On April 29, 2022, a China-EU expert seminar themed “China-EU Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid amid the Russia-Ukraine Crisis” was held by the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS) of Tsinghua University and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD).

The meeting was structured in two sessions. Session I, moderated by HD Senior Advisor Michael Vatikiotis, was titled “China-EU Relations at a Crossroads.” Specifically, experts from China and Europe shared their views on the impact of the U.S. and EU sanctions on Russia, the EU’s advancement towards strategic autonomy, humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, and the future of multilateralism and the international order. It is believed that the Russia-Ukraine crisis will bring challenges to multilateral cooperation, global governance and the international landscape, and that China and Europe should build on their commonalities and surmount differences as they seek consensus and collaboration. Session II, moderated by CISS Director Da Wei, turned to potential areas of cooperation between China and Europe amid the Russia-Ukraine crisis. The two sides should seek common ground while putting aside their divergences as they engage with each other, manage their differences and frictions, and promote practical cooperation, panelists agreed. In the short term, the two sides should work together to respond to the Russia-Ukraine crisis and its spillover effects; in the mid- to long term, they should aim to ensure stable trade and economic cooperation, promote regional security-building, and safeguard multilateralism.

Among the Chinese participants were Feng Zhongping, director of the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Cui Hongjian, director of the Department for European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies; Zhang Bei, assistant researcher at the Department for European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies; Zhang Hao, former chief correspondent for Science and Technology Daily in Russia and Ukraine; and Sun Chenghao and Shi Yan, research associates at CISS. The European panel featured Pierre Vimont, senior fellow at Carnegie Europe and former executive secretary-general of the European External Action Service; Ian Anthony, programme director for European security at SIPRI; Niklas Swanström, director of the Institute for Security and Development Policy, and others. CISS Deputy Director Xiao Qian and HD Northeast Asia Programs Director Lyu Jinghua made opening and concluding remarks respectively. In addition, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands observed the event.