The Euro-China Forum Background

An initiative by the Academia Sinica Europæa -"a unique space for dialogue" in the words (on January 10 2003) of former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin - the Euro-China Forum creates the conditions for dialogue between the two edges of the Eurasian continent. Once a year in a different European city, Chinese and European intellectuals, policymakers, opinion leaders, academics, economists and actors of the business community meet on the occasion of the forum in order to improve mutual understanding and to discuss issues of common interest. The first forum in 2002 was organized in Barcelona. One year later, in cooperation with the Irish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business the forum traveled to Ireland's capital Dublin. For its third edition the forum took place in Sweden with the strong support of the Stockholm County. In 2005 the forum was co-organized with Casa Asia in Barcelona. The fifth edition took place in Sofia, Bulgaria. Under the aegis of Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev the 2006 forum was strongly supported by the Bulgarian government and co-organized by the Diplomatic Institute.

In 2007, the 6th Euro-China Forum took place in Lisbon, capital of Portugal. The 6th Euro-China Forum was under the High Patronage of Mr Anibal Cavaco Silva, President of the Portuguese Republic. During the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union, one month after the 17th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party and two weeks before the 10th EU-China Summit, the 6th Euro-China Forum provided a platform for both stimulating and useful exchanges.

Six years old only the Euro-China Forum is gaining momentum. In the words of Minister Zhao Qizheng, former Director of the PRC’s State Council Information Office : “The Euro-China Forum provides a platform for exchange and discussion, does enhance mutual understanding and makes great contribution to the strategic relationship on all fronts between China and Europe. The Euro-China Forum is gaining in influence”. Mr Laurent Fabius, former Prime Minister of the Republic of France wrote about the Forum: “We, Europeans and Chinese, should seize every opportunity to smoothen out potential frictions and to bridge the gap between the intensification of our commercial relationship and the weakness of our intellectual exchanges. In this respect, the Euro-China Forum plays a crucial part. And its influence keeps growing.”

Co-organizers :

The Academia Sinica Europaea at CEIBS http://www.ceibs.edu/ase/ 
ED Group www.edgroup.biz  www.ediconsulting.biz
Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine, Kyiv Mohyla  Business School http://www.kmbs.com.ua/en/

Partners : The Diplomatic Institute of the Republic of Bulgaria.

Media Partners : http://www.liga.net/  , http://www.cnua1.com/about/Index.shtml , http://www.expert.ua/ , http://www.expertukraine.com/

September 17

19.30pm : Concert/Dinner (VIPs upon invitation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine http://www.mfa.gov.ua/mfa/en ) . Event chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs , Volodymyr Ogryzko.

Concert by the state chamber ensemble Kyiv Soloists, led by ensemble soloist Myroslava Kotorovych

September 18

In the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine

9.00 - 10.30        Opening session

Chairman of the Opening Session: Alexander Gorin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
Message/Speech , President of Ukraine, Victor Yushchenko, or PM, Yulia Tymoshenko.
Message by Mr Wu Bangguo, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China.
David Gosset, Director of Academia Sinica Europæa.
"The 7th Euro-China Forum in perspective"
Zhou Li, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Ukraine.
First keynote speech by Leonid Kravchuk, former President of Ukraine.
Second keynote speech by Laurent Fabius, former French Prime Minister.

10.30 - 10.45  Coffee Break

10.45 - 12.30   Panel I : Changes and Challenges on Eurasia
 
Moderator: David Gosset, Director of the Academia Sinica Europæa.
Borys Tarasjuk, former minister of foreign affairs, Ukraine.
"Changes and challenges on Eurasia : a perspective from Ukraine"
Huang Baifu, vice-chairman of the China Institute for International Strategic Studies. 
Liu Ji, Honorary President of CEIBS, former vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
"The EU enlargement process : A Chinese perception"
Lu Qiutian, former Chinese Ambassador in Germany, Honorary President of the Chinese People Institute of Foreign Affairs.
"China’s foreign policy"
Radion Popov, vice-minister of foreign affairs, Bulgaria.
"The Black Sea Region : Key Role on the Silk Road"

Q&A

12.30 - 14.30     Lunch
 
14.30 - 16.00     Panel II  The bilateral relationship between Ukraine and China : past, present, future.  

Moderator: Boris Gumeniuk, Rector of the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine.
Alexander Gorin, vice minister of foreign affairs, Ukraine.
"Ukraine and Asia"
Oleg Bilorus, Ukraine's parliament, Chairman of the foreign affairs' committee.
"Ukraine and China"
Zhang Zhen, former Chinese Ambassador in Ukraine.
"The bilateral relationship between China and Ukraine : A Chinese perspective"
Feng Shaolei, Dean of the School of Advanced International and Area Studies (SAIAS), East China Normal University.
Li Xiang, President of the Chinese chamber of commerce in Ukraine.
"China and Ukraine : A business perspective"

18pm
Cocktail offered by the Embassy of China in Ukraine. Upon invitation only. 

September 19

9.00 - 11.00    Panel III : Ukraine-China Business Dialogue

              Moderator : Pavlo Sheremeta, Dean of KMBS.

              Long Ge, President of the Shanghai Xian Dai Architectural Design Group
              http://www.xd-ad.com.cn/
             
              Yaroslav Mykytyn, Kakhovka Electric Welding Plant, Chairman of the Board.

              Andrii Karpenko, Chairman ED Group.

              Other speakers tbc as soon as possible.

11.00 - 11.15   Coffee Break

11.15 - 12.30   Panel IV :  Conclusions of the 7th Euro-China Forum

                 Andrii Karpienko
                 David Gosset
                 Pavlo Sheremeta
                 Liu Ji
                 Representatives from Ukraine (Ministry Foreign Affairs, etc…)

Evening :
Concert by Chinese musicians studying in Ukraine. Venue tbd as soon as possible.

Open to the public (students, media, diplomatic corps, business community)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine - Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine.

RSVP to Ms. Seanie Comerford, Director of CEIBS International Relations Office. Email cseanie@ceibs.edu by Sept 11th.

Note that this is not at this stage the definitive program.