Europe-China Forum – tackling increasing global challenges: prioritising constructive cooperation

Jorge Toledo Albiñana is a career diplomat from Spain, who has dedicated most of his career to European Union affairs. Prior to assuming his current position, he has held posts in India and Japan. He has also previously served as the Spanish secretary of state for the EU and European affairs, as well as the Spanish ambassador to Senegal. Toledo Albiñana began his career at the Spanish Foreign Service.

Patricia Flor represents the German people’s interests in China. Flor has over two decades of experience in diplomacy, having previously worked as the German ambassador to Georgia and as a diplomat at the German embassy in Kazakhstan and the German permanent mission to the United Nations. She has held several roles at the German Federal Foreign Office, including as special envoy for Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia, and the director-general for international order, the UN and arms control. Flor has also served as the European Union special representative for Central Asia and the EU ambassador to Japan.

In his current role, Wu Hongbo represents the Chinese government and its peoples in the European Union. Wu is the former president of the China International Public Relations Association. Previously, he also worked as the United Nations under-secretary-general for economic and social affairs and the ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Germany, as well as to the Republic of the Philippines.

In his current role, Peng Gang leads the Economic & Commercial Office of the Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the European Union. He has held various positions at the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, including as an official, deputy-director, director, deputy director-general and director-general of the Department of Asian Affairs. Additionally, Peng has served as an economic and commercial counsellor at the Chinese embassies in Cambodia and India, and the Chinese consulate-general in Sydney.

Dr Cui Hongjian has long been engaged in research in international relations, European affairs and Chinese diplomacy. In his former role, Cui directed and oversaw all research projects of the Department of European Studies of the China Institute of International Studies. He has been associated with the CIIS for over two decades. Cui is also a Member of the China Economic and Social Council, Vice-President of the Council of the Chinese Association of European Studies and the Executive Director of the European Studies Center at the China Foundation for International Studies.

In his current role, Karim Dahou supports the implementation of the OECD Global Relations Strategy and oversees the organisation’s engagement with China, as well as accession discussions with countries that aspire to OECD membership. Previously, he served in various positions within the OECD, including as deputy head of the Investment Division and executive manager of the NEPAD-OECD Africa Investment Initiative. Before joining the OECD, Dahou served as the chief of staff to the Executive Secretary and as special advisor to the Chairman of the Board of the NGO ENDA, where he founded and managed the policy think tank Enda Diapol.

As the Chairman of the Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Bernard Dewit works at the forefront of Belgium-China and EU-China relations. A lawyer by trade, Dewit has served in his current role for over 25 years and been active in Belgium-China economic relations throughout his career, steadily promoting Europe-China cooperation. He is also an accredited foreign arbitrator for the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission and a recipient of the Chinese Government Friendship Award.

At Natixis, Alicia García Herrero’s work focuses on the Asia Pacific and China in particular. She is a Senior Fellow at Bruegel and a non-resident Senior Follow at the National University of Singapore East Asian Institute. Additionally, García Herrero serves as a Member of the Board of the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation, and on the Council of Advisors on Economic Affairs to the Spanish government, as well as an advisor to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s research arm (HKIMR). Previously, she has held high-level positions at the European Central Bank, the Bank of Spain and the International Monetary Fund.

In his current role, Gao Shiji oversees the Institute for Resources and Environmental Policies of the DRC of the State Council. Previously he also served as the deputy director-general of development strategy and regional economy and as the director-general of the DRC’s Information Center. Before joining the DRC, Gao worked for the Institute of Economic Systems and Management of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

In her current role at GIZ East Asia, Tianning Li is responsible for project portfolios that span the automotive industry, digitisation, product safety and technical vocational education and training. The projects she oversees are commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, the European Union and the private sector, with the aim of reducing technical barriers and promoting internationally harmonised approaches to trade. Before joining GIZ, Li worked in the private sector, specifically the renewable energy and automotive business sectors.

In her current position, Liang Linlin is responsible for communication, media relations and research on China-EU trade and business relations at the CCCEU. She has also coordinated and worked as an editor for the chamber’s annual flagship reports. Prior to joining the CCCEU, Liang covered China’s foreign affairs in Beijing and EU business and trade in Brussels for the Xinhua News Agency. Previously, she also worked as an advisor, providing consultancy services to various organisations, including the international business association ChinaEU.

In his current role, Lyu Gang assists the Director-General in overseeing the Research Department of Foreign Economic Relations of the DRC. Lyu has been with the DRC for over two decades and has previously been a member of the joint research team formed by the DRC, National Institute for Research Advancement of Japan (NIRA) and Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP), which conducted a study on the possibility of a free trade agreement between China, Japan and Korea. He has also participated in a joint research project by the DRC, the Finance Ministry of China and the World Bank.

In her current position, Hannah Ryder leads DR, an independent, international development consultancy that works with clients to develop innovative solutions to challenging poverty and environmental issues. The former diplomat and economist was recently named one of the 100 most influential Africans. Ryder is also a Senior Associate for the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), sits on the Board of the Environmental Defence Fund, and serves on the United Arab Emirates’ International Advisory Council on the New Economy. Previously, Ryder has also led the United Nations Development Programme’s work with China.

As the ADB Representative to Europe, Robert Schoellhammer manages the bank’s relationship with its 17 European member countries. With a career in development banks spanning three decades, Schoellhammer previously served as an advisor to the ADB Director General of East Asia, during which time he worked on regional cooperation programmes in Central Asia, the Mekong and Northeast Asia, and as the ADB country director of Mongolia. He has also undertaken numerous and diverse assignments for the ADB in Manila and Washington, DC.

As the Regional Representative for Asia at the Freudenberg Group, Bettina Schoen-Behanzin leads the Regional Corporate Center in Shanghai. Fluent in Chinese, Schoen-Behanzin has over 25 years of professional experience in Asia and specifically China. Previously, Schoen-Behanzin served as director and president of the Board of the German Chamber Shanghai, managing director of Wittur Elevator Components, managing director of Rittal Electro-Mechanical Technology, general manager of Rittal China, as well as sales and marketing manager of Rittal Singapore.

At DG CLIMA, Jacob Werksman focuses on the international aspects of European climate policy. He notably supports the Commission’s Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal and the European External Action Service in strengthening bilateral relationships between the EU and major economies, including the United States and India, among others. An international lawyer, Werksman previously provided legal and policy advice to developed and developing country governments, NGOs and international institutions in the context of the multilateral negotiations on climate change, biosafety and trade. He has also held posts at the World Resources Institute, the Rockefeller Foundation, the United Nations Development Programme and the Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development.

In her current role, Lucie Qian Xia conducts research on Chinese diplomacy, development and global governance policies. She previously served the United Nations Representation Office to the European Union and the EU Delegation to China. Xia has also worked at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and taught at the University of Oxford. Lucie is the author of a forthcoming book on diplomatic relationship-building between the EU and China.