The Elcano Royal Institute, the Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael, the Mercator Institute for China Studies MERICS and the French Institute for International Relations Ifri are organizing a seminar on Europe and China’s New Silk Road on February 7, 2017 from 12:30 to 14:00 at the Brussels office of the Elcano Royal Institute / Ifri, rue Marie-Thèrése 21, 1000 Brussels.

As China celebrates on the design of its “Belt and Road Initiative” (OBOR), the place of Europe within this project is slowly but surely taking shape. From rail projects in Poland and Germany to port projects in Greece and Latvia, Europe is a converging point for both the overland and maritime dimensions of China’s grand project. But while it offers a number of opportunities for investment and economic development, OBOR does not present the same across Europe and is even viewed with scepticism in some capitals.

This seminar will present and discuss the findings of the latest report by the European Think-tank Network on China (ETNC) that seeks to flesh out some of these varying perspectives. Based on a case study analysis of fourteen countries within the EU, the report takes a “bottom-up” approach, examining the development of the OBOR project within each country, as well as the EU institutional level. During the seminar, some of the report’s authors will discuss China’s approach to Europe and European responses within the context of OBOR.

Presenters:
Frans Paul van der Putten, Senior Research Fellow, Netherlands Institute of International Relations (Clingendael), The Hague, and lead coordinator of the report
Mario Esteban, Senior Analyst, Elcano Royal Institute, Madrid
Mikko Huotari, Head of the Chinese Foreign Relations Program, Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS), Berlin
John Seaman, Research Fellow, Center for Asian Studies, French Institute of International Relations (Ifri), Paris

Discussant:
Daniel Guyader, Senior Advisor for Asia and the Pacific, European External Action Service (EEAS).

To register, please contact elledo@rielcano.org
A light lunch will be served. The debate will be held in English and under Chatham House Rule.

The ‘Europe and China’s New Silk Roads’ report is available here
For more information on the European Think-tank Network on China(ETNC) click here