{"id":451,"date":"2026-04-02T15:09:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T12:09:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/eckf\/?page_id=451"},"modified":"2026-04-04T10:08:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T07:08:23","slug":"programme-2026","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/eckf\/programme-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Programme 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>PROGRAMME 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Please note that the Chatham House Rule applies to the whole conference and all panels, and the programme may be subject to change. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-secondary-color\">FRIDAY, June 12<sup>th<\/sup><\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>9:00-9:15 Welcome and Opening Remarks<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Bart Dessein (Ghent University, Belgium)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Victor De Decker (Egmont Institute)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>09:15\u201310:30<strong> Key-Notes Sessions: Two Sides of the Same Coin: EU\u2013China Relations Today<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sabine Weyand the Directorate-General for Trade, the EU Commission, TBD<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Joseph Liow Chin Yong, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>10:30-10:45 Coffee break<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>10:45\u201312:15 Parallel Sessions I<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Session A \u2014 China\u2019s Development Path. What Will Be China\u2019s Economic Goals Over the Next 10 Years?<\/strong><br>Economic priorities and future trajectories<br>This session examines China\u2019s evolving development model amid slowing growth, demographic pressures, technological competition, and shifting global economic conditions. It focuses on Beijing\u2019s medium- to long-term economic priorities, including industrial policy, innovation, domestic demand, and state\u2013market relations. The discussion also assesses how China\u2019s future development trajectory may reshape its economic engagement with the European Union and the global economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Session B \u2014 Domestic Policy and Society in China. What Social Transformations Lie Ahead?<\/strong><br>Social goals, governance trends, and internal transformations<br>This session explores how China\u2019s evolving social landscape\u2014shaped by demographic change, urbanisation, inequality, digital governance, and shifting state\u2013society relations\u2014is 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\u2019s internal social transformations may affect its engagement with the European Union in economic, political, and regulatory domains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>12:15 \u2013 13:15 Lunch Break<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>13:15 \u2013 14:30 <strong>Plenary Panel \u2014 China\u2019s Foreign Policy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>New Strategic Concerns and Expanding Areas of Influence<br>Where EU and China\u2019s interests overlap, compete, or diverge<br>This plenary panel examines China\u2019s evolving foreign policy priorities amid intensifying geopolitical competition, global governance challenges, and regional conflicts. It focuses on how China\u2019s 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\u2013China relations, highlighting strategic choices facing European policymakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Una B\u0113rzi\u0146a-\u010cerenkova (Latvian Institute of International Affairs)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mario Esteban (Elcano Royal Institute) TBD<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Richard Turcsanyi (Palacky University Olomouc)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>14:30-14:45 Coffee break<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>14:45\u201316:00 Parallel Sessions II \u2014 Regional Perspectives<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Session A \u2014 China in Africa and the EU Dimension<br>Competition, Cooperation, and Development Engagement<\/strong><br>This session examines China\u2019s expanding economic, political, and development engagement in Africa and its implications for the European Union\u2019s 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\u2013China interactions in Africa may shape future development models and geopolitical alignments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Raoul Bunskoek (Clingendael)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Joshua Eisenman (Keough School of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sara Van Hoeymissen (Royal Military Academy, KU Leuven) TBD<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Session B \u2014 China in the Arctic<br>Strategic Interests, Governance, and Regional Security<\/strong><br>This session focuses on China\u2019s growing involvement in the Arctic region and its implications for regional governance, economic development, and security. It examines China\u2019s 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\u2019s role and how EU\u2013China interactions may evolve in this strategically sensitive region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Patrik Andersson (Swedish National China Centre)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Camilla S\u00f8rensen (China-Nordic Arctic research Centre, University of Copenhagen) TBD<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Toomas Lukk (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>16:00-16:15 Coffee break<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>16:15 \u2013 17:30 <strong>Final Plenary Session \u2014 The Future Landscape of EU\u2013China Relations<br>Scenarios, Risks, and Opportunities<\/strong><br>This final plenary synthesises insights from across the conference to assess possible future trajectories of EU\u2013China 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\u2013China engagement and the strategic choices facing European decision-makers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Niclas Kvarnstr\u00f6m (EU External Action Service) TBD<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mikael Mattlin (Finnish Institute of International Affairs) TBD<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Janka Oertel (European counsil on foreign relations) TBD<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>17:30 Networking Drinks and Reception<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 12th 9:00-9:15 Welcome and Opening Remarks 09:15\u201310:30 Key-Notes Sessions: Two Sides of the &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-451","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/eckf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/eckf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/eckf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/eckf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/eckf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=451"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/eckf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/451\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":476,"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/eckf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/451\/revisions\/476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/eckf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}