Ludovica Fonsato (INEAST, UDE)
“Rethinking Interdependence: Vulnerability, Agency, and Foreign Brand Responses to Chinese Economic Coercion”
22 July 2026, 12–1 pm (sharp)
Venue:
Ruhr University Bochum, building MB, room 3/126 (map)
Hybrid format: To join online via Zoom, please send a short email with the subject “Anmeldung zum Mittagsforum”,
the text “Teilnahme” and your name to ostasienwissenschaftliches-mittagsforum@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
This lecture builds on the traditional theory of complex interdependence, shaped by asymmetric economic interdependence within state-state dynamics, and introduces the concept of “market interdependence,” a new brand-state framework defined by two elements: external vulnerability and internal agency. Applied to foreign brands operating in Mainland China, this framework explains how multinational corporations navigate and respond to China’s coercive episodes. Using an original vulnerability-agency matrix, brands are categorized according to their degree of economic vulnerability as well as brand autonomy and resilience, which in turn dictate their strategic corporate responses during such episodes. Through this framework and case study matrix, attendees will explore the complexity of corporate behavior and decision-making in China, along with implications for international business amid rising geopolitical and supply chain uncertainties.
Ludovica Fonsato, M.Sc., works at the Chair of East Asian Economic Studies, University of Duisburg-Essen.