On June 5th and 6th, 2023, the Shanghai Institute for European Studies (SIES), Shanghai Institutes for International Studies(SIIS) and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Shanghai Representative Office jointly held an international seminar on "The Ukraine Crisis’ Impact on China-EU Relations" at SIIS.
Chen Dongxiao, President of SIIS, and René Bormann, Chief representative of FES Shanghai respectively delivered opening speeches on behalf of the host. Chen Dongxiao pointed out that the Russia-Ukraine conflict has caused a multi-dimensional impact on the international pattern, which not only has a serious impact on regional security in Europe, but also has a spillover effect on other regions and countries in the world, including the Asia-Pacific region. In order to avoid an uncontrollable end to the conflict, it is urgent for all parties to pool wisdom and strength and reach a political solution as soon as possible. René Bormann said the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how nations and people around the world are closely connected and interdependent. More than a year has passed since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and peace has become an urgent hope for all sides. Xu Mingqi, Honorary President of SIES, and Shada Islam, an expert at the European Policy Center (EPC), both said in closing summaries that such a frank and in-depth exchange between China and Europe is necessary to clarify the cognitive differences between China and Europe on the issue of Ukraine, promote mutual understanding in an empathetic way, and made more constructive suggestions for the steady and positive development of China-Eu relations.
Shada Islam from EPC, Nicola Casarini from the Istituto Affari Internazionali(IAI), Miguel Otero-Iglesias from Elcano Royal Institute(ERI), and Justyna Szczudlik from the Polski Instytut Spraw Międzynarodowych (PISM) were invited to Shanghai for the conference. At the same time, European scholars from the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik(SWP), the European Union Institute for Security Studies(EUISS), and the Institute of International Relations Prague (IIR) participated online. The European scholars, together with Director Cui Hongjian from the China Institute of International Studies(CIIS), Director Feng Zhongping from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences(CASS), Junior Research Fellow Yan Shaohua of Fudan University(FDU), Director Men Jing of East China Normal University(ECNU), Director Xin Hua of Shanghai International Studies University(SISU), Researcher Chen Xi of the CEIBS Lujiazui International Institute of Finance, Director Zhang Yinghong, Director Qiang Xiaoyun and Deputy Director Long Jing of SIIS, as well as experts and scholars from SIES on the position of China and the EU on the Ukraine crisis, the development prospects of the Ukrainian crisis, the impact of the Ukraine crisis on China-EU political and economic relations was a frank and in-depth discussion.
