EU-China Public Lecture Series: Trade and Investment

The European Union-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has grown to include a vast array of bilateral and multilateral areas of cooperation. The EU-China Strategic Agenda for Cooperation has also set the framework for broader EU-China relations until 2020 in four main areas of engagement: peace, prosperity, sustainable development and people-to people exchanges.

At the same time, the EU and China are two of the biggest traders in the world. China is now the EU's 2nd trading partner and the EU is China's biggest trading partner. Additionally, at the 16th EU-China Summit held in 2013 both sides announced the launch of negotiations of a comprehensive EU-China Investment Agreement. The Agreement will provide for progressive liberalisation of investment and the elimination of restrictions for investors to each other's market. It will provide a simpler and more secure legal framework to investors of both sides by securing predictable long-term access to EU and Chinese markets respectively and providing for strong protection to investors and their investments.

The EU-China Public Lecture Series funded by the Partnership Instrument of the Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) of the European Commission were initiated to mark the 40th anniversary of EU-China diplomatic ties in late 2015. They intend to strengthen the understanding of EU policies among Chinese leaders, media and the general public, thus contributing to better mutual understanding and the visibility of the EU.

Following the first four series organized over the past year, the new lectures will focus on Trade and Investment. Dr. Duncan Freeman will talk about Restructuring of The Chinese Economy:  Trade and Investment Trends and Their Impact on EU-China Relations. Freeman is Research Fellow at the EU-China Research Centre of the College of Europe. He has taught and carried out research on China’s economic and policy developments, as well as on EU-China relations, at the Brussels Diplomatic Academy and the Brussels Academy for China and European Studies at the Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB). He holds a BA in Politics and Modern History from the University of Manchester, an MSc in Chinese Politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, a Postgraduate Diploma in Economic Principles from the University of London and a PhD from the VUB. He previously lived and worked in Beijing and Hong Kong for a total of 17 years and is fluent in Chinese. 

The lectures will take place at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation (CAITEC) and the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) on 9 November in Beijing and at the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) and the Shanghai Institute for European studies (SIES) on the 10-11 November in Shanghai. Mr. Ulrich Weigl, Minister Counsellor and Head of the Trade section at the Delegation of the European Union to China and Mongolia will also provide keynote speeches at the events in Beijing. 

For more information:

EU Delegation to China: http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/china

DG Trade – China: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/countries/china/