The war in Ukraine, US-China competition, and global supply chain restructuring have presented significant complex crises for European and Asian countries. At a moment of historical change, security is becoming more tightly interconnected across different regions while new types of economic alliances are reshaping individual countries’ national strategies for ensuring high-tech supremacy. This set of two roundtable discussions will explore the key features shaping the current global transformation and analyse the common challenges faed by Europe, Asia, and the Republic of Korea.
10:00 – 10.30: Registration
10.30 – 11.00: Opening and introductory speeches
- Sang-hwa LEE, Ambassador and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Public Diplomacy, Republic of Korea.
- John NILSSON-WRIGHT, Associate Professor, Japanese Politics and International Relations, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
11.00 – 12.30: Session 1: Geopolitics in Asia and Europe: NATO, Indo-Pacific & Korean Peninsula
In the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, NATO is expected to play a more significant role in European and global security and further cooperate with Asia-Pacific partners such as Japan, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. As the Indo-Pacific has become a new pivot of global geopolitics, new types of alliances and partnerships are being pursued by European, Asian, and North American counterparts. Peace-building on the Korean Peninsula needs to incorporate this new global security dynamics in a way that recognises the growing need for increased cooperation between regional and extra-regional partners. This session will explore the opportunities for closer cooperation between European countries, regional defence organisations and their East Asian counterparts, including the Republic of Korea (ROK)
Moderator:
- Jinwoo CHOI, Professor and Director of the Peace Institute, Hanyang University
- John Nilsson-Wright, Associate Professor, University of Cambridge
- Jae-Seung LEE, Jean Monnet Chair Professor, Graduate School of International Studies & Division of International Studies, Korea University
- Hae-Won JUN, Professor, Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, Korea National Diplomatic Academy
- Brendan Simms (Director of the Centre for Geopolitics, University of Cambridge)
12.30 – 13:30: Luncheon (invitation only)
13.30 – 15.00: Session 2: Geo-economics in Asia and Europe: New Supply Chain and Economic Security
The crises in Ukraine has further complicated the linkages between global supply chains. While US-China rivalry has become a new normal, techno-nationalism in high tech sectors has begun to pose a fundamental challenge to existing trade architectures and long-standing conventions that underpin the global economic order. Semiconductors, batteries, rare earth materials as well as energy resources are rapidly becoming securitized. Building new rules and norms in global supply chain has become a common challenge to Europe and Asia. The ongoing war in Ukraine and growing tensions are also encouraging a new wave of cooperation in defence industries between Asia and Europe. Korea and Europe need to reshape and redefine their economic strategic partnerships in dealing with those challenges.
Moderator:
- William Hurst, (Centre for Geopolitics, University of Cambridge and FAMES)
- Heungchong KIM, President of Korea Institute for International Economic Policy
- Joo Hee KIM, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and Diplomacy, Pukyong National University
- Hans Kundnani, Associate Fellow, Europe Programme, Chatham House
- Prof. Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Head of Department & Professor of International Relations, Department of European & International Studies, King’s College London
15.00 – 15.10: Closing remarks
Organisers: Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (FAMES), Centre for Geopolitics, University of Cambridge and Korean Society of Contemporary European Studies
Sponsor: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea
Language of the conference: English
Audience: Fellows and students at Cambridge, policy experts and academics in the UK, people from the ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs (including people from the ROK Embassy to the UK), people in the media (including Korean correspondents in the UK) etc.
Image credit: view of Darwin College by Sean Hickin via Flickr | Openverse