China's public diplomacy: What does it mean for Europe?, Brussels - Main contents
| date | January 13, 2015 12:00 - 14:00 |
|---|---|
| city | Brussels, Belgium |
| location | Madariaga - College of Europe Foundation, Brussels  |
| attending | J. (Jan) Melissen et al. |
| organisation | Institute Clingendael i |
China invests heavily in policies aimed at improving its image, guarding itself against international criticism and advancing its domestic and international agenda. The Chinese government seeks to develop a distinct Chinese approach to public diplomacy, one that suits the country's culture and authoritarian system. In “China's Public Diplomacy”, author Ingrid d'Hooghe argues that this approach is characterised by a long-term vision, a dominant role for the government, an inseparable and complementary domestic dimension, and a high level of interconnectedness with China's overall foreign policy and diplomacy. Europe encompasses multiple, potentially conflicting, levels of public diplomacy (subnational, national, transnational, and supranational) and the European Union lacks a structured public diplomacy policy. However, a number of recent initiatives aim to reinforce the link between EU foreign and cultural policies, such as the EC Communication "European Agenda for Culture in a Globalising World" and the creation of a Member State expert group on culture and external relations (taking China as a test case). As China steps up its public diplomacy efforts, what does this mean for Europe? Can Europe learn from China's approach to public diplomacy? Is there a degree of convergence between Chinese and European public diplomacy practices? Can public diplomacy help overcome stumbling blocks in mutual understanding? How could Europe improve its public diplomacy towards China (and the rest of the word)?
A lunch-seminar / book launch with:
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-Ingrid d’Hooghe, Senior Research Associate, The Cligendael Institute
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-Damien Helly, Deputy Head of programme Strengthening European External Action, European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM)
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-Jian Xiaoyan, Counsellor Director, Press and Communication Section, Chinese Mission to the EU
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-Walter Zampieri, Head of Unit, Culture policy and intercultural dialogue, DG Education and Culture, European Commission
The debate will be moderated by Jan Melissen, Senior Research Fellow, The Clingendael Instituten and Professor of Diplomacy, University of Antwerp.
The debate will be held in English.
Sandwiches and drinks will be provided from 11:30 onwards.
To register, please send your name, title and the name of your organisation to info@madariaga.org
For more information, do not hesitate to contact us on: +32 (0) 2 209 62 10.
This event is held on the occasion of the launch of the book “China's Public Diplomacy” (I. d’Hooghe, Brill Nijhoff, 2015).
This event is jointly organised with The Clingendael Institute.
Contents
The Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael is a knowledge institute for international relations. In a constantly changing global environment, Clingendael acts as a think-tank as well as a diplomatic academy in order to identify and analyze emerging political and social developments for the benefit of the Dutch government and the general public.
Clingendael seeks to achieve this objective through research, by publishing studies, organising courses and training programmes, and by providing information. The Institute acts in an advisory capacity to the government, parliament and social organisations, holds conferences and seminars, maintains a library and documentation centre, and publishes a Dutch language monthly on international politics as well as a newsletter. Clingendael currently employs some 110 staff, the majority of whom are researchers and training staff.