Archives des China-India-Africa - Page 9 of 18

An internal work meeting on China’s future & the evolution of Sino-European relations

Posted on 5 October 202027 June 2023 by the_bridge_tank

On October 2, 2020, François Quentin, former head of the Huawei France Board and President of the Mines-Telecom Institute, General Eric de la Maisonneuve, Founder and President of the Strategy Society, and Alain Frachon, journalist at Le Monde and former foreign correspondent in Washington D.C., joined The Bridge Tank’s team for an internal work meeting focusing on China’s future and the different evolutions the Sino-European relationship could go through.

The Bridge Tank was represented by its chairman Joël Ruet and members of its board: Irina Bokova, former Director General of UNESCO, Stéphane Gompertz, former French Ambassador to Austria and Ethiopia, Jean-Claude Beaujour, lawyer and Vice-President of the France-Amériques Foundation, Vincent Perrin, former OECD representative to China and French Trade Minister Advisor, and Jasmine Zerinini Cowper-Coles, former senior advisor to the Secretary General, Secrétariat général de la Défense et de la Sécurité nationale (Prime Minister’s Office) & council member of the Chatham House Council.

This meeting took place under Chatham House rules.

France24 – Joël Ruet analyses the trade agreement EU-China Summit

Posted on 15 September 202016 May 2022 by the_bridge_tank

As world leaders meet up for the annual G20 Summit, Joël Ruet analyses on French television channel France24 why the EU-China deal, currently in discussion, could be transformative.

Watch his intervention here.

Exchanges and proposals on industry with the Chinese Embassy in Paris

Posted on 11 June 20206 August 2020 by the_bridge_tank

On June 11th, Joel Ruet exchanged views on the international situation with the Chinese ambassador in Paris and French personalities including former ministers Hubert Védrine and François Loos, former Elysée diplomatic advisers Maurice Gourdault-Montagne and Jean-David Levitte, experts Emmanuel Dupuy, Barthelemy Courmont and General Jean-Bernard Pinatel.

Several speakers pointed out that the United States has a position on the substance that will be sustainable even if the form would change with the eventual election of Mr. Biden.

François Loos and Joel Ruet jointly mentioned the persistent difficulties in framing a bilateral China-EU investment treaty, as well as the need to re-industrialise. The Bridge Tank stressed the need for a territorial approach for France that is outside the Anglo Saxon framework focused on “all trade” but also goes in the direction of framing practices between the EU and China.

Ruet stressed that industrial discussions remain at the end of the cycle despite optimistic bilateral statements, recalling with other participants that the 17+1 dialogue must also be brought closer to the EU in order to prepare for the China-EU Summit in Leipzig.

On Africa and the “Pangolin effect”

Posted on 20 April 20208 July 2020 by the_bridge_tank

Issue Brief, by our Board Member, Mamadou Lamine Diallo, former Head of Political Cabinet to the President of the Commission of the African Union.

Diallo sets out directions for African leaders framing their destiny, in contrast with China’s vision for the Continent, with the backdrop of a note by the French Foreign Affairs, wary on Africa’s answer to the Covid19 that created heated debates. Diallo, on the contrary, uses this “usual forecast exercise” to stimulate African leaders boldness.

Read the Issue Brief (in French)Download

African solutions for the African lockdown

Posted on 5 April 202026 May 2021 by the_bridge_tank

Hakima el Haite, President of Liberal International, Joël Ruet and Iman Zbib wrote together and article for La Tribune entitled “African solutions for the African lockdown” on the 4th of April 2020. They highlighted the importance of African initiatives to help population go through lockdown, so that the important solidarity funds internationally gathered are used as efficiently as possible. Among the suggested solutions are prevention campaigns, an increased Internet connectivity, financial support distributed through mobile telephony, the installation of water tanks in city districts, the establishment of mobile health units and the blocking of roads by the state and the army to enforce a lockdown without any travel between.

The Bridge Tank’s 2020 Davos – Highlights

Posted on 23 January 20206 August 2020 by the_bridge_tank

As each year, Davos is too hectic to come into a post. Here are, beyond our own organized “Innovation Lunch”, some highlights.

We started with a TV interview on this year’s theme on sustainable environment at the 50th World Economic Forum – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwk5r9PJcPE . The Davos forum of course lags behind on the environment but, despite “We will not save the planet only with companies, but we will not save the planet without companies”.

As last year, The Bridge Tank participated in the 4th Davos Forum on the Silk Roads, / Belt and Road Initiative. A discussion on how to move “from the old globalization that benefits some, to a new globalization focused on the belt and the road that benefits everyone and is of high quality”. Who said Davos is not political ?

On more economic found, the idea was to debate “More international public goods (open to all) than private goods (for shareholders)”.

Last but not least glimpse of this year, we enjoyed the Davos “Open” Forum through an amazing keynote speaker and player: Yo Yo MA.

The Bridge Tank’s week in Beijing for the launch of CGTN Think Tank

Posted on 17 December 201926 June 2023 by the_bridge_tank

In early December 2019, The Bridge Tank travelled to Beijing, China on the occasion of the launch of CGTN Think Tank. Represented by its president Joël Ruet, The Bridge Tank’s presence in China proved a valuable opportunity to exchange with various foundations and think tank headquartered in Beijing.

As a founding partner of the organisation, The Bridge Tank attended the launch of CGTN Think Tank on December 4, 2019. This opening session, hosted by CGTN’s star presenter of World Insight, Zhang Hue, was broadcast live on national television.

The inauguration ceremony included speeches by Ban Ki-Moon, former Secretary General of the United Nations, Yves Leterme, former Belgian Prime Minister, and Martin Jacques, Senior Fellow at the Department of Politics and International of the University of Cambridge and Visiting Professor at the Fudan University of China.

On this occasion, Joël Ruet had the pleasure of meeting once again with Luan Jianzhang, Director of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, who had visited The Bridge Tank’s team in Paris, in June 2019. He also exchanged with representants of the China International Publishing Group, as well as with Yu Yunquan, President of the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies.

Following the launch, the CGTN Think Tank held its first event the very same day on the theme “Globalisation in transition: Adapting to a Changing World”. There, Joël Ruet took part in the opening session of this event, alongside Erlan Karin, political advisor to the President of Kazakhstan, Fraser Cameron, Director of the EU-Asia Centre in Brussels, and Zhai Yongping, Chief of Energy Sector Group of the Asian Development Bank.

The session was followed by a ceremony celebrating the 20 years of broadcasting of one of China’s most prominent talkshows: CGTN’s Dialogue with Yang Rui, its star presenter. As recurring guests of the show, Joël Ruet and Martin Jacques gave an interview testifying of their personal friendship with Yang Rui.

The Soong Ching Ling Foundation

Two days prior to the CGTN Think Tank launch, Joël Ruet met with the Chairman of the Soong Ching Ling Foundation, Wang Jiarui. This meeting on December 2, 2019 came a few months after the visit to Paris of a delegation representing this foundation. The Soong Ching Ling Foundation was created in 1986 by the China Welfare Institute, which had itself been founded by Rosamond Soong Ching-ling, former Honorary President of the People’s Republic of China. During their discussion, Joël Ruet highlighted the necessity for philanthropies to be opened to the people and not only to millionaires. He added that it was the mission of institutions such as the Foundation to promote this idea.

The Pangoal Institution

A day later, on December 3, Joël Ruet met with Yi Peng, Chairman of the Pangoal Institution in Beijing. This public policy think tank, working closely with Chinese companies, studies global governance and civil diplomacy in the countries and regions along the Belt and Road Initiative.

Joël Ruet on CGTN World Insight – Emmanuel Macron’s 2nd visit to China

Posted on 4 November 201916 May 2022 by the_bridge_tank

As Emmanuel Macron lands in China, Joël Ruet discusses the potential political implications of the French president’s visit on French-Chinese chain CGTN’s World Insight.

Watch the discussion here.

Unlocking Finance: The Key Factor for Investment on Green Projects in Africa

Posted on 1 November 20196 August 2020 by the_bridge_tank

A significant change in how investors approach green projects is underway. The fight against climate change requires and will require increases in the amount of capital being devoted to green projects. This underlines the importance of mobilizing financial actors from the private sector. Their awareness of this need and on the opportunities these investment give into re-defining the business, is already, for some of them, becoming a reality.

We now have the opportunity to move towards a “decarbonization“ of investment portfolios. For investment to match climate change mitigation goals, we will need concrete moves towards decarbonizing portfolios. The good news is that certain tools exist that can help make green projects more attractive to investors. This policy brief argues for renewed emphasis and action on these points to significantly boost investment. In other words, Africa is open for business.

The Bridge Tank contributes to the 2019 Horasis “China Meeting” in Las Vegas

Posted on 30 October 201916 December 2021 by the_bridge_tank

On the 28th and 29th October 2019, the Horasis China Meeting took place in Las Vegas. One of the key parts of this event was a debate between Kristi Noem, Governor of South Dakota, and Pete Ricketts, Governor of Nebraska, on the US-China economic collaboration. Kristi Noem argued that, from an agricultural perspective, keeping many options was the best way for the US to succeed, allowing American families to purchase a large variety of goods. Pete Ricketts insisted that the rise of the middle class in China was a positive change, as it increased the average disposable income which allowed then the consumption of products such as bovine meat. Such a discussion was very interesting to follow, as it highlighted the differences between the point of view of American states involved in intense trade relations with China, and the position of Washington and Donald Trump.

Joël Ruet intervened in a panel entitled “What is next for China’s Belt and Road Initiative?”, which was chaired by Brendan Davis, Producer and Partner at International Troublemakers Incorporated. Among the other keynote speakers were Bo Inge Andersson, President of Yazaki North and Central America for Europe and Africa, Kai Xu, founder of the EverGreen Academy in China, and David Young, Chief Executive Officer of Oxford Analytica. In this panel, Joël Ruet argued that China’s work with development partners and multinational institutions would lead to an accelerated economic growth and poverty reduction.