts, in: Modern China, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0097700419882733.

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Taiwan’s Think Tanks and the Practice of Unofficial Diplomacy | 2019

Abb, Pascal (2019): Taiwan’s Think Tanks and the Practice of Unofficial Diplomacy, Taiwan Insight, 6.8.2019.

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The Hong Kong Protests: A Hybrid Governance Failure | 2019

Abb, Pascal (2019): The Hong Kong Protests: A Hybrid Governance Failure, in: ASPR Policy Brief 2/2019, https://www.friedensburg.at/uploads/files/2019_02_Hong_Kong_governance.pdf.

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The Future of Nonproliferation | 2018

Abb, Pascal (2018): The Future of Nonproliferation, in: ASPR Policy Brief 3/2018, https://www.friedensburg.at/uploads/files/2018_03_Nonproliferation_V2.pdf.

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China’s Emergence as a Peacebuilding Actor | 2018

Abb, Pascal (2018): China’s Emergence as a Peacebuilding Actor, in: ASPR Policy Brief 4/2018, https://www.friedensburg.at/uploads/files/2018_04_China_27s_Peacebuilding.pdf.

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What Drives Inter-State Balancing? Estimations of Domestic and Systemic Factors | 2018

Abb, Pascal (2018): What Drives Inter-State Balancing? Estimations of Domestic and Systemic Factors, in: International Politics, 55:2, 279–296, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41311-017-0141-x.

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Understanding the Development of Think Tanks in Mainland China, Taiwan, and Japan | 2018

Abb, Pascal / Köllner, Patrick / Xufeng, Zhu (2018): Understanding the Development of Think Tanks in Mainland China, Taiwan, and Japan, in: Pacific Affairs, 91:1, 5–26, https://pacificaffairs.ubc.ca/articles/understanding-the-development-of-think-tanks-in-mainland-china-taiwan-and-japan-an-introduction-to-the-special-issue/.

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The Impact of Democratization, Political Culture, and Diplomatic Isolation on Think Tank Development in Taiwan | 2018

Abb, Pascal / Yang, Alan (2018): The Impact of Democratization, Political Culture, and Diplomatic Isolation on Think Tank Development in Taiwan, in: Pacific Affairs, 91:1, 73–94, https://pacificaffairs.ubc.ca/articles/the-impact-of-democratization-political-culture-and-diplomatic-isolation-on-think-tank-development-in-taiwan/.

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Taiwan-Focused Research Institutes in China | 2017

Abb, Pascal (2017): Taiwan-Focused Research Institutes in China, Global Taiwan Brief, 31.5.2017.

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The "Trump Phenomenon" in the Eyes of Chinese Experts: Promises and Challenges of a Transactional Presidency | 2017

Abb, Pascal (2017): The "Trump Phenomenon" in the Eyes of Chinese Experts: Promises and Challenges of a Transactional Presidency, in: Monde Chinois, 48, 41–52.

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Trump und das außenpolitische Erbe Obamas | 2016

Abb, Pascal / Nolte, Detlef / Kappel, Robert / Fürtig, Henner (2016): Trump und das außenpolitische Erbe Obamas, in: GIGA Focus Global 7/2016, https://www.giga-hamburg.de/de/system/files/publications/gf_global_1607.pdf.

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Punish the Philippines, Forgive Vietnam? The South China Sea Disputes in the Eyes of Chinese Experts | 2016

Abb, Pascal (2016): Punish the Philippines, Forgive Vietnam? The South China Sea Disputes in the Eyes of Chinese Experts, in: Fels, Enrico/Truong, Minh Huy Vu (eds), Power Politics in Asia’s Contested Waters. Territorial Disputes in the South China Sea, Berlin: Springer, 139–157.

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China’s New Think Tank Diplomacy | 2016

Abb, Pascal (2016): China’s New Think Tank Diplomacy, ECFR China Analysis, 25.8.2016.

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Are Think Tanks in Asia Unique? | 2016

Abb, Pascal (2016): Are Think Tanks in Asia Unique?, On Think Tanks, 5.5.2016.

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A Review of Expert Voices in Chinese Media: The Case of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Dispute | 2016

Abb, Pascal (2016): A Review of Expert Voices in Chinese Media: The Case of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Dispute, in: Asian Politics and Policy, 8:2, 361–365, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/aspp.12253.

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How Will Beijing React to a Tsai Presidency? | 2016

Abb, Pascal (2016): How Will Beijing React to a Tsai Presidency?, China Policy Blog, 15.1.2016.

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Foreign Policy Think Tanks in China and Japan: Characteristics, Current Profile, and the Case of Collective Self-Defense | 2015

Abb, Pascal / Köllner, Patrick (2015): Foreign Policy Think Tanks in China and Japan: Characteristics, Current Profile, and the Case of Collective Self-Defense, in: International Journal, 70:4, 593–612, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0020702015592119.

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China-Southeast Asian Relations: Global and Regional Linkages | 2015

Abb, Pascal / Strüver, Georg (2015): China-Southeast Asian Relations: Global and Regional Linkages, in: Issues & Studies, 51:4, 33–83.

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China, Southeast Asia and Taiwan: Navigating Uncertain Waters | 2015

Abb, Pascal (2015): China, Southeast Asia and Taiwan: Navigating Uncertain Waters, CSCAP Asia-Pacific Watch, 1.11.2015.

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China's Foreign Policy Think Tanks: Institutional Evolution and Changing Roles | 2015

Abb, Pascal (2015): China's Foreign Policy Think Tanks: Institutional Evolution and Changing Roles, in: Journal of Contemporary China, 24:93, 531–553, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10670564.2014.953856.

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China's Foreign Policy Think Tanks: Explaining Institutional Developments and Shifting Roles | 2014

Abb, Pascal (2014): China's Foreign Policy Think Tanks: Explaining Institutional Developments and Shifting Roles, https://ediss.sub.uni-hamburg.de/volltexte/2014/6788/.

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Taiwan und die Transpazifische Partnerschaft: wirtschaftliche Integration oder politische Aufwertung? | 2014

Abb, Pascal / Finkensiep, Sarah (2014): Taiwan und die Transpazifische Partnerschaft: wirtschaftliche Integration oder politische Aufwertung?, in: GIGA Focus Asien 1/2014, https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/175652/gf_asien_1401.pdf.

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Chinas außenpolitische Thinktanks: neue Rollen und Aktivitäten | 2013

Abb, Pascal (2013): Chinas außenpolitische Thinktanks: neue Rollen und Aktivitäten, in: GIGA Focus Asien 3/2013, https://www.giga-hamburg.de/de/system/files/publications/gf_asien_1303.pdf.

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Die US-Außenpolitik nach den Halbzeit-Wahlen 2010: Der Blick geht nach Innen | 2010

Abb, Pascal (2010): Die US-Außenpolitik nach den Halbzeit-Wahlen 2010: Der Blick geht nach Innen, in: GIGA Focus Global 12/2010, https://www.giga-hamburg.de/de/system/files/publications/gf_global_1012.pdf.

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