Press release
15 January 2010
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Climate change after Copenhagen, the global economic recovery and Chinese security policy - main issues for sixth meeting of the Stockholm China Forum
On 17-18 January, the Stockholm China Forum will hold its sixth meeting for transatlantic dialogue on and with China.
China's growing global role is one of the most important issues of our time. The main purpose of the Forum is to deepen the discussion on what China's rise means and how it should be met, through regular meetings of an expert group.
The recently concluded climate change conference in Copenhagen is a clear example of both China's growing role and China's crucial importance to the opportunities for achieving sustainable results, and the issue of 'climate change after Copenhagen' is one of the meeting's main points.
The climate change conference was preceded by summits between both the United States and China and the EU and China, and one key issue is how to proceed after these summits. Stabilisation of the global economy is a main task shared by all. China's growing security policy role represents an additional dimension. Special attention will be given this time to relations between China and India.
The Stockholm China Forum has become a central forum for dialogue on China and, as has been the case with previous meetings, the circle of participants is highly qualified. Carl Bildt will attend, as will Ron Asmus from the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) and a number of representatives of the Obama administration and leading think tanks in the US, Europe and China. Among the latter are Charles Freeman from the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, Mark Leonard, Executive Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, and Qin Yaqing from the China Foreign Affairs University.
Among the Swedish participants are Lars-Erik Liljelund, the Prime Minister's coordinator for climate issues, economist Klas Eklund, Ari Kokko, Director of the China Economic Research Center at the Stockholm School of Economics, Olof Ehrenkrona, adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Klas Molin, Head of the Department for Asia and the Pacific Region at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and former Ambassador in Beijing Börje Ljunggren.
The conference will be held at the Strandvägen 7A conference centre.
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The Stockholm China Forum was established in dialogue between the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT) and the Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation). All four parties contribute financially. The Forum meets twice a year. The first meeting was held in spring 2007.
Contact
Börje LjunggrenAmbassador, Ministry for Foreign Affairs coordinator
+46 73 832 05 21 Karl-Olof Andersson
Deputy Director, Department for Asia and the Pacific Region, Ministry for Foreign Affairs
+46 70 992 29 85 Vacant position (Acting Anders Jörle)
Head of Press, Information and Communication Department
+46 8 405 10 00
