How the geopolitical competition in the Middle East and the Gulf plays out is of crucial importance for the security of Europe. The US and Russia are key strategic actors in the region, but so, increasingly, is China. What is China’s policy towards the Middle East? Is there any chance for EU-China cooperation in the region? Egmont, the Brussels Academy for China and European Studies, and the Confucius Institute at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) invite you to an international expert seminar on the question: Does China have a Middle East strategy?

AGENDA

15:00-15:30    Registration

15:30-16:30     Panel Debate

Chair: Prof. Dr. Sven Biscop, Egmont Institute

• Dr. DONG Manyuan, Vice President, China Institute of International Studies
• Dr. TANG Zhichao, Director of Middle East Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
• Gilles Bertrand, Policy Adviser, Managing Directorate Middle East and North Africa, European External Action Service
• Alexandros Yannis, Senior Advisor, Strategic Planning, European External Action Service

16:30-17:30     Free Discussion

Closing Remarks: Prof. Dr. SONG Xinning, Renmin University of China & VUB