The British vote to leave the EU will overshadow the upcoming 18th EU-China summit on 12/13 July in Beijing. The high-level meeting will give an impression of how “Brexit” affects the EU’s international image and ability to act vis-à-vis a powerful player like China.

Officially, Chinese politicians have repeatedly voiced their support for EU unity. But already before the “Brexit” vote, Chinese diplomats have started to use different European crises as a device to distract from European criticism of the economic and political situation within China. So, what is China’s genuine take on Europe’s crises?

Looking at a wide range of different Chinese media, the latest MERICS study explores how the heated debate around “Brexit,” the Europe’s sovereign debt crisis, the refugee crisis and the rise of right-wing populism are seen by Chinese media. Towards this end, the authors have analysed some 40,000 articles from party-state media, market-oriented outlets as well as social media. They show that Europe’s crises have indeed affected Europe’s hitherto positive image in China—but in ways other than might be expected.