MSC2023: CCG hosts side event on US-China climate cooperation

On Feb. 18, the non-governmental Center for China and Globalization (CCG) hosted a side event at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) on US-China climate change cooperation titled “Oasis or Mirage: Analyzing China-U.S. Relations on Climate Cooperation.” The event convened over 40 thought leaders from US, China, and Europe to discuss US-China relations from the perspectives of climate diplomacy to develop solutions for preventing geopolitical tensions and uncover areas for cooperation.

Since the resumption of the US-China climate talk at COP27 last year, climate change has become a rare bright spot for collaboration between the two largest economies, especially amid deteriorating US-China relations. Making progress and reaching a consensus on climate change will be pivotal for global governance today. With this objective in mind, CCG is committed to contributing to such progress. This side event brought together renowned insiders and opinion leaders to deliberate and explore ways to advance the global climate agenda.

Dr. Mabel Miao, CCG Co-founder & Secretary-General, gave an introduction to the background of the side event as well as the guests who later gave special addresses and key input.

Dr. Henry Huiyao Wang, CCG Founder & President, delivered welcome remarks and moderated the side event.

Special Addresses by:

Amb. Mdm. FU Ying, Deputy Chairwoman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the National People’s Congress, People’s Republic of China

Jason Bordoff, Co-Founding Dean of the Columbia Climate School, Founding Director of the Center on Global Energy Policy, Professor of Professional Practice in International and Public Relations at Columbia University SIPA

Key Input by:

Graham Allison, Professor of Government and Founding Dean of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University

Arancha González Laya, Dean of Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation in the Spanish government

Bronwen Maddox, CEO of Chatham House

Ngaire Woods, Founding Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government and Professor of Global Economic Governance at Oxford University

Justin Vaisse, Founder and Director General of the Paris Peace Forum, Former Director of the Centre for Analysis, Planning, and Strategy at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Guntram Wolff, Director and CEO of the German Council on Foreign Relations DGAP, Former Director of Bruegel

Daniel Kurtz-Phelan, Editor of Foreign Affairs, and Peter G. Peterson Chair at the Council on Foreign Relations

The participants who also spoke at the side event include

[in alphabetic order, not the order of speaking]

Ravi Agrawal, Editor-in-Chief, Foreign Policy

Marco Annas, Head of International Public Affairs, Bayer AG

Dino Patti Djalal, Founder, Foreign Policy Committee of Indonesia; former Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the United States

Elizabeth Economy, Senior Advisor for China, US Department of Commerce

Bernd Hops, Executive Vice President Communications & Public Policy, Chief Communications Officer, Infineon Technologies

Rich Lesser, Global Chair, Boston Consulting Group

Morris Loveday, Bureau Chief, The Washington Post

Bernhard Meising, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Partner, Kekst CNC

Masakatsu Ota, Senior Feature Writer and Editorial Writer, Kyodo News

Grégoire Roos, Director of Program, BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt

Stephan Vopel, Director, Europe’s Future

WU Shicun, President, National Institute for South China Sea Studies, People’s Republic of China

YAO Yunzhu, Director Emeritus, Center on China-American Defense Relations, Academy of Military Science, People’s Liberation Army, People’s Republic of China

ZHAO Xiaozhuo, Director, Beijing Xiangshan Forum Secretariat Office; Senior Fellow, Institute of War Studies, Academy of Military Science, People’s Liberation Army, People’s Republic of China

ZHOU Bo, Senior Fellow, Centre for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University

 

The Munich Security Conference, the world’s premier forum for discussing international security policy, is an esteemed platform for diplomatic initiatives to address the most pressing security concerns globally. CCG has been the only Chinese organization to host official side events at MSC, cementing its position as the sole Chinese organization to have an official partnership with the conference.

 

Over the years, CCG has been the driving force behind three side events hosted at the Munich Security Conference. This partnership between the two entities began in 2019 when CCG co-hosted the “Belt and Road Initiative: China, EU and 16+1 Cooperation” luncheon with the MSC Committee. Since then, CCG has hosted two additional events, including a dinner party titled “The US-China Cold War? Myth and Reality” at the 56th edition of the conference. During the event, John Kerry recounted his climate engagement with China.

 

(John Kerry at CCG’s side event hosted during the 56th Munich Security Conference in 2020)

Through these events, CCG has created a unique platform for improving US-China bilateral relations by facilitating discussions around key issues.

During the 2023 MSC, Wang and Miao were also invited to several events at the conference and meetings, including:

On Feb. 16, the CCG delegation was invited to attend a dinner reception hosted by ARTOC Founder Mr. Shafik Gabr and join the discussion about the prospects in 2023.


On Feb. 17, Wang was invited to attend the luncheon hosted by Kekst CNC before the opening of MSC2023 and delivered a keynote speech about business opportunities in China upon recent changing landscapes.

At the invitation of German Council on Foreign Relations CEO Guntram Wolff, Wang and Miao attended the DGAP event at MSC2023 along with other guests, including former German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.

 

On Feb. 15, Wang and Miao visited European Policy Center (EPC) in Brussels as part of the collaboration between the two leading think tanks under the EU & China Think Tank Exchanges program. EPC Chief Executive Fabian Zuleeg and senior adviser Shada Islam hosted CCG delegates.