Benjamin Toettoe

Benjamin Toettoe is a Research Fellow at the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS) and a Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science at the University of Montreal (Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Political Science). He holds an M.A. in Comparative Economics and Policy from University College London (UCL) and a B.A. in Quantitative Economics and Politics from New York University.

His research focuses on China's foreign relations, geo-economics, and the interplay between economic flows and foreign policy preferences. Key areas include the impact of Chinese investments on recipient states' policies, public opinion dynamics in Sino-Western relations, and the strategic implications of supply chains and trade dependencies.

Recent work examines trans-Atlantic perceptions of China, ideational drivers of Canadian and European foreign policy alignment, and the effectiveness of China's development aid as a soft power tool. His research has been published in journals like International Interactions, Canadian Journal of Political Science, and International Journal of China Studies.

• Contributions to policy reports for Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and CEIAS
• Co-organized workshops on disinformation resilience and Sino-Australian trade conflicts
• Regular contributor to conferences including APSA, CPSA, and ISA

Current projects include analyzing Australia's response to economic coercion and network effects in China's multilateral engagement strategies.