Center for Asia-Pacific Studies (CAPS)
About Us
Center for Asia-Pacific Studies (CAPS) at CEVRO University focuses its activities, mission, and outputs on key topics and areas within the Asia-Pacific region. In addition to academic work, it engages in popular-science activities, aims to shape public debate, and provides expert support to Czech public institutions and the private sector. The applicability and practical relevance of its outputs in relation to the Czech national interest is a top priority. As such, the Center provides considerable added value both within the Czech Republic and globally.
CAPS Mission
The Center’s main objective is to focus on understanding the political and economic specifics of the Asia-Pacific region in their full complexity and to address the growing demand from both the public sector and the business community.
CAPS Goal
Our aim is to establish a high-quality research hub — a true center of excellence — focused on Asia-Pacific issues. At the same time, the center is designed to engage in popular-science outreach, shape both domestic and global public discourse, and offer expert support to Czech public institutions and private entities, with a strong emphasis on advancing the Czech national interest. We thus strive to become a recognized and respected partner for all stakeholders engaged with the region.
Message from the Director |
|
This focus on China is understandable. China is a global economic powerhouse with increasing geopolitical influence and serves as a central actor in various multilateral frameworks — particularly economic and security-oriented ones — such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), or the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Taiwan, meanwhile, has emerged as a global hub for advanced technologies, especially artificial intelligence (AI), which is powering the current stage of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Nonetheless, this approach is also limiting, as it overlooks other significant actors. These include established middle powers and some of the world’s most advanced economies, such as Japan and South Korea. Their leadership in technology, innovation-driven cultures, emphasis on foreign investment, and — in the case of South Korea — deepening strategic cooperation with the Czech Republic in energy, make them highly relevant non-European partners for Czech business and institutions alike. It is also crucial to consider the growing importance of the region’s emerging leaders — often labeled “Asian Tigers” or “Asian Dragons” — such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and other ASEAN members. These countries are actively shaping the global stage through their economic and geopolitical trajectories. India stands out even more prominently, having positioned itself in recent years through its “Act East” policy and participation in forums like the G20. India is increasingly seen not only as a voice of the “Global South” but also as a key pole in the emerging multipolar world order. We must not overlook Central Asian countries, particularly Kazakhstan. With their “multi-vector” foreign policies (also referred to as “all-azimuth” strategies), they maintain active relations with Russia (their so-called “near abroad”), participate in China’s Belt and Road projects, and engage with EU states. Their strategic location as transport hubs and rich deposits of critical raw materials make them vital global actors. All these countries are dynamically developing economies that are benefiting from Western strategies like decoupling, derisking, and “China Plus One” — presenting new business opportunities for European nations, including the Czech Republic. The activities of the Center for Asia-Pacific Studies (CAPS) are therefore focused on understanding the political and economic complexities of this region — including, for example, so-called “bamboo diplomacy.” Our goal is to create a top-tier research center while also engaging in educational outreach, shaping public discourse, and providing expert support to Czech public institutions and businesses. Practical applicability and alignment with Czech national interests are our key priorities. Ultimately, the Center aims to contribute significant value within both the Czech and global arenas. Jan Železný, Executive Director |
Over the past few decades, the Asia-Pacific region has transformed from a relatively overlooked area into a geopolitical hotspot and a major driver of the global economy. Its significance in world politics, economics, and other spheres cannot be underestimated. However, the Czech domestic debate remains markedly Sinocentric, often placing less emphasis on other key players and associated topics within the region.CAPS Members
Jan Zahradil
Chairman of the Advisory Board / Senior Advisor / Founder
Jan Zahradil began his political career in 1992 as a member of the Federal Assembly of Czechoslovakia. After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, he served as an advisor to the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic. In 1998, he was elected as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament. Following the Czech Republic’s accession to the European Union in 2004, he became a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), where he served until 2024 — making him the longest-serving Czech MEP. From 2010 to 2020, he was the President of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR). In the 2019 European elections, he was nominated by the ECR as their Spitzenkandidat (lead candidate) for President of the European Commission — the first-ever candidate from Eastern Europe endorsed by a European political group.
During his tenure, he was a member and later First Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade and acted as rapporteur for the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and for the EU’s Indo-Pacific trade and investment strategy. As an expert on EU-Asia relations, he has travelled and lectured widely throughout the region — visiting countries such as China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, India, Japan, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Australia, and New Zealand.
He also co-chairs the Asia-Europe Political Forum of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), which brings together ruling and opposition parties from dozens of Asian countries.
Jan Železný
Executive Director
Jan Železný is Executive Director of the Center for Asia-Pacific Studies (CAPS) and a lecturer at the Department of Political Science and International Relations at CEVRO University in Prague. He holds a BA in Political Science and an MA in International Relations from the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, where he is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in International Relations. His academic focus includes the transformation of the international order, great power competition in the Asia-Pacific and Arctic regions, astropolitics (space geopolitics), and the geopolitics of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
He regularly participates in international conferences such as the British Association for Chinese Studies (BACS) and the Joint East Asian Studies Conference (JEASC), held at prestigious universities including Oxford and King's College London. He is also involved in international research teams and contributed chapters to Routledge Handbook of Chinese and Eurasian International Studies (2024) and Routledge Handbook of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Eurasia (2025).
He is a frequent contributor to Czech media outlets including Info.cz, E15, and Týden.cz. In the past, he worked in the Czech Chamber of Deputies as a parliamentary assistant and foreign policy advisor. He speaks English and Russian and is learning German and Spanish.
Research Interests:
- Formation of international order and great power strategies (hedging focus)
- U.S.-China-India relations in the Asia-Pacific
- Space geopolitics (focus on China and Russia)
- Arctic geopolitics and great power competition
- Geopolitics of the 4th Industrial Revolution (advanced chip supply chains)
Selected Publications:
- Železný, Jan – Michlmayr, Timna (2025): China’s Starry Constellations with Russia and the Global South: The Space Silk Road Analysed. In: Sahakyan, Mher (ed.): Routledge Handbook of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Eurasia. Routledge. London.
- Železný, Jan (2024): The Dragon and the Bear on the Polar Silk Road – The Analysis of the China-Russia Cooperation in the Arctic and Its Impact on the Great-Power Competition in the High North. In: Sahakyan, Mher (ed.): Routledge Handbook of Chinese and Eurasian International Relations. Routledge. London.
- Železný, Jan (2022): More than just hedging? The reactions of Cambodia and Vietnam to the power struggle between the United States and China in times of Obama’s „pivot to Asia“. Asian Politics and Policy. Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 216–248.
Zdeněk Rod, Ph.D.
Senior Fellow / Head of Research
Zdeněk Rod has been an assistant professor at the Department of Security Studies at CEVRO University since 2025. He is also a Visiting Fellow at the John Lukacs Institute for Strategy and Politics (University of Public Service, Budapest) and Co-Director of the Center for Security Consulting. He earned his Ph.D. in International Relations at the University of West Bohemia (2024) and has studied in Ljubljana, Budapest, and at the European Security and Defence College in Brussels.
He previously worked at the Czech Ministry of Defence and published extensively in journals and books from Oxford University Press, Taylor & Francis, Wiley, Routledge, and Palgrave Macmillan. His commentaries appear in RAND Corporation, SAIS Review of International Affairs, Defence News, and The Diplomat.
Research Interests:
- International and national security
- Strategic communication
- China in international relations
Selected Publications:
- Rod, Zdeněk eds. (2025). Navigating the Silk Road in Central and Eastern Europe. In: Mher Sahakyan – Kevin Lo, Routledge Handbook of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Eurasia (London: Routledge).
- Rod, Zdeněk (2025). From Promises to Perils: Unpacking China’s Interference in the Visegrad Group. In Lucie Tungul, Battle for Democracy in the Digital Age (Brussells: Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies): p. 87–97.
- Rod, Zdeněk eds. (2025). Ten years of the Belt and Road Initiative: What’s changed? Observing China. Council on Geostrategy (https://www.observingchina.org.uk/p/the-tangram-03-2025).
- Rod, Zdeněk (2024). Debt or Diplomacy? Inside China’s Controversial Loans to Sri Lanka, Laos, and Malaysia. The Diplomat, 5. 10. 2024 (https://thediplomat.com/2024/10/debt-or-diplomacy-inside-chinas-controversial-loans-to-sri-lanka-laos-and-malaysia/).
- Rod, Zdeněk – Himmer, Michal (2023). Chinese debt trap diplomacy: reality or myth? Journal of the Indian Ocean Region, Vol. 18. No. 3, pp. 250–272.
- Rod, Zdeněk (2023). The Chinese Influence in Visegrad Countries, in: Andrea Bogoni and Brian F. G. Fabrègue, eds., The Dragon at the Gates of Europe: Chinese Presence in the Balkans and Central-Eastern Europe, Blue Europe, Dec 2023: p. 273-298.
- Rod, Zdeněk – Himmer, Michal (2021). The Great Powers’ Competition in Central America. The Response of the U.S. to Chinese Activities in the Region. Latin American Policy, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 236–249.
- Rod, Zdeněk – Himmer, Michal (2020). The Motivation of Diplomatic Switch of Selected States Newly Recognizing China Within the China-Taiwan Rivalry. Czech Journal of International Relations, Vol. 55, No. 3, pp. 50–68.
Daniela Finkousová
Junior Fellow
Daniela Finkousová is a Junior Fellow at CAPS. She holds a BA in Political Science and International Relations from CEVRO University and is completing her MA in Political Science and postgraduate MPA in Modern Public Administration. Since 2024, she has worked in the Czech Chamber of Deputies as a parliamentary assistant, focusing on legislative analysis and amendment drafting, social media management, and event coordination. She previously worked at think tank e-Stat.cz and completed an internship at the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
She contributes to CEVRO Arena, Pravý břeh, and Forum 24, and her focus includes U.S. foreign policy, Asia-Pacific security dynamics, and hybrid threats. She speaks English and German.
Research Interests:
- U.S. foreign/domestic policy (focus on “Trumpism”)
- Strategic competition in Asia-Pacific
- Hybrid and cyber threats
Jan Vavřík
Junior Fellow
Jan Vavřík is a Junior Fellow at CAPS and an analyst for the Security Conference in Pilsen. He produces analytical reports on current international affairs and helps coordinate conferences. He studied International Relations at the University of West Bohemia, focusing on British and American Studies, and later earned a degree in Security Studies.
He has explored the role of technology in global politics — especially blockchain — and his thesis examined the concept of sportswashing. He participated in exchange programs at Osa State University (Kyrgyzstan), University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), and Valdosta State University (USA). In 2024, he interned at the Czech Embassy in Seoul. He speaks fluent English and Croatian, with basic knowledge of French, Russian, and Korean.
Research Interests:
- International security in Asia-Pacific and the transatlantic space
- Emerging technologies in global governance — especially blockchain
Viola Vojtová
Office Administrator
Viola Vojtová is a BA student of Psychology and Management Sociology at the University of Economics and Management (VŠEM). She is particularly interested in intercultural communication and business trends in Europe and Asia. She has gained experience in China and Southeast Asia and has interned in the European Parliament and worked as a business communication trainer for Asian partners. She speaks English, Chinese, and some German.
Science & Research
Publications
- Železný, Jan – Michlmayr, Timna (2025). China’s Starry Constellations with Russia and the Global South: The Space Silk Road Analysed. In: Sahakyan, Mher (ed.): Routledge Handbook of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Eurasia. Routledge. London.
- Rod, Zdeněk eds. (2025). Navigating the Silk Road in Central and Eastern Europe. In: Mher Sahakyan – Kevin Lo, Routledge Handbook of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Eurasia (London: Routledge).
- Rod, Zdeněk (2025). From Promises to Perils: Unpacking China’s Interference in the Visegrad Group. In Lucie Tungul, Battle for Democracy in the Digital Age (Brussells: Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies): p. 87–97.
- Rod, Zdeněk eds. (2025). Ten years of the Belt and Road Initiative: What’s changed? Observing China. Council on Geostrategy.
- Železný, Jan (2024). The Dragon and the Bear on the Polar Silk Road – The Analysis of the China-Russia Cooperation in the Arctic and Its Impact on the Great-Power Competition in the High North. In: Sahakyan, Mher (ed.): Routledge Handbook of Chinese and Eurasian International Relations. Routledge. London.
- Železný, Jan (2022). More than just hedging? The reactions of Cambodia and Vietnam to the power struggle between the United States and China in times of Obama’s „pivot to Asia“. Asian Politics and Policy. Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 216–248.
Contact
