The Atlantic Council’s Europe Center is pleased to host a half-day forum on “The future of US and German policy toward Beijing.” This event will take place in-person and virtually on Friday, November 22 from 10:00am to 12:30pm ET.

Please also join a special in-person working roundtable from 9:00am to 10:00am prior to the public event for more candid conversation with speakers and participants.

The United States and its European partners, in particular the European Union, have worked closely on de-risking from China and strengthening supply chain resilience. However, the relationship must confront new questions on cooperation regarding China. Following the leadership transition in the United States, Germany and Europe are facing calls to adopt more forward-leaning stances toward China.

Despite differing approaches across the Atlantic, Berlin’s views on China have been evolving in response to Beijing’s coercive behavior and support for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and there remains room for Berlin and Washington to work together to strengthen relations and to coordinate policies on China more strongly. In addition, China’s economic policies, an increasingly assertive stance on regional and global issues, and growing strategic partnerships in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean make crafting a transatlantic strategy to counter China’s efforts a critical focus for the next US administration and German government.

How can Germany overcome its structural vulnerabilities and increase its credibility efforts in de-risking from China to secure the future of the transatlantic economy for both the EU and the United States? How is the incoming US administration’s approach towards China likely to shape up, and how will allies and partners need to adapt? How can both Washington and Berlin find alignment on an economic security strategy, and one which does not cause friction for the transatlantic relationship itself?

Against this backdrop, the Atlantic Council and the German Embassy in Washington DC are hosting a forum of expert discussions to consider how to craft a compatible transatlantic China policy that fosters stability, economic growth, and respect for international norms.

This conversation will take place in-person and virtually on ACTV, YouTube, X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, and LinkedIn. To attend, please register above.

Agenda

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. | Expert working breakfast roundtable

Join an off-the-record working breakfast with experts and participants prior to the public event for candid conversation with all participants.  

10:00 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. | Welcome remarks

FEATURING

H.E. Andreas Michaelis, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United States

10:10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. | Fireside chat with the Director General for Asia and the Pacific of the German Federal Foreign Office

FEATURING

Frank Hartmann, Director General for Asia and the Pacific, Federal Foreign Office of Germany

Moderator: Melanie HartSenior Director, Global China Hub, Atlantic Council

10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. | Expert panel: The new geopolitics–How does diplomacy need to change to adapt to the new China and the new United States?

FEATURING

Jennifer Hong, Senior Director, Project 2049 Institute

Mikko Huotari, Executive Director, Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS)

Lily McElweeDeputy Director and Fellow, Freeman Chair in China Studies, Center for Strategic and International Studies

Janka Oertel, Director, Asia Programme and Senior Policy Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations

Moderator: Kaush ArhaNonresident Senior Fellow, Global China Hub, Atlantic Council

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Expert panel: Diversifying supply chains–Where have we come from and where are we heading?

FEATURING

Holger Görg, Professor of International Economics, University of Kiel; Director, International Trade and Investment, Kiel Institute for the World Economy

David Hathaway, Principal for China, The Asia Group; Nonresident Senior Fellow, Global China Hub, Atlantic Council

Matthias Krämer, Head of External Economic Policy, The Federation of German Industries

Valbona ZeneliNonresident Senior Fellow, Europe Center, Atlantic Council

Moderator: Martin MühleisenNonresident Senior Fellow, GeoEconomics Center, Atlantic Council

12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Networking reception and lunch

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The Europe Center promotes leadership, strategies, and analysis to ensure a strong, ambitious, and forward-looking transatlantic relationship.

The Global China Hub researches and devises allied solutions to the global challenges posed by China’s rise, leveraging and amplifying the Atlantic Council’s work on China across its sixteen programs and centers.

At the intersection of economics, finance, and foreign policy, the GeoEconomics Center is a translation hub with the goal of helping shape a better global economic future.

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