More than 80 participants from 27 countries participated at the Fourth international scientific conference in the “Dialogues on China” format, organised on October 10-11, 2024, by the Institute of International Politics and Economics (IIPE) and the Institute of European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (IES CASS).

This year’s largest scientific conference in Europe devoted to Chinese foreign policy, under the title “Harvesting the Winds of Change: China and the Global Actors”, was opened by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, H.E. Marko Đurić.

Also addressing the Opening ceremony were the ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Serbia, H.E. Li Ming, IIPE director Prof. Dr. Branislav Đorđević, IES CASS director Prof. Dr. Feng Zhongping, and the president of the Chamber of Chinese Companies in the Republic of Serbia, Mr. Yang Dong.

A total of 11 panels were held, devoted to China’s bilateral and multilateral relations with the US, the Russian Federation, the European Union, countries of the Global South and of the Western Balkans, as well as to themes of global development and results of the Belt and Road Initiative.

A special panel was devoted to the results of the project COMPASS (“Contributing to Modern Partnerships: Assessments of Sino-EU-Serbian Relations”), granted under the programme “Prizma” of the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, and implemented by the IIPE and the Institute of Social Sciences from Belgrade.

On the first day of the conference, in the “Crown Plaza” hotel, the Keynote Speech was held by Professor Emeritus of the University of Kent, Prof. Dr. Richard Sakwa (“Russo-Chinese Relations in the Time of War”). On the second day of the conference, in the IIPE’s Solemn Hall, IIPE Research Fellow Dr. Katarina Zakić, head of the Center for “Belt and Road” Studies, gave her Keynote Speech on the theme “Serbian development path of FDIs – Navigating between the EU and China”.

In addition to the participants, the meeting was attended by over 100 guests, including numerous ambassadors, heads of ministry departments, representatives of scientific institutes and faculties, the non-governmental sector and the media.

All presentations will be published in a two-volume Conference Proceedings, and more details are available on the conference website dialoguesonchina.com