Lecturer in World Politics, Royal Military Academy (🇧🇪) PhD in Chinese Studies Guest Lecturer, KULeuven Curious by nature and by profession 🇪🇺 🌏 🌍 Amai maTwinshttps://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mujbemakc22i“The Russians have focused on this technology for a very long time. People often think about technology transfers as being solely about sending blueprints, parts or entire missiles, but getting a 60-year-old engineer to fly over and problem-solve, using their experience, is hugely valuable.” https://www.ft.com/content/6cf367bc-95b0-4f1f-b149-a25684adefc3?shareType=nongift02 Sep 2026 06:06 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mujbemakc22ihttps://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mtiz6izke22zA key issue is how to pay for the empty boxes returning from the US and Europe to China — the backhaul leg of the trip: “On the Asia-US route, it used to be that for every 10 containers coming from Asia about six were going back with US exports. Today that is more like 3 or 4 [going] back full." https://www.ft.com/content/b88c3466-4525-4e16-b3fe-e10e713a2025?shareType=nongift20 Aug 2026 10:14 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtiz6izke22zhttps://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3msyewuapds27A shock to China’s system could ripple through its lopsided economy with severe consequences. Beijing might see stimulus as part of a solution but unlike in 2008, a stimulus now would feed into a constrained economy, not a growing one. The CCP would be forced to rebalance on the worst possible terms https://reader.foreignaffairs.com/2026/08/13/the-next-global-economic-crisis-could-be-made-in-china/content.html13 Aug 2026 19:29 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3msyewuapds27https://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mss3upkdd22m"Een weerbare samenleving vereist politieke leiders die beseffen dat hun eigen reactie mee bepaalt of een hybride aanval een strategisch succes wordt." https://www.tijd.be/opinie/algemeen/europa-s-politieke-leiders-zijn-kwetsbaarder-gebleken-dan-europa-s-grenzen/10681738.html11 Aug 2026 07:31 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mss3upkdd22mhttps://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3msdm3bnuxs25"Officers with air force backgrounds appeared to have made the most gains, the air force having emerged relatively unscathed from the anti-corruption campaign. The rise of air force generals could further weaken the army’s long-standing dominance within the PLA." https://sc.mp/myq8y?utm_source=copy-link&utm_campaign=3362837&utm_medium=share_widget05 Aug 2026 13:11 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3msdm3bnuxs25https://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3msd36ogb2c2z"There are two demographics that usually join ISIS to conduct attacks in the West: second-generation European Muslims (often recruiting their brothers and sisters), and European converts." https://theconversation.com/berlin-pride-isis-still-inspires-terrorism-in-europe-but-who-carries-out-these-attacks-288447?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=bylineblueskybutton05 Aug 2026 08:09 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3msd36ogb2c2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3msczdpw7pc2a"There was plenty of evidence of the systematic and coercive nature of the Russian federation’s policies attempting to erase the identity of the Ukrainian children under its control." https://theconversation.com/we-investigated-russias-military-indoctrination-of-ukrainian-children-in-occupied-territories-what-we-found-was-more-shocking-than-we-could-have-imagined-287898?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=bylineblueskybutton05 Aug 2026 07:36 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3msczdpw7pc2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mrwehhrd2s27A cybersecurity firm that specializes in protecting critical infrastructure, noted a pattern with attacks in March and in Minnesota: the targeting of small utilities that use internet-exposed controllers with default passwords. “It’s very low-hanging fruit.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/07/30/us-spy-agencies-suspect-iran-launched-cyberattack-minnesota-water-facilities/31 Jul 2026 06:50 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrwehhrd2s27https://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mqziyhcdm22j"If China claims that these tests are routine, then it is time that it undertakes responsible actions and follows the internationally established protocols for ballistic missile launch notifications." https://www.csis.org/analysis/chinas-slbm-test-underscores-importance-ballistic-missile-launch-notification-agreement19 Jul 2026 19:24 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqziyhcdm22jhttps://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mqjzs5wr5k22How do African states navigate great-power competition and growing pressure to take sides? And do we need new concepts to understand African states' alignment strategies, or can established concepts travel across contexts? Questions E. Vigne and I explore in our newly published article 👇 [contains quote post or other embedded content]13 Jul 2026 15:42 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqjzs5wr5k22https://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mqjmorbfi22hIn Europe the shift has taken on a geopolitical edge after the US last month imposed export controls on Anthropic’s Mythos and Fable models, forcing businesses to confront the risks of reliance on US technology: “You can put Fable back in the market, but you can’t put the genie back in the bottle". https://www.ft.com/content/9c8ff45b-7c20-4c2e-93c9-c52339ffdcee?shareType=nongift13 Jul 2026 11:47 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqjmorbfi22hhttps://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mqcjiei2ik24De Chinese overheid trekt een lijn in het zand: het is de bedoeling dat AI jobs zal creëren, niet vernietigen. 🇨🇳ondernemers nemen dat signaal maar beter ernstig, argumenteren @dorienemmers.bsky.social en ik in @tijd.be. En daarmee tekent zich in China een duidelijk ander model af dan in de VS. [contains quote post or other embedded content]10 Jul 2026 16:02 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqcjiei2ik24https://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mppxhjd5bk24New data restrictions & outdated sources hamper Western analysis of Chinese military affairs in an open-source setting. One way to alleviate this is to revive taxpayer-funded open-source intelligence-gathering of translations of foreign military & political sources. https://warontherocks.com/the-blind-spots-in-chinese-military-studies https://warontherocks.com/the-blind-spots-in-chinese-military-studies/03 Jul 2026 06:51 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mppxhjd5bk24https://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mpeabrxklc27Ticket vergeten te kopen, zelfs als houder v/e abonnement en Trein+ overkomt het me wel eens. Ik verwacht vanaf 1/7 geen excuses meer à la "deze trein bestaat uit 2 rijtuigen in plaats van 5" & "om operationele redenen rijdt deze trein niet" Ik correct mijn deel, jullie ook @sncb-nmbs.bsky.social?🤜🤛 https://vrtnws.be/p.ewoPk6GeN28 Jun 2026 14:57 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpeabrxklc27https://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mpbrqh44222w"Long trousers are sweaty enablers of a pretence that our world is not changing. Wearing them, in hot summers, requires either dangerous perseverance or consumption of energy in a way that ultimately makes the problem worse." https://www.ft.com/content/74644e89-5b34-4bc2-8c1b-fce08b5ba3d4?shareType=nongift27 Jun 2026 15:31 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpbrqh44222whttps://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mov5gfxt4k2hThe assumption that EV adoption in Africa would follow the old pattern of 2nd hand imports from Europe and Asia has changed. EVs made in China and motorbikes assembled in Africa with Chinese parts are now available at competitive prices, providing Africa with an opportunity to leapfrog technologies. https://www.ft.com/content/14cb294b-cdf0-4623-9393-3287fb85a4e4?shareType=nongift22 Jun 2026 14:56 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mov5gfxt4k2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mo2z6r2jzc2r"In Europe and in the United States, there is still a reluctance to make currency diplomacy integral to the broader trade discussion. This is an intellectual and policy blind spot that risks a failure of economic policy coordination. As long as it persists, trade imbalances will only grow." https://www.foreignaffairs.com/china/real-problem-global-trade?utm_medium=newsletters&utm_source=fatoday&utm_campaign=The%20Real%20Problem%20With%20Global%20Trade%20&utm_content=20260611&utm_term=A&utm_id=A12 Jun 2026 05:31 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mo2z6r2jzc2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mn3gow4dvk2jIran suspects the US seeks not a lasting peace but a free hand to keep Iran isolated and weak, checking its nuclear and missile activities by periodically “mowing the lawn”. Faced with such a prospect, Iran is seeking deterrence on 3 fronts: Hormuz, the nuclear file and by making the US pay a price. https://www.ft.com/content/6ccf1b39-6397-46a9-82f0-38a2e04ae30c?shareType=nongift30 May 2026 16:07 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mn3gow4dvk2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mmsuc6hsus2v"The result is that while all external actors claim to fight instability, the current regional order depends on continuing insecurity. Stabilisation risks becoming less about resolving conflict than about managing insecurity in ways that sustain regimes, partnerships and geopolitical influence." https://theconversation.com/the-sahel-region-is-less-secure-than-ever-foreign-forces-just-add-to-the-cycle-of-violence-282917?utm_medium=article_native_share&utm_source=theconversation.com27 May 2026 06:17 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmsuc6hsus2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mmbplg6yjs2o"In terms of sectors, Chinese investment was still heavily concentrated on the automotive industry, with €7.6 billion of deals completed in 2025. Entertainment was the second most popular category at €2.3 billion, followed by consumer products and services at €2 billion." https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3354235/chinese-investment-europe-surges-7-year-high-despite-rising-trade-tensions?share=RjZFirowpDBN7umoJleTnErWbXwY%2B7qPJeF9xgR0Xk%2BXMZEn41%2F96x1VT%2BxlVsYCgsBr%2B3WVeGtoQX01T9IX0btzifov8AyL%2B1jOtCxFYbuLeXWLcDgK8CuiW4Z%2BdmVpdd7dPF9CILuQ%2BboQh7p1xw%3D%3D&utm_campaign=social_share20 May 2026 10:37 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmbplg6yjs2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mma57nagrk2o“The development of AI technology should be applied to liberating labor, promoting employment and improving people’s livelihood,” the Court wrote. “Labor law allows employers to ... upgrade their operations, but it should also take into workers’ legitimate rights and interests." https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/business/china-ai-unemployment.html19 May 2026 19:36 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mma57nagrk2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mlxs6dfsts2iThe investigation also underlined that the strikes have not reduced the flow of drugs to the US but have instead torn apart communities already fractured and weakened by organised crime and state neglect: "some communities stopped fishing for weeks because they were terrified of being bombed". https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/15/us-military-airstrikes-caribbean-pacific-victim-identities16 May 2026 11:57 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlxs6dfsts2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mluqm4edpk2q"Many critics expect, even hope, that Chinese industrial policy will eventually implode under the weight of its own contradictions. But there is not guarantee that will happen soon. To paraphrase an old adage about markets, China can stay irrational longer than foreign competitors can stay solvent." https://www.wsj.com/world/china/beijings-industrial-policy-of-everything-leaves-rest-of-the-world-in-the-dust-8b94a046?st=YyTksg15 May 2026 06:51 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mluqm4edpk2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mltsqgvpm22u"When translating Trump’s remarks, Chinese state media used a common practice to make Xi look superior. They portrayed Trump as using a formal form of the Chinese word for 'you' that signals respect when addressing Xi. Xi, on the other hand, used the more common form of 'you' when addressing Trump." https://www.ft.com/content/d555a25b-9373-4dab-9cf3-44de9b52df1b?shareType=nongift14 May 2026 21:56 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mltsqgvpm22uhttps://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mls6jlzers2s"ASML is seen as the jewel in the crown of Europe’s technological sector, but has spent much of the past decade caught in the crossfire of the US-China tech war. In January it estimated that 20% of its 2026 annual sales would come from China. This would represent a reduction from 33% in 2025." https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3353452/netherlands-protests-us-proposal-further-bar-chip-giant-asml-china-market?share=aQWsJOb5h3teT7kNB%2FK2cOOcfwm4%2BIqwiw4tl0ZedOMWk3W%2FXNhyFA3Z5WyQLNXJR6D7jD8xLqX6sOLy92SHtZS559WU6rdY%2B1i2PM731rrbggYIeR6w77BktDobHUZ6Tyy5vebUhLYPWtMp6Ehl4g%3D%3D&utm_campaign=social_share14 May 2026 06:22 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mls6jlzers2shttps://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mlr2tzl2322w"To keep their competition peaceful, China and the US must: 🔺 preserve military deterrence without turning it into provocation 🔺 channel their rivalry into institutions and public goods rather than military confrontation 🔺 keep ideology from hardening every disagreement into a zero-sum struggle" https://theconversation.com/trump-xi-summit-3-ways-the-us-and-china-can-compete-without-going-to-war-281328?utm_medium=article_native_share&utm_source=theconversation.com13 May 2026 19:44 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlr2tzl2322whttps://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mlpobcvwy227"Countering 10 enemy ICBMs simultaneously could require a constellation of roughly 7,800 armed satellites. These would need to be placed in low orbit where they would be subject to drag from the Earth’s atmosphere. Over a 5 year span they could lose enough altitude to burn up and need replacement." https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/us/politics/trump-golden-dome.html13 May 2026 06:26 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlpobcvwy227https://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mlh55tlgwk2i"In zekere zin zijn we met onze uitbreiding weer bij onze roots aanbeland: hoe kunnen we van Europa opnieuw een project van vrede en welvaart maken?" [contains quote post or other embedded content]09 May 2026 20:58 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlh55tlgwk2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mlgw7qddrs27"Drew Thompson, a former Pentagon official, cautioned against comparing the conflict in Iran to a war over Taiwan. In a defense of the island, the United States would largely rely on anti-ship missiles, which were used sparingly on Iran, to target a Chinese invasion fleet." https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/world/asia/trump-xi-china-us-iran-munitions.html?unlocked_article_code=1.hFA.2W6F.ezvDo3rlXo0i09 May 2026 18:54 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlgw7qddrs27https://bsky.app/profile/sara-van-hoey.bsky.social/post/3mlakfnuwj225"Payments for Iranian oil have been processed by Chinese institutions such as China’s Bank of Kunlun and the Cross-border Interbank Payment System.This has helped Iran bypass western sanctions by putting oil revenues out of the reach of the US Treasury." https://theconversation.com/china-has-played-a-key-role-in-the-iran-war-and-will-continue-to-do-so-281781?utm_medium=article_native_share&utm_source=theconversation.com07 May 2026 06:07 +0000at://did:plc:3qa5ntofh2ee6ces2iahef3v/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlakfnuwj225