Asia

February 2nd: Discussion Seminar: Are we becoming Japanese now? Japan�s experience and its relevance to Europe.

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:54:55 +0100

Europe and Japan share many similarities. Both are long-time allies of the United States, have for decades held the biggest economies and richest populations in the world, and were early givers of development assistance to third regions. On Thursday 2 February Clingendael Asia Studies organizes a discussion seminar about the relevance of Japan�s experience to European countries. Read more�

Debating China's global reputation in Beijing

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 17:30:29 +0100

The Charhar Institute, China's foremost public diplomacy think tank, and the Clingendael Institute will jointly hold the Charhar-Clingendael Public Diplomacy Forum, which is to take place on May 19-20 2012. Read more�

China and the Danger of a US-Iran War

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:28:22 +0100

The five-year multilateral diplomatic struggle to rein in Iran�s nuclear programme and the broader psychological war against the Islamic regime have been overshadowed for most of 2011 by the turmoil of the �Arab Spring�. Yet as new unilateral Western sanctions threaten full-scale economic war and as the rhetoric of Israeli or US military action against Iran escalates, the crisis has now taken centre stage in world politics. So far China, together with Russia, holds off UN sanctions and advocates dialogue and diplomatic negotiations to prevent further escalation. However, in a contribution to the Clingendael Asia Forum, Willem van Kemenade argues that should the threat of war continue to grow China may be forced to play a more prominent role. Read more�

Re-engaging Europe with Asia conference

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:52:01 +0100

14-15 December Clingendael will host the closing conference for the Europe-Asia Policy Forum. An official event of the Europe-Asia Policy Forum (EUforAsia Project) Re-engaging Europe with Asia is the IIAS-led closing event of the Europe-Asia Policy Forum and will take place on the eve of the preparation of the European Commission�s �Regional Programming for Asia (2013-2020) Strategy Paper�. The conference will explore the topics of economic integration, security, cooperation in the field of higher education, energy, and will address the future of the EU�s strategy toward Asia. The Europe-Asia Policy Forum (EUforAsia) was designed to target relevant stakeholders in Asia-Europe affairs and policy-making with information on contemporary issues regarding EU-Asia. Over the last three years, EUforAsia has organised roundtables, briefings and conferences with the aim of enhancing EU-Asia cooperation and awareness on issues of mutual interest in areas such as sustainable development, regional integration and governance. The EUforAsia consortium consists of the International Institute of Asian Studies (IIAS), the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), the Singapore Institute for International Affairs (SIIA) and the European Policy Centre (EPC). It is supported by funding from the European Union. Read more�

India and Australia: The End of Estrangement?

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:13:48 +0100

Recently Australia�s Prime Minister Julia Gillard declared that Australia is willing to reconsider its ban on uranium exports to India. The ban is widely believed to be a major obstacle to a stronger India�Australia relationship, and as such to stronger quadrilateral security cooperation that involves also the United States and Japan. In his contribution to Clingendael Asia Forum, Vikas Kumar argues why we should not expect a dramatic improvement in the India�Australia as a consequence of lifting the ban. Read more�

Lunchlezing Redt China de Euro? 20 december 2011

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:35:18 +0100

De Europese Unie probeert met moeite de financi�le crisis te beheersen terwijl de Chinese economie blijft groeien. Zal China de EU helpen bij het oplossen van de financi�le problemen of zullen Chinese investeringen juist leiden tot verdeeldheid binnen de EU en een zwakkere Euro op de lange termijn? Op dinsdag 20 december organiseert het Clingendael European Studies Programme een lunchlezing over de rol van China in de Eurocrisis. Twee China-kenners, Henk Schulte Nordholt en Garrie van Pinxteren, zullen beiden een lezing geven en met elkaar in debat gaan over de politieke en economische rol van China in de Eurocrisis. Read more�

Clingendael Energy Conference: �New Energy Technologies: Global Competition, Innovation and China�

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:33:43 +0100

Global competition is increasing for a number of new clean energy technologies that have seen rapid growth in the past decade. Although Europe, Japan and the United States have been traditional leaders in this field, their position is coming under pressure as China is emerging both as a global competitor and major growth market. In a seminar and debate from 13.30-17.30 on 30 November 2011, academic and industry experts will discuss the current status and trends of energy technology development and innovation � both worldwide and in China � and debate what could be Europe�s role and strategy.. Read more �

50 Years of Diplomatic Relations: The Republic of Korea, the Netherlands and the EU

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:55:31 +0100

At the occasion of 50 years of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Netherlands, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Netherlands and Clingendael Asia Studies will hold a seminar on the relations between the Republic of Korea, the European Union and the Netherlands 31st of October. Topics to be addressed include the past 50 years of Republic of Korea -EU and Republic of Korea -Dutch relations, inter-Korean relations beyond the nuclear threat, the future of Republic of Korea -EU relations in a global context, and public diplomacy in the Republic of Korea and the Netherlands. Read more �

Embassies and Social Media in China: the Canadian Case

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:39:01 +0100

Social media in China are experiencing explosive growth. China's "netizens" are so numerous, active, and outspoken that they are causing unease in the Chinese authorities. 11th of October, Clingendael will organize a roundtable with Mark McDowell, Head of Public Diplomacy at the Embassy of Canada in Beijing. Like other Embassies in China, Canada decided that it had to be part of this chaotic and exciting environment. Read more �

Not Just Politics: A Different Approach to Supporting Ethnic Minorities in China

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 11:37:08 +0100

In this new Clingendael Asia Forum Article, Ward Warmerdam argues that a number of demonstrations in Inner Mongolia during spring 2011 highlighted several important aspects of China�s policies towards ethnic minorities, the actual situation in that region, and the sensitivity of the Chinese government to Western political involvement. As with the disturbances in Tibet in 2008 and Xinjiang in 2009, the authorities immediately blamed foreign meddling for the unrest. If Western governments and pressure groups really want to help and support China�s ethnic minorities, a different approach from the current political one is needed. Read more �

Roundtable Middle Powers and Foreign Policy Strategy: The Republic of Korea and the Netherlands

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:40:28 +0100

November 1st, Clingendael organizes an informal roundtable that will address the question how two middle powers, the Republic of Korea and the Netherlands, are in the process of adapting their foreign policy to an international system in flux. The two countries in are arguably in a somewhat different position, both in terms of their economic weight and the in way in which they are embedded in multilateral political structures. But there are also distinct similarities between the two countries that could both be labeled as "middle powers". Between them there seems to be considerable potential for mutual learning and policy transfer . It is the purpose of this roundtable to familiarize participants with the broad foreign policy considerations and challenges as they are perceived by the Republic of Korea in the setting of East Asian power relations and the Netherlands in the framework of the European Union. The discussion aims at cross-fertilization of ideas and will look at foreign policy debates from an academic angle and from the perspective of practitioners involved in foreign policy planning. Read more �

Pakistan after Osama bin Laden: Ties with the United States and the regional balance

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:28:16 +0100

Thursday 25th of August, Clingendael Asia Studies organizes an expert meeting with the prominent Pakistani Journalist Imtiaz Gul, who will present his views on the Pakistan-US relationship in the context of the geopolitical balance in the region. How has the raid on the home of Osama Bin Laden impacted the US relation with Pakistan? Which place do bilateral US-Pakistan ties have in relation to regional developments such as the war in Afghanistan, evolving US-India ties, and the rise of China? Is Pakistan moving closer to China, and away from the United States? During the informal meeting there will be opportunity to discuss these and related issues. Read more �

US Policy in Asia: Assessing the Obama Administration's Efforts to Manage a Rising and Increasingly Assertive China

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 14:26:47 +0100

28th of September, Clingendael Asia Studies arranges a Guest lecture with Bonnie S. Glaser at The Clingendael Institute. The Obama administration has a dual approach toward China. One the one hand, it is seeking to expand cooperation where US and Chinese interests overlap and encourage Beijing to undertake greater responsibility for solving regional and global problems. At the same time, it is strengthening US alliances in the Asia-Pacific, building new partnerships, and enhancing US involvement in regional multilateral institutions to counter-balance growing Chinese power and as a hedge against the possibility that as China becomes stronger it may undertake policies that are damaging to the interests of the US and US-friendly states in the region. Is this policy succeeding? Read more �

The United States� Dangerous Game in the South China Sea

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:51:25 +0100

New Clingendael Asia Forum publication by Frans-Paul van der Putten

New maritime incidents have recently occurred in the South China Sea between China and some of its South-East Asian neighbours. On several occasion in recent months, Chinese patrol ships have prevented Philippine and Vietnamese vessels from exploring for oil and gas in disputed waters. While each side claims that it has acted in accordance with its sovereign rights, the result is that China�s relations with its two neighbours have become tense. Moreover, Asia�s rapidly expanding multilateral security architecture has not prevented these rising tensions. On the contrary, the regional security architecture seems to be undermining stability in the South China Sea area, which is a newly emerging hot spot in Asian security affairs. A particular cause for concern is the way in which the United States is using these multilateral forums to respond to the rise of China. Read more �

Indonesia 2020: Direction of Economic and Political Developments and Consequences for Dutch Foreign Policy

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:33:40 +0100

On 21 June Clingendael Asia Studies hosted a closed seminar on the prospects for Indonesia's economic and political development in the coming decade, and its implications for Dutch foreign policy. Read more �