WT13 – The challenges and advantages of Euro‐Chinese dialogue

In partnership with :

Instituto de Estudos Europeus de Macau (IEEM)

Workshop presentation

Because China and Europe represent, along with the United States, the three great global economic groups; because the globalisation of economic exchanges, the growth of inter-dependencies and their very power make dialogue between China and Europe a major basis of the future international order; because their economic interests are interlinked; because the general atmosphere of mutual trust or mistrust has a direct effect on the quality of relations between individuals or between economic and social actors: the quality of Euro-Chinese dialogue represents a major issue for each of our societies and for the entire world.

For thousands of years, these two great civilisations have constantly fascinated one on other, even if phases of withdrawal or defiance often succeeded phases of exchange. Since the 1500s, three great periods of encounters have marked the Euro-Chinese relationship: that of the European Renaissance, along with the coming of the Jesuits in China; that of the 19th-century, inaugurated by the Opium War; finally, that in which we are now, which started with the economic opening of China in 1978.

While not minimising the considerable contribution that they represented for each of our societies, the first two phases closed with a phase of rupture and withdrawal and often left painful marks. In the third encounter, which started at the end of the 20th century, the interdependence between the societies at the global level and with the biosphere is such that no going back is possible. The dialogue is condemned to succeed or to degenerate into a conflict with particularly serious consequences.

The workshop will be devoted to the historical putting into perspective of Euro-Chinese dialogue, in order to draw out the consequences for the future.