Global China Conversations

The Global China Conversations provide a 60-minute online discussion forum that fosters the exchange of ideas between research and practice. The Conversations are hosted by the Kiel Institute China Initiative in cooperation with the Centre for Modern East Asian Studies (CeMEAS) at the University of Göttingen and KOF Swiss Economic Institute at ETH Zürich.
Our invited speakers – academics, policymakers, and practitioners – present their insights on key issues related to China’s growing role in the world economy and the implications for German and European businesses and policymaking. The Conversations offer a research-based discussion forum to exchange views and experiences on Europe-China economic relations.

Topics

China is the world’s largest exporter and Europe’s second most important export destination behind the United States. Despite the importance of China for Europe, knowledge sharing between academia, policymaking and practice about China and the Europe-China relationships is still rare. China deserves special attention because of the - compared to Europe - much larger role of the Chinese state in business activities, development planning, and economic diplomacy. On the one hand, China and Europe share their interest in the defense of the multilateral rules-based world economy. On the other hand, European businesses complain about the absence of a level-playing field and insufficient reciprocity in market access. Moreover, the increase of outward direct investments from China, and their frequently highlighted adverse effects, are the subject of intense public debates. Despite these rapid developments, a lag persists between knowledge creation and exchange on the one hand and China’s increasing economic relevance for Europe and the world on the other. The Global China Conversations will cover a wide range of current issues related to economic, political, and legal aspects of Europe-China economic relations. Each Conversation will be based on one recent research paper that provides the fact-based basis for the discussions.

Format

The Global China Conversations are addressed to academia, foundations, associations, ministries, other stakeholders, and the interested public. Each Conversation lasts one hour with discussion inputs from academics, policymakers, and practitioners. 

The Conversations are held on Zoom. Participants are invited to register here for the series. They will receive an email with the zoom link and necessary details between one and two weeks before the next Conversation. All participants will be muted during the presentations of the speakers. During the Q&A session, the moderator will open the microphone to participants that indicate a question via chat. 

The Conversations take place on an irregular basis (roughly once per month) and are scheduled on Thursdays before lunchtime in Europe (11:00 AM) and dinnertime in China (5:00 PM).

The Conversations will take place in English or German as will be announced in the invitation email and on the individual event website.

We look forward to your participation and interesting debates.

Register here for the event series