The 3rd Europe-China Knowledge Forum “Reconnect China Dialogue? Conditions, Constraints and Futures of EU-China Engagement” was successfully held under the auspices of the Reconnect China Horizon Europe project in Brussels, in the glorious Egmont Palace on 12 June!
With 130 attendants coming from all across Europe and beyond, the audience engaged in lively discussions around a wide variety of topics related to the ongoing and finished research work within the project.
We explored with the support of key experts the potential future(s) of EU-China engagement by casting a deeper look at main turning points, emerging constraints and alternative pathways shaping the relationship. Particular attention was given to recent internal developments in China, — not only including technological or economic changes but also social dynamics and societal transformations — as well as to China’s expanding global ambitions in the political and strategic arenas, and how these dynamics may influence its future multilayered engagement with the EU and its Member States.
Our conference panels also aimed to explore emerging areas of research on evolving geographical dimensions of China’s economic and political influence, with two panels focusing on regions such as the Arctic and Africa where interests increasingly intersect with those of the EU.
The final session wrapped up our series of annual conferences with a discussions on possible scenarios of future EU–China engagement where not only the ever-complex risks and barriers but also future opportunities for researchers, policymakers, business actors and the general population were highlighted.
A big congratulations goes towards University of Tartu as the main organiser and EGMONT – Royal Institute for International Relations as the host organisation for the great logistical and technical work!
If you attended the conference and would also like to give your opinion, please do so by filling out our short feedback survey until end of June!
