Matej Šimalčík is Executive Director of the Institute of Asian Studies, a think tank based in Slovakia. In his research, he focuses on Chinese foreign and security policy, strategic culture, territorial conflicts, and relations between China and Europe. He is a member of ChinfluenCE, a regional initative aimed at monitoring China’s economic and political influence in Central Europe, where he acts as national coordinator for Slovakia. Matej studied Law at the Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia and International Relations (East Asian Studies) at the University of Groningen in Netherlands. Previously, he was a Legal Counsel to the Slovak branch of Transparency International (2016-2018).