Sinopinion

On October 27-28, 2021, Officials, scholars and entrepreneurs from China and the UK discussed the challenges of tackling climate change and achieving carbon neutrality at the "UK-China Climate Change and Sustainability Summit" seminar, with the aim of setting the stage for Glasgow COP26.  Wu Hailong, President of China Public Diplomacy Association (CPDA) Former Chinese Ambassador to the European Union, gave his welcome remark in "UK-China Climate Change and Sustainability Summit" on 27, October. 

Prof. Zhou Hong, China Forum Expert and Chair of the Division of International Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, shared her perspective in a panel discussion entitled “Shifting Sands: Geopolitics in Crisis Mode” in the ninth annual Athens Democracy Forum in late September. Professor Zhou says that despite different democratic structures among countries, the world should not be split by ideologies.

Prof. Da Wei, Deputy Director of CISS and professor in the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University, joins host David Firestein, the President and CEO of the Bush China Foundation, to discuss how Chinese experts assess the current state of the U.S.-China relationship. The discussion, situated at the 100-day mark of the Biden presidency, analyzes why the relationship between the United States and China remains about as tense and contentious as it was during the final months of the Trump Administration. The United States and China have engaged each other at high levels, but fundamental and seemingly irreconcilable differences around a host of issues – including trade, technology, human rights, Taiwan and the South China Sea, among others – remain evident.

With the evolving situation in Afghanistan under tight global scrutiny, we are joined by Ambassador Yue Xiaoyong, China’s newly-appointed Special Envoy for Afghan Affairs, on our program today. Amb. Yue has recently participated in several rounds of talks concerning the Afghan situation and has directly exchanged ideas with the Taliban. What are the root causes behind the Afghan crisis? What is China’s take on the current situation in Afghanistan? How could China help with the reconciliation and reconstruction process of the Afghan people? Let’s hear China Forum vice chairman Li Shimo’s one-on-one interview with Amb. Yue Xiaoyong.

What are the real intentions behind the FOIP concept? Is China’s increasing maritime presence a threat to regional security or an assurance to international navigation safety?      Zhou Bo, a China Forum expert and former director of the Center for Security Cooperation in the Office for International Military Cooperation at the Ministry of National Defense, recently spoke at the International Maritime Security Conference 2021. The conference was co-hosted by S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies and the Republic of Singapore Navy in late June.

The world has witnessed drastic changes in major-power relations, coupled with protectionism headwinds and the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. These have attached more importance to protecting and revitalizing multilateralism in the modern world. In our program today, we will be listening to a speech given in early-July by CISS Chairperson Madame Fu Ying at the 9th World Peace Forum’s Plenary of “Revitalizing Global Multilateralism”. She discusses how China views and has practiced multilateralism over the past four decades, emphasizing that the country does not expect it to become a tool to serve the interests of a single party.  The 9th World Peace Forum, themed “International Security Cooperation in the Post-Pandemic Era: Upholding and Practicing Multilateralism”, was organized by Tsinghua University on July 2-4, 2021. Mr. Herman Van Rompuy, former President of the European Council, and Dr. Surakiart Sathirathai, former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, also participated in the plenary.

A China Forum Expert and associate professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University Law School, Mr. Gu Bin, suggests BRI should set a green example by stopping financing new coal power. He is of the view that banning coal is consistent with China’s pledge of carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 and the new phase of constructing high-quality, clean and green BRI. If BRI makes coal-free commitments, it may contribute to the Paris Agreement and thus improve its own reputation.

China-EU relations have recently been experiencing fluctuations. Dissatisfaction with one another is rising and the China-EU Investment Agreement has been temporarily shelved. What is the outlook for relations between the two? Will they continue to part ways or gradually return to the track of consensus and cooperation formed over the years? Mr. Wu Hongbo, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on European Affairs and a former UN Under-Secretary-General, expressed confidence in a healthy China-EU relationship, but also pointed out that there are immediate challenges ahead. Mr. Wu shared his views during a webinar jointly held by China Forum and The European House – Ambrosetti on April 9, 2021. Let’s hear his opinions.

Dr. Gong Jiong, China Forum expert and professor of economics at the University of International Business and Economics, refuted the assumption that China’s trade success is solely because of government policies.

The future pathway of China-U.S. relations has been under the global spotlight, as the Biden administration has not yet rolled out its full Chinese strategy. Madam Fu Ying, the Chairperson of CISS, warns that the main obstacle of trust-building lies in how the two countries could accurately judge each other’s strategic intention. In this episode, we will be listening to Madame Fu’s speech on East Asia Wisemen’s Roundtable in late February, where she discussed the possibilities for U.S. and China to forge mutual trust again, as well as the expectation of East Asian countries on a stable U.S.-China relationship. The East Asia Wisemen’s Roundtable, themed " East Asian Regional Order and Cooperation after Covid-19", was co-organized by the East Asia Foundation, Atlantic Council, Nakasone Peace Institute, and CISS on February 22, 2021.