ReConnect China Conference 2025

The plenary sessions will be livestreamed. Are you a professional active in the subjects discussed at the conference and interested in participating in the conference at location? Please contact the Clingendael China Centre at [email protected].

Rebalancing EU-China Relations in an Age of Global Turmoil 

In today’s shifting geopolitical landscape, the relationship between the European Union and China is marked by complexity and constant evolution. As the EU navigates its position on the global stage, a fundamental question arises: how should it engage with China? Should the EU update its three-part strategy of viewing China as a partner, a competitor, and systemic rival?

Amid accelerating global change, it is essential for the EU to recalibrate its external relations. This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic EU-China relations. As Von der Leyen stated in Davos 2025, “It is time to pursue a more balanced relationship with China”. What does this new balance mean for Europe, and how should we achieve it?

To explore these questions further, we will organise the ReConnect China Conference 2025: Rebalancing EU-China Relations in an Age of Global Turmoil in collaboration with the ReConnect China consortium.

Programme

The plenary sessions will be livestreamed on YouTube. The parallel sessions are closed.

09:00 – 09:15 | Welcome 

09:15 – 10:30 | Introductory Panel 'Rebalancing EU-China relations in an age of global turmoil'

• Jorge Toledo, Ambassador European Union in China
• Maria Martin Prat, Deputy Director-General DG Trade European Commission
• Elena Suarez, Senior Advisor BusinessEurope
• TBD

10:30 – 10:45 | Coffee and tea break

10:45 – 12:15 | Breakout Sessions (NO LIVESTREAM)

Subpanel 1: Chinese Narrative of Europe and Competing Narratives within China

• Ties Dams, Senior Research Fellow, Clingendael Institute
• Ingrid D’Hooghe, Senior Research Fellow, Clingendael Institute
• Aurelio Insisa, Senior Research Fellow, Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI)
• Manya Koetse, Founder & Editor, What’s on Weibo

Subpanel 2: Clean Tech and the Energy Transition

• Chen Gang, Senior Research Fellow, National University of Singapore
• John Seaman, Research Fellow, IFRI
• Hannah Lentschig, Research Fellow, Clingendael Institute
• Han ten Broeke, Chief of Staff, Cabinet of EU Commissioner Hoekstra

12:15 – 13:15 | Lunch

13:15 – 14:30 | Plenary Session 'How to strengthen our European China Knowledge? The Dutch case and the Dutch China Knowledge Network'

• Marc Moquette, Knowledge Envoy, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Raoul Bunskoek, Senior Research Fellow, Clingendael Institute
• TBD
• TBD

14:30 – 14:45 | Coffee and tea break

14:45 – 16:00 | Breakout Sessions (NO LIVESTREAM)

Subpanel 1: How to do Research on China in 2025?

• Vincent Brussee, PhD Candidate, Leiden University
• Sense Hofstede, Research Associate, Clingendael Institute
• Laura de Giorgi, Professor in History of Modern and Contemporary China, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
• Miriam Tardell, Head of Section, Swedish National China Centre
• Christian Göbel, Professor of Modern China Studies, Universität Wien

Subpanel 2: Policy Scenario Workshop – EU-China Future

• Chiara Schrader, Researcher, Clingendael Institute
• Liam Klein, Research Fellow, Clingendael Institute

16:00 – 16:15 | Coffee and tea break

16:15 – 17:30 Closing Session 'The Future of EU-China Relations'

• Noah Barkin, Senior Advisor, Rhodium Group
• Finbarr Bermingham, Europe Correspondent, South China Morning Post
• Dominic Porter, Head of Division, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Mongolia, European External Action Service (EEAS)
• Xiaoxue Martin, Research Fellow, Clingendael Institute

17:30 | Network drinks

18:30 | End of conference

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About the ReConnect China project

The Clingendael Institute is part of the ReConnect China consortium. Experts in the ReConnect China project include researchers from 15 European thinktanks, universities, research institutes, and public institutes. The ReConnect China project is funded in the framework of the European Commission’s Horizon Europe.

Read more.

This event is organized with funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement number 101061483. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.