In November 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping launched the Maritime Silk Road (MSR) initiative during a state visit to Indonesia. The Maritime Silk Road is about geopolitics and influence, but Europeans should not overlook the importance of the ‘blue economy’ for China, nor should they dismiss the Maritime Silk Road as simply an exercise of public diplomacy. In fact, Chinese actions already affect European interests in areas such as maritime trade and shipbuilding, as well as through emerging growth niches in the blue economy, the global presence of the Chinese Navy and geopolitics and the global competition for influence. This seminar will address what China has already achieved and highlights the maritime areas where China is set to grow in importance in the next five years.
Puhujat
Panelistit
Puheenjohtaja
Bart Gaens is Senior Research Fellow in the Global Security and Governance research programme at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. From May 2021 to April 2023, he led a project on connectivity in the Indo-Pacific region. He also holds the title of Docent at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Helsinki.
In the past he has worked as Project Director for FIIA’s Center on US Politics and Power (CUSPP), Professor of Japanese Studies at the University of Helsinki, and Specially-Appointed Associate Professor at Osaka University in Japan.
He has published widely on Europe-Asia inter-regionalism and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) process, Japan’s foreign policy and regional role, India’s foreign policy and relations with the EU, domestic politics in Myanmar, and security-related issues in the Indo-Pacific region. He has also (co)edited volumes and reports on connectivity, EU-Asia relations, the US-China rivalry, transatlantic relations, and Japan’s search for strategic partnerships.