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Upcoming Events
Lunch Briefing on "India between the EU, the SCO and BRIC"
Speaker: Prof. Come Carpentier de Gourdon Chair: Mr. Dick Gupwell - Secretary General, European Institute for Asian Studies As one of the great emerging powers, India is being engaged by most other influential nations and, aside from its controversial strategic partnership with the USA, has pursued a particularly active interaction with the EU, ASEAN and the SCO, the new Eurasian cooperative organization whose interests are intertwined with India's own in a rather ambiguous manner.
Download invitation (PDF) Recent Events and Reports
Lunch Briefing; "Political Economy of Caste in India"
Speaker: Prof. Pradipta Kumar Chaudhury Chair: Mr. Dick Gupwell - Secretary General, European Institute for Asian Studies Prof. Pradipta Kumar Chaudhury from the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, is a totally home-grown academic. Nevertheless, he has been given international recognition, having been appointed Visiting Professor, Indo-French Programme, La Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, EHESS, Paris (March-April 2009), and Erasmus Visiting Fellow in Global History, Department of Economic History, the London School of Economics and Political Science, (January-April 2007). His interests are wide-ranging and include: interactions between economic, political and social processes in India during the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries; social institutions and transformations; agrarian relations, caste, commercialisation, deprivation, gender, international and internal migrations; labour history, poverty and unemployment. He is an economist yet people-centered. His long list of publications reflects these research interests. Caste is his latest research project, which explains the theme of our lunch briefing, "Political Economy of Caste in India". Caste has been casting its shadow over India's politics. Caste-based "reservations" (reserved places), in education and government employment, are supposed to benefit India's most deprived people but, in reality, they have benefited the well-off. Many intellectuals and politicians of all varieties almost unanimously hail the politics of caste identity as a move towards true equality. Some go so far as to argue that the recent rise of the lower castes in northern Indian politics and the implementation of reservations by the central government amount to a silent revolution, and that the politics of caste is secular and a bulwark against religious sectarianism The protagonists of caste politics and caste-based public policy simply cannot validate their assertions, offering only small-sample surveys that can be grossly misleading in the context of a huge country characterized by monumental diversity. Moreover, these studies typically pool castes into three large groups, which distort the real picture. Since India gained its independence, the government has systematically refused to collect sufficient data on the socio-economic aspects of caste. By using caste as a criterion in public policy, India's government is effectively treating the rich and the poor equally, thereby conveying benefits to the former. This helps co-opt the elite among the lower castes to the ruling coalition, and keeps the poor divided along caste lines. But it is hypocritical to argue that this does anything to eliminate acute deprivation.
Lunch Briefing; "India's Foreign Policy since the end of the Cold War"
Speaker: Prof. Harish Kapur Chair: Mr. Dick Gupwell - Secretary General, European Institute for Asian Studies India's independence, in 1947, was marred by Partition and the creation of a separate Pakistan. Pakistan's attempt to seize Jammu and Kashmir, led to the first war between the two countries, in 1947-1948. Moreover, while Pakistan joined the western-oriented SEATO, in 1954, and the Baghdad Pact (later CENTO), in 1955, India became a leading member of the Non-Aligned Movement, set up at Bandung in 1955. Following China's attack on India, in 1962, India's second war with Pakistan took place in 1965. India developed closer relations with the Soviet Union (and Vietnam) as a counterweight to Pakistan's alliances with both China and the United States. India's third war with Pakistan, in 1971, resulted from the emergence of a separate Bangladesh out of the former East Pakistan. Pakistan withdrew from SEATO, in 1973, and CENTO collapsed in 1979. India and Pakistan, along with Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, then established SAARC, in 1985. The Cold War finally ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, in 1991. Professor Harish Kapur analysed developments in India's Foreign Policy since then. This included: India's acquisition of nuclear weapons, in 1998; India's relations with Pakistan, also now a nuclear power, and other SAARC neighbours; the development of India's "Look East" policy, since 1992; India's continuing relationship with Russia, the thaw in relations with China and the improvement in relations with the United States (including civilian nuclear co-operation); and, of course, developments in India's long-standing relations with the European Community/European Union. Harish Kapur is currently Emeritus Professor of International Relations at the Graduate Institute of International Relations, in Geneva, and also Director of the European Institute in India and Switzerland.
Lunch Briefing; "Taiwan Culture, Policy and the New Government"
Speaker: Dr. Ann Heylen Chair: Mr. Dick Gupwell - Secretary General, European Institute for Asian Studies Overwhelming electoral victory in 2008 brought the KMT back to power in Taiwan allowing for liberalization of cross-strait relations. These reforms have been widely interpreted as a step toward resolving political problems between China and Taiwan. However, put in the perspective of change since the lifting of martial law in 1987, they are much more ambiguous. The aim of this presentation is to place these reforms in the perspective of the past two decades of cultural policies and interpret them as part of a larger process of globalisation and democracy in Taiwan Ann Heylen is an associate professor in the Graduate Institute of Taiwan Culture, Languages and Literature at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) in Taipei, Taiwan. She holds a Ph.D. in Chinese Studies from the Catholic University of Leuven (K.U.Leuven) in Belgium. She has been a Senior Research Fellow at the Research Unit on Taiwanese Culture and Literature (TCL) at the Ruhr University Bochum in Germany and an Associate Researcher at both the Taipei Ricci Institute and the Centre for Asia Pacific Studies (CPAS) at Stockholm University, Sweden. Her areas of research expertise are Taiwanese history including seventeenth century Dutch Formosa, the Japanese colonial period and postcolonial historiography. She is one of the Founding Board Members of the European Association of Taiwan Studies (EATS) and active in promoting Taiwan Studies in Europe.
Lunch Briefing: "Resource War in Asia? The China-Japan Energy Dispute in the East China Sea"
Speaker: Ms. Theresa Fallon Chair: Mr. Dick Gupwell - Secretary General, European Institute for Asian Studies The unresolved dispute between China and Japan over territorial rights to oil and gas fields in the East China Sea has the potential to develop into more serious problems between the two countries as they jockey for position to extract the energy deposits there. The conflict over energy between China and Japan relate to an unsettled demarcation line in the sea where the two countries' 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zones overlap. This situation is made more complicated by the history between China and Japan and resurgent nationalism on both sides. There have been eleven rounds of talks between the two sides but results remain inconclusive. A major problem is how to develop oil and gas fields that straddle the median line such as Shirakaba/Chunxiao which may affect reserves in the east side of the median line. Could Chinese development of these fields be construed as a situation of "whipstocking" similar to what Kuwait was accused of doing on the territory of Iraq and which lead to the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq and triggered the first Gulf War? Alternatively, this accident of geography could give China and Japan a chance to cooperate. During the April 2007 visit to Japan by Wen Jiabao, the two sides stated their will to develop jointly the energy resources of the East China Sea. How will the next Japanese Prime Minister approach the conflict in the East China Sea? Could the reserves one day be jointly developed by Japan and China? Theresa Fallon holds an M.A. from The University of Chicago and an M.Phil from the London School of Economics. Her area of specialization is energy. As an energy analyst, she contributed to publications for the Centre for Global Energy Studies in London, Impact Consulting, Brussels and Cambridge Energy Research Associates, Paris, writing for the Saudi Arabian Al Eqtisadiah and the International Arab Business Daily. She was the Moscow representative for PlanEcon, a Washington DC-based research and consulting firm contributing to its PlanEcon Energy Report. She lectured at the American Institute of Business and Economics in Moscow. She worked as a researcher and consultant on energy and environmental issues in China making presentations at the Chinese Academy of Social Science, to visiting business executives, took part in a scenario simulation exercise at the Central Party School and gave several interviews to the international media including the BBC and CNN. In 2007 she returned to Europe and she is no w based in Brussels.
Roundtable discussion: " Perspectives for reinforcing EU-Asia relations: the ASEM experience "
Moderator of the discussion: Shada Islam, Senior Programme Executive of the EPC Chair: Mr. Dick Gupwell - Secretary General, European Institute for Asian Studies This meeting took stock of developments at the recent ASEM Summit in Beijing and considered the prospects for future progress. It was held under the Chatham House rule, and was addressed by several keynote speakers, including representatives of the outgoing Asian ASEM coordinators (China and Brunei) and the incoming ones (Cambodia and India). European speakers included the European Union's side, the French Presidency and the European Commission.
Conference: "European Perspectives of Taiwan" The European Institute for Asian Studies is executing an academic research on the "European Perspectives of Taiwan". The research team's aim is to publish an academic book which is accessible to the general reader and not just for the specialist on Taiwan. In their approach, the authors studied in depth how Europe looks at Taiwan, as opposed to how Taiwan looks at Europe. Hence the title of the academic research and the seminar: "European Perspectives of Taiwan". At this conference, the authors presented the outcomes of their research and study. The main objective of the conference was to receive feedback from other experts in the field, as the authors wanted to gain from the insights and comments of the participants, this conference focused on acquiring valuable output regarding the publication and the academic research being conducted in the field. This conference was held under CHATHAM HOUSE RULES.
Workshop - EU-Asia Relations: A Policy
Review
Speakers:
Chair: Mr. Dick Gupwell (Secretary General and Acting Director EIAS), The workshop was aimed at unravelling the relation between Asia and the EU. As the content of the workshop was twofold, the first panel discussion focused on the "Critical Overview of the relations between the EU and Asia". The second panel highlighted the areas for future focus and policy development, tackling subjects such as the European Commission's Asia Strategy, the role and opportunities of ASEM, the Asian political regional integration, trade, security, employment and social affairs.
Lunch Briefing: "Should we trade democracy for economic growth? - Taiwan's experience vs. the Beijing Consensus" Monday 29 September 2008, from 12:30 to 14:30 at EIAS - 67, Rue de la Loi, B-1040 Brussels Speaker:Prof. Masako Ikegami - Director, Centre for Pacific Asia Studies (CPAS), Stockholm University Chair: Mr. Dick Gupwell - Secretary General, European Institute for Asian Studies Prof. Masako Ikegami is Professor and Director of the Centre for Pacific Asia Studies (CPAS), Stockholm University since 2001. Prof. Ikegami provided the following abstract of her presentation: During the early 1990s, Lee Kuan Yew claimed that liberal democracy was not practicable among Asian countries, notwithstanding its economic success, because of the uniqueness of traditional Asian cultural values, and its lasting bearing on the region's political systems. A decade later, such judgment was refuted by the dramatic democratization of Taiwan, while still being buttressed by the unprecedentedly expansive authoritarian regime of China. Against this background, a dilemma arises - more democracy or higher growth, which one should we cherish? The briefing probed into this issue by contrasting the political-economic developments of Taiwan and China, highlighting that without real democratization, the inherent problems connected with one-Party power concentration in a Leninist developmental state cannot be resolved eventually, despite rapid marketization. Namely, 'economic reform' is not a panacea for China's transitional crises, and a fundamental political change is needed to conclude China's unfinished reform. Her presentation was based on a paper she wrote which is available by writing to eias@eias.org.
LUNCHEON BRIEFING - PERSPECTIVES ON NORTH KOREA Tuesday 1st July 2008, from 12:30 to 14:30hrs at EIAS - 67, Rue de la Loi, B-1040 Brussels Speaker:Mr. Allan Maxwell, Former European Commission Official Chair: Mr. Glyn Ford, Member of the European Parliament Based on his personal experience as a EU Senior Advisor to the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organisation in New York and as a E.C Desk Officer for Korea, Mr. Allan Maxwell reviewed perspectives on North Korea and its relations with the US, China, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the EU. Throughout the presentation he attempted to identify and evaluate aspects of these relations which could contribute to progress in the Six Party Talks negotiations to end the nuclear standoff with North Korea which has menaced stability, regional and internationally, for some 15 years Presentation (PDF)
Round Table Discussion on the theme
of: How do Chinese business managers consider legal or agreed provisions
to ensure environmental and social standards for the purpose of sustainable
development?
Students - Visits Another group of students from the National University of Singapore visited the Institute in their familiarization of the EU institutions on 22nd May 2008. These students were not only Singaporean but also students having origins in China, India and Malaysia. In both visits, their interest was to discuss the EU?s relations with Asia. It is evident that the EU?s visibility in Asia is increasing and this augurs well for EU-Asia relations as it goes beyond the inter-governmental relations. Expert Roundtable on Myanmar/Burma:
Moving Towards Democracy The Expert Roundtable on Myanmar/Burma ? Moving Towards Democracy was organised by the European Institute for Asian Studies in collaboration with The Centre. The discussions were held under the Chatham House Rule. Transitional Justice and Human Rights
in Cambodia - From Communist utopia to genocide. Abstract
Kassie (PDF)
Third Informal European Parliamentary
Dialogue on China - EU-China trade tensions in today's economic downturn
Taiwan's recent Parliamentary Elections
and their Implications for Cross-Strait Relations
Report
Taiwan Lunch Briefing (PDF)
The World Bank’s Strategy on Sustainable Development and Climate Change in East Asia Friday 1 Friday 2008, 12:30 to 14:30 at the European Institute for
Asian Studies (67, Rue de la Loi, B-1040 Brussels) Chair: Mr. Dick Gupwell, Secretary General of the European Institute for Asian Studies Mr. Delvoie discussed the World Bank's strategy on sustainable development and climate change in the East Asia and the Pacific (EAP) region, which aims at improving the quality of life, ensuring the quality of growth, and protecting the quality of the global commons in EAP. He outlined key trends shaping the region's environmental agenda and the World Bank's support to countries in the EAP region in their efforts to address environmental challenges in recent years. He also set out the key objectives and the course of action for the Bank's work in the region taking into account the great diversity of local and country conditions. Christian Delvoie, a Belgian national, is Sector Director for Sustainable Development of the East Asia and Pacific Region at the World Bank. He is a long-term development professional with extensive experience in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa. He holds a Master's degree in Economic and Social Sciences from Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix in Namur.
Workshop on "Labour Issues related to the EU's Free Trade Agreements with Asian Countries (ASEAN, India and the Republic of Korea): ITUC Proposal to the Commission" Thursday 31 January 2008 at the European Institute for Asian Studies (67, Rue de la Loi, B-1040 Brussels) Round Table on Afghanistan Wednesday 23 January 2008 at the European Institute for Asian Studies (67, Rue de la Loi, B-1040 Brussels) Speaker: Ms. Claire Galez North Korea – Another crisis looming? Tuesday 22 January 2008, 12:30 to 14:30 at the European Institute for Asian Studies (67, Rue de la Loi, B-1040 Brussels) Speaker: Mr. Glyn Ford, Member of the European
Parliament Pyongyang and Washington signed up at the beginning of October to a second series of measures in an attempt to end the nuclear standoff on the Korean Peninsula following the much-delayed closure and sealing of the Yongbyon nuclear plant agreed in February and the return of International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors. We've been here before. The devil is in the detail. A senior official in the International Department of the Workers Party of Korea was confident that the United States would accept the North's disablement of their nuclear facilities with the removal of key components and their storage under strictly monitored conditions. He was less confident that the United States would accept Pyongyang's declaration. With a new round of talks in December and the simultaneous election of the South Korean President, ingredients are all ready for either breakthrough or breakdown. Glyn Ford who advocates a changing regime rather than a regime change is concerned that the issues at stake are being used by some conservatives in Japan, the United States or South Korea to suit their own agenda. Glyn Ford, Member of the European Parliament since 1984 is at present a member of the European Parliament's Delegation to the Korean Peninsula. He has visited North Korea over ten times, his last trip being in October 2007 for an EU workshop in Pyongyang on economic modernization. He has also been a Member of the Parliament’s Delegation to Japan since 1984. He is the European representative at the Northeast Asia Economic Forum's and the only European politician to be a founding member of the Forum of Democratic Leaders of the Asia-Pacific that was set up in 1994 by Kim Dae Jung, Sonia Gandhi and Corazon Aquino. He is currently a visiting Professor at the University of Illinois. He was a visiting Professor at the University of Tokyo (1983) and a POSCO fellow at the East West Centre in Hawai in summer 2005. Glyn Ford's book "North Korea on the Brink: Struggle for Survival"
was published by Pluto Press in January 2008. Second Informal European Parliament Dialogue on China – EU-China : A common Future ? Tuesday 18 December 2007 at the Altiero Spinelli Building, European Parliament It was an appropriate moment, after the 17th Chinese Communist Party Congress and the China –EU Summit, to take stock of the EU-China relationship as negotiations got under way for the new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. This was discussed in conjunction with the publication of a book entitled “EU-China: a Common Future” and a debate took place on a number of key questions raised, such as:
The book is an interesting exercise in EU-China cooperation. Edited by Stanley Crossick & Etienne Reuter, there are over 30 Chinese and European contributors. They include Glyn Ford, David Fouquet, Gustaaf Geeraerts, Fraser Cameron, Andrew Small, Pierre Defraigne, William van Kemenade and Meng Jing (several of whom were present and led the discussion). Europe-China Academic Network Annual Conference – China after the 17th Party Congress 11-12 December 2007, Crowne Plaza Hotel - Brussels Round Table Discussion on EU-China - Business Meeting Tuesday 11 December 2007, 10:00 to 12:00 at the European Institute for Asian Studies, 67, Rue de la Loi, B-1040 Brussels Speakers: Prof. Jonathan Story – INSEAD,
Prof. Jeremy Clegg – Leeds Business School Trade and Business Summit – EU-India Trade Relations and beyond: Dynamics of Mergers and Acquisitions and role of Corporate Governance 3-4/12/2007 China’s Foreign Policy: Challenges and Opportunities Wednesday 14 November 2007, 12:30 to 14:30 at the European Institute for Asian Studies (67, Rue de la Loi, B-1040 Brussels) Speaker: Dr. Yuqun Shao Much has been said and written recently about China's "peaceful rise". China is very active in foreign affairs, both as one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and in its bilateral relations. Dr. Yuqun Shao is currently the Deputy Director of the Department of South Asia Studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies (SIIS). She was formerly the Deputy Director of the Department of American Studies and the Director of the Department of Research Management and International Exchanges. She was also a member of the Chinese observer group in the Kyrgyztan Parliamentary Election of 2005. Dr Shao has written extensively on Sino-US relations (including trade matters), on China's relations with the Russian Federation and the countries of Central Asia and on China's membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. She has also written on China's relations with Taiwan. Dr Shao brought an extended visit to Europe, where she was focussing
on current EU-China relations. She was well placed, therefore, to
provide an overall picture of China's foreign policy Partner Publication
28/06/07 Publication: Europe's World
The latest edition of this independent policy journal is now available. EurAsia e-Bulletin
21/06/07 News: Europe's
Asia strategy for 2007-13 floundering (pdf) The introduction of the new Regional Strategy Paper for Asia covering the years 2007-13 could be further delayed following a vote today in the European Parliament. 6/06/07 - News:
EU seeks to tighten asylum system by 2010 (pdf) 16/05/07 - News: Tackling Chemical Weapons Destruction in Asia (pdf) EurAsia e-Bulletin: An online news and analysis resource |
About EIAS
 The European Institute for Asian Studies is a Brussels based policy
and research think tank supported by the European Union which aims
to promote understanding and cooperation between the EU and Asia.
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