China's European Headquarters

Rezensionen / Stimmen

'Ariane Knuesel 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 'Knuesel'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. ... Knuesel'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