CEASG-roundtable CALL FOR PROPOSALS

European Union market access in China after Covid: derisking, decoupling or doubling down?

WHEN: Friday 24 November 2023
WHERE: University of Groningen, Centre for East Asian Studies Groningen (CEASG)
ORGANIZERS: Faculty of Arts / CEASG
PROPOSAL DEADLINE: 15 July 2023

This CEASG-Roundtable is part of the project ReConnect China and is funded by the European Commission through Horizon 2020. For more information on ReConnect, see the CORDIS page or the CEASG-website.

Europe is at a crossroads when it comes to its relationship with China. On the one hand, economic ties remain thick and it is clear that China remains an essential partner when it comes to furthering Europe’s economic dynamism as well as its transition to a carbon-free economy. On the other hand, the political foundation of the relationship is eroding rapidly. The United States is leaning on Europe to adopt a more restrictive approach to sharing technology. European public opinion of China is increasingly negative. And Beijing’s ambivalent response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine as well as its increasingly aggressive posturing towards Taiwan has deepened suspicion in many quarters of Chinese geopolitical intentions.

All this raises doubts about the long-standing quest of the European private sector to secure unfettered access to invest in China. In December 2020, the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) seemed to finally secure some of the investment access that many expected should already have resulted from China’s WTO-accession nearly twenty years earlier. But the CAI’s subsequent demise in the European Parliament begs the question to what extent the EU still wants to increase access to China for European investors. Even if the EU still wants to increase access, should companies increase their footprint in China? Or does this open them up to unmanageable risks resulting from China’s regulatory environment, competition with the United States, and violating European laws on labor rights and the environment? Should European policymakers help companies increase their investments in China, or should they moderate such efforts and help companies ‘reshore’ instead?

This Roundtable in the context of the EU Horizon research project ReConnect China aims to bring together representatives from government, academia and the private sector to discuss these issues. Those interested in participating are invited to submit a proposal of 300-500 words by 15 July 2023 by email to the roundtable coordinator at l.c.a.hemminga@rug.nl. Selected participants will then be asked to develop this proposal into a presentation or paper. At the conclusion to the Roundtable participants will discuss the follow-up and outcome for this event. CEASG can provide accommodation and travel costs for selected participants.

For more information, please contact the roundtable-coordinator Dr. Laurens Hemminga at: l.c.a.hemminga@rug.nl.

Organization: Dr. Laurens Hemminga, with Prof. Jan van der Harst and prof. Tjallling Halbertsma.