Events

Ervaar je in je werk dat de relatie met China zich ontwikkelt van partnerschap en concurrentie naar systeemrivaliteit? Vraag je je af wat dit betekent voor het ministerie, de provincie of gemeente waar je werkzaam bent? De tweedaagse CKN China Cursus vergroot je begrip van China en helpt je de complexe relatie met China vorm te geven in beleid. Deze cursus belicht de rol van China in de actuele, existentiële uitdagingen voor Europa en Nederland.

We warmly invite you to the public presentation of our latest Agrifood Report on developments in China’s food sector and opportunities for international collaboration. Our researchers will present the findings, followed by a moderated discussion and an interactive Q&A with the audience. It promises to be a lively and insightful exchange.

In this China Knowledge Network (CKN) Knowledge Session, Dr. Sanne van de Lugt explored recent security developments in the space domain, with a particular focus on China’s ambitions, capabilities and international positioning. The session also reflected on the implications for Europe and the Netherlands, including questions of dependence, security and strategic autonomy.

On 28 January 2026, the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS), the Dutch China Knowledge Network (CKN), and the Swedish National China Centre convened a closed door online discussion on “China in the Arctic and its implications for the EU,” which was moderated by Bernhard Bartsch, Director of External Relations at MERICS. The discussion brought together key experts on this topic; Helena Legarda (Head of Program for the Foreign Relations Team, MERICS), Louise van Schaik (Head of EU & Global Affairs, Clingendael Institute), and Patrik Andersson (Analyst, Swedish National China Centre at UI), and was followed by a Q&A with the audience.

This was the launch event of the new China Knowledge Network (CKN) report which examines why China insists on maintaining its developing country (DC) status in international climate negotiations - and how the Netherlands and the EU can strategically and pragmatically respond.

In this Knowledge Session, Tom Hancock, expert on Chinese political economy and co-founder of CP Global Insight, presented findings from a research project examining China’s emerging state-led policy and financing system for industrial decarbonization.

Ervaar je in je werk dat de relatie met China zich ontwikkelt van partnerschap en concurrentie naar systeemrivaliteit? Vraag je je af wat dit betekent voor het ministerie, de provincie of gemeente waar je werkzaam bent? De driedaagse CKN China Cursus vergroot je begrip van China en helpt je de complexe relatie met China vorm te geven in beleid. Deze cursus belicht de rol van China in de actuele, existentiële uitdagingen voor Europa en Nederland.

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.

This was the launch event of a new China Knowledge Network (CKN) report on China’s Development Finance, twenty years after Chinese policy banks began their major expansion into the Global South.

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.