Programme

PROGRAMME 2026

Please note that the Chatham House Rule applies to the whole conference and all panels, and the programme may be subject to change.

FRIDAY, June 12^th

08:20 Registration and morning coffee

9:00-9:15 Welcome and Opening Remarks
Arenberg room

• Bart Dessein (Professor, Ghent University)
• Victor De Decker (Research Fellow, the Egmont Institute)

09:15–10:30 Keynotes Sessions: Two Sides of the Same Coin: EU–China Relations Today
Arenberg room

• Nicoletta Pusterla (Head of Division, China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Mongolia; EEAS)
• Joseph Liow Chinyong (Dean, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore)

Moderator: Victor De Decker (Research Fellow, the Egmont Institute)

10:30-10:45 Coffee break

10:45–12:15 Parallel Sessions I

Session A — China’s Development Path
Orange room

What Will Be China’s Economic Goals Over the Next 10 Years?
Economic priorities and future trajectories
This session examines China’s evolving development model amid slowing growth, demographic pressures, technological competition, and shifting global economic conditions. It focuses on Beijing’s medium- to long-term economic priorities, including industrial policy, innovation, domestic demand, and state–market relations. The discussion also assesses how China’s future development trajectory may reshape its economic engagement with the European Union and the global economy.

• Françoise Nicolas (Senior advisor, IFRI)
• Alexander Hoeckle (Member of the APA Board of Management; Head of Foreign Economics and Customs; Federation of German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services (BGA))
• Miguel Otero Iglesias (Senior Fellow, the Elcano Royal Institute)

Moderator: John Seaman (Research Fellow, IFRI)

Session B — Domestic Policy and Society in China
Arenberg room

What Social Transformations Lie Ahead?
Social goals, governance trends, and internal transformations
This session explores how China’s evolving social landscape—shaped by demographic change, urbanisation, inequality, digital governance, and shifting state–society relations—is influencing domestic stability and policy priorities. It examines governance trends under conditions of economic transition, social control, and reform experimentation, with attention to labour, welfare, and middle-class expectations. The discussion also considers how China’s internal social transformations may affect its engagement with the European Union in economic, political, and regulatory domains.

• Christian Göbel (Professor, University of Vienna )
• Marcin Jacoby (Professor, SWPS University)
• Daria Impiombato (Senior Analyst, MERICS)

Moderator: Urmas Hõbepappel (Analyst, University of Tartu)

12:15 – 13:15 Lunch Break

13:15 – 14:30 Plenary Panel — China’s Foreign Policy
Arenberg room

New Strategic Concerns and Expanding Areas of Influence
Where EU and China’s interests overlap, compete, or diverge
This plenary panel examines China’s evolving foreign policy priorities amid intensifying geopolitical competition, global governance challenges, and regional conflicts. It focuses on how China’s expanding diplomatic, economic, and security engagement intersects with European interests across areas such as multilateral institutions, strategic regions, and normative governance. The discussion assesses points of convergence, competition, and divergence in EU–China relations, highlighting strategic choices facing European policymakers.

• Una Aleksandra Bērziņa-Čerenkova (Head of China Studies Centre, Riga Stradiņš University; Director at the Latvian Institute of International Affairs)
• Richard Turcsányi (Assistant Professor, Palacký University Olomouc)
• Mario Esteban (Senior Fellow, the Elcano Royal Institute)

Moderator: Agnieszka Nitza-Makowska (Researcher, University of Tartu; Assistant Professor, Collegium Civitas)

14:30-14:45 Coffee break

14:45–16:00 Parallel Sessions II — Regional Perspectives

Session A — China in Africa and the EU Dimension
Arenberg room

Competition, Cooperation, and Development Engagement
This session examines China’s expanding economic, political, and development engagement in Africa and its implications for the European Union’s external action. It explores areas of competition and cooperation in trade, infrastructure, development finance, and governance, as well as the evolving role of African agency. The discussion assesses how EU–China interactions in Africa may shape future development models and geopolitical alignments.

• Raoul Bunskoek (Head of China Centre, Clingendael)
• Joshua Eisenman (Senior Fellow, American Foreign Policy Council; Professor, University of Notre Dame)
• Sara Van Hoeymissen (Lecturer, Royal Military Academy)

Moderator: Huanyu Zhao (postdoc researcher, Ghent University)

Session B — China in the Arctic
Orange room

Strategic Interests, Governance, and Regional Security
This session focuses on China’s growing involvement in the Arctic region and its implications for regional governance, economic development, and security. It examines China’s interests in shipping routes, resources, research cooperation, and partnerships with Arctic and near-Arctic states, as well as EU strategic concerns. The discussion highlights how Arctic stakeholders perceive China’s role and how EU–China interactions may evolve in this strategically sensitive region.

• Patrik Andersson (Analyst, Swedish National China Centre)
• Toomas Lukk (Special Envoy for the Arctic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia)
• Ahad Hadian (Researcher, Nord University Business School)

Moderator: Lavinia Klarhoefer (Policy Advisor, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Europe)

16:00-16:15 Coffee break

16:15 – 17:30 Final Plenary Session — The Future Landscape of EU–China Relations
Arenberg room

Scenarios, Risks, and Opportunities
This final plenary synthesises insights from across the conference to assess possible future trajectories of EU–China relations under conditions of strategic uncertainty. It explores key risks, opportunities, and policy trade-offs related to economic security, geopolitical alignment, technological competition, and global governance. The discussion concludes by outlining plausible scenarios for EU–China engagement and the strategic choices facing European decision-makers.

• Bart Dessein, (Professor, Ghent University)
• Beatrice Gallelli (Senior Researcher, IAI; researcher, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice)
• Andrea Gilli (Senior Researcher, NATO Defense College; Lecturer, University of St. Andrews)

Moderator: Carmen Amado Mendes (professor, Uinversity of Coimbra; President, the Macao Scientific and Cultural Centre in Lisbon)

17:30 Networking Drinks and Reception