USA & EU Barcelona Meeting | US - EU Alignment and Divergence on China Policy
The Institut d’Estudis Nord-americans (IEN) Foundation in collaboration with the US General Consulate and the Representation of the European Commission in Barcelona, IBEI and UOC present the third edition of the annual USA & EU Barcelona Meeting which will discuss to what extent are the Europeans and Americans converging or diverging in their policies toward the People's Republic of China in this era of strategic competition?
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US - EU Alignment and Divergence on China Policy
To what extent are the Europeans and Americans converging or diverging in their policies toward the People’s Republic of China in this era of strategic competition?
Beijing has made numerous security and economic decisions in recent years that are worrisome and exacerbating tensions with the West. Despite the increasing need to work with China to effectively address any number of global issues – especially climate change – it is difficult to find much common ground, and there is little expectation things will noticeably improve any time soon. Indeed, China and the West seem destined to grow apart. Meanwhile, there remain important differences in how the EU and US approach and prioritize security and trade issues in their dealings with China.
This seminar will convene leading experts and policymakers to explore the significant changes in China’s security and economic landscape, discuss how EU and US policies are responding to these developments, and offer insights and consider policy proposals to improve relations.
📍 Venue: Auditori de La Pedrera (C/ de Provença, 261, 265, Eixample, 08008 Barcelona). Google Maps
🔊 Languages: Simultaneous interpretation will be included.
▶️ The event will be streamed.
PROGRAME
16.30 – 17.00h. Registration for attendees
17.00h. Event Introduction. Opening Speakers:
- Dr Joan F. Corona, President, Institute of North American Studies
- Mr. Manuel Szapiro, Head of Representation in Barcelona, European Commission
- Ms. Katie Stana, Consul General, Consulate General of the United States in Barcelona
- Mr. Pierre-Emmanuel Brusselmans, Consul, Consulate of Belgium in Barcelona
17.10h - PANEL I · Geopolitics
The geopolitical scene, always in a perpetual state of motion, has gone into overdrive in the last few years. The combined impact of the Covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine, conflict in the Middle East, and the rising importance of the Global South, has reshaped the global landscape and how we interpret it. Yet amidst the geopolitical rivalry, there is an urgent need to seek new forms of cooperation to manage common problems. This panel will address the strategic implications of these developments, explore the future dynamics of the EU-US-China triangular relationship, and identify the most likely areas where frictions may lead to conflict and where common interests may lead to cooperation.
Speakers
- Dr. Luis Simón, Director, Research Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS), Institute for European Studies at Vrije Universiteit, Brussels
- Robert Daly, Director, Kissinger Institute on China and the United States, Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars
- Dr. Sarah Kirchberger, Academic Director, Institute for Security Policy, Kiel University
Chair: Dr. Jeffrey Michaels, IEN Senior Fellow in American Foreign Policy and International Security, Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals (IBEI)
Questions & Answers
Coffee Break
18.50h - PANEL II · Economics
Over the last decades, China’s rise as a global economic superpower has challenged the traditional dominance of the US and EU. In particular, the Belt and Road Initiative has expanded Beijing’s influence in the Global South by investing heavily in infrastructure projects in many regions. But with increasing signs of an economic downturn in China, will the ‘Chinese moment’ last? Will it go the same way as Japan — decades of stagnation following its meteoric economic rise — or should we be thinking in terms of a temporary setback, with the best yet to come? What sorts of economic and trade policies have the EU and US adopted in response to China’s rise, and how might these policies adapt in the coming years, particularly if the Chinese economy stumbles? In addition, what types of developments might radically alter our current assumptions about the future trajectory of economic relations among these three global players?
Speakers
- Dr. Mary E. Lovely, Anthony M. Solomon Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics
- Dr. Jan Knoerich, Political Economy and Institutions Senior Lecturer, Lau China Institute
- Dr. Françoise Nicolas, Senior Advisor, Center for Asian Studies, Institut Français des Relations Internationals (IFRI)
Chair: Cèlia Cernadas, International affairs reporter. Former correspondent Washington DC, Catalunya Ràdio
Questions & Answers
20.00h - Event Closure
Closing Remarks
- Prof. Jacint Jordana, Professor at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, President at IBEI, and ICREA Academia researcher
Closing Speaker
- Ms. Meritxell Serret, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Union at the Government of Catalonia
Academic advisor
