Asia Centre welcomed the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS) in Paris, November the 8th 2024.
The parties exchanged in-depth and substantive views on a variety of subjects related to international relations, especially concerning bilateral relations between Europe, the member-states and the People’s Republic of China, trade and investments, and the war in Ukraine. The parties agreed to meet under the framework of Asia Centre’s Code of Conduct for Open Dialogue, whereas both parties are encouraged to publish their respective statements after the meeting.
Attendees:
SASS:
- Dr. Wang Jian, Director, Institute of International Relations, SASS
- Dr. Dai Yichen Ph.D, Deputy Executive Director, Branch of European Research, Institute of International Relations, SASS
- Mr. Zhang Guoyun, Council Member of Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Think Tank Foundation, Director of the Office of Finance and Accounting of SASS
- Dr. Li Min, Assistant Professor, Institute of International Relations, SASS
Asia Centre:
- Isabelle Feng
- François Issard
- Arnaud Leveau
- Emmanuelle Foulon
- Méline Rousseau
Asia Centre’s statements regarding the November 8, 2024 meeting:
Consumer confidence: Asia Centre raised concerns about the domestic market in China. Recent stimulus packages tend to address cyclical problems such as fiscal issues or stock market trends, as opposed to structural challenges that the population is facing. Indeed, insufficient social services such as unemployment, retirement or health coverage combine with the housing crisis and the demographic pressure to increase consumer savings due to the lack of consumer confidence.
War in Ukraine: As North Korean troops entered the conflict, it is the first time we may see an Asian conflict taking place within Europe by proxy which is kind of an extension of an Asian war in Europe. So far, Asia Centre’s perception is that China remains a bit shy on this issue while we expected it to use its influence to try to mitigate the relationship. Asia Centre asked for clarifications wondering what is the real situation about this. The SASS raised that, while they are disappointed by North Korea’s newspaper giving more importance to the partnership with Russia’s (as compared with the partnership with China), China is aware that their exportations to North Korea are vital for its survival, as well as for maintaining stability in the region. SASS confirmed China’s clear objection to having the conflict expand beyond the current theatre. The SASS also believes that Russia is now isolated, otherwise it would not see help from North Korea. Asia Centre comments that Russia is not isolated, it benefits from a “limitless” partnership with its neighbour, the world’s second economic power.
A two-security axis: Asia Centre pointed out US’s pressure on their Asian partners’ defense budget. The US wants South Korea and Japan to strengthen their defense industry while Japan’s discourse is using a new wording, based on the idea of an “Asian NATO”. Asia Centre asked what would be China’s reaction to such a dual axis. According to the SASS, the US is putting pressure on their Asian allies in order to raise their military expenditure on American weapons. However, they raised that those Asian allies’ priority is their economic growth. The SASS also shared that Chinese scholars believe the US will continue to put more attention on the Indo-Pacific area and establish many multilateral alliances such as the QUAD in order to balance / contain China. The SASS believes it will result in decreasing attention on Europe’s situation. They also stressed how heterogeneous Europe is on military-strategic issues. For them, the transpacific alliance will experience a shift because of the Indo-Pacific.
Trade between EU and China: To be sure, the Russian high-intensity invasion of UKR creates unfavourable sentiments vis-à-vis China, impacting relations on all fronts, diplomatic and multilateral relations, trade, travel and cultural exchanges. In this context, disputes such as EV government subsidies are more complicated to resolve and bilateral relations are not as effective as they could be.
Decoupling and Internet access: Asia Centre strives to share its opinions and work openly with visiting delegations. However, we regret that researchers in China are unable to access this same information, as the Great Firewall is currently blocking them from viewing our website, www.asiacentre.eu. We respectfully request that all Chinese researchers be allowed access to our website, so they can benefit from the same information available to those who visit us in person.