Dr James F. Downes is head of the Politics and Public Administration Programme at Hong Kong Metropolitan University. His latest research examines Populism in Europe, EU-China Economic Relations, and China’s BRI Project. He is also a research fellow at the Global Europe Centre, at the University of Kent. James is an award-winning teacher who recently received the Chinese University of Hong Kong Vice-Chancellor’s Exemplary Teaching Award (2022). His forthcoming book, written with Dr Valerio Alfonso Bruno and Dr Alessio Scopelliti, titled: “The Rise of the Radical Right in Italy” will be published in 2024.