Events

In this China Knowledge Network (CKN) Knowledge Session Dr. Benjamin Blandin shared his expertise regarding Chinese maritime interests. The presentation explored the different means China employs to deny access, conduct hybrid operations and pursue its interests through so-called grey-zone tactics, with a focus on the South China Sea and Taiwan.

This report examines the extent to which Chinese economic and political influence in the CPKNL has developed and how these development relate to the geopolitical resilience and economic security of the islands. The research is based on qualitative fieldwork, interviews and desk research conducted between January and May 2026 across Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao and Sint Maarten.

CKN Coming to a University near You! We tour all our ministries regularly. Now it’s time to present CKN to Universities. Contact our team for a lecture on how we tackle the complexity of relations between Europe and China.

In this CKN knowledge session, Prof. dr. Florian Schneider (sinologist and Academic Director of the Leiden Asia Centre and Professor Modern China at Leiden University) provided insight into how people in Taiwan think about and respond to disinformation in the context of AI – and what lessons this might hold for Europe.

This was the launch event of a new CKN report titled Sustainable Built Environment Cooperation Between the Netherlands and China by Jos Brouwers and Bowen Xu.

In this CKN knowledge session, Floriske Deutman-Bodisco Massink (sinologist and chair of the Foundation for Energy Transition & Nuclear Power) provides insight into the scale, motivations, and implications of China’s nuclear ambitions.

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.

This was the launch event of a new Clingendael China Knowledge Network (CKN) report on the emergence, networks, and challenges of new Chinese civil society organizations (CCSOs) in Europe, with a particular focus on the Netherlands.

Mingran Cao presented findings from his recent fieldwork in Yancheng, a coastal city in Jiangsu province that has undergone a remarkable transformation—from a heavy reliance on the chemical industry to becoming a leader in renewable energy development. This event was of particular interest to those working in energy, sustainability, industrial policy, and international economic development.

CKN REKA Scenario-workshop: De toekomst van het Chinees-Russische partnerschap Hoe ontwikkelt de samenwerking tussen Moskou en Beijing zich in de komende jaren? Tijdens deze interactieve scenario-workshop staat het Chinees-Russische partnerschap centraal. Samen met de deelnemers verkennen we drie mogelijke toekomsten: een verslechtering van de relatie, een voortzetting van de huidige trend, een intensivering van de samenwerking op meerdere fronten.

This was the launch event of the report Standardisation with Chinese Characteristics. The Missing Pillar in Rebooting Europe’s Industrial Policy, commissioned by the China Knowledge Network (CKN), with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy as lead ministry.

The development of the law of the sea in the second half of the 20th century – and in particular the extension of coastal State jurisdiction beyond the territorial sea through the regimes of the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf – has radically transformed the geopolitics of the ocean.