Practical information
As the regional balance of power in Asia continues to evolve and tensions in a number of hot spots - from the Korean Peninsula to the East and South China Seas and the Taiwan Strait - either simmer or intensify, the future of regional stability is increasingly uncertain. Within this context, the region's major players are elaborating strategies, from the "Belt and Road" to a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific", that could either prove sources of greater stability, or of division and further tension. This conference will bring together points of view from across the region to discuss the latest developments and broader trends, and delve more deeply into the risks to stability on the Korean peninsula, and the implications for Asia's shifting geo-economic order.
09:30 - Opening Remarks
- Thomas Gomart, Director of Ifri
- Zhang Ming-zhong, Representative, Taipei Representative Office in France
09:45 - Systemic change in Asia and the future of the regional order
Interactive debate moderated by Françoise Nicolas, Director, Center for Asian Studies, Ifri
- Seong Whun Cheon, Visiting Research Fellow, ASAN Institute for Policy Studies, Seoul
- Cheng-yi Lin, Research Fellow, Academia Sinica, Taipei
- Harsh V. Pant, Distinguished Fellow and Head of the Security Studies Programme, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi
- Dingli Shen, Professor, Institute of International Affairs, Fudan University, Shanghai
- Sheila Smith, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, Washington DC
- Dmitry Streltsov, Head, Department of Oriental Studies, MGIMO, Moscow
- Hideshi Tokuchi, Senior Fellow, Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, Tokyo
11:45 - Coffee break
12:00 - France's strategic vision towards Asia
- Pauline Carmona, Deputy Director for Asia, Ministry for Europe and International Affairs, France
12:45 - Lunch break
14:00 - What options for stability on the Korean peninsula?
- Seong Whun Cheon, Visiting Research Fellow, ASAN Institute, and former Secretary to the President of the Republic of Korea for Security Strategy (2014-17)
- Discussants: Dingli Shen (Fudan University), Sheila Smith (Council on Foreign Relations), Dmitry Streltsov (MGIMO), Hideshi Tokuchi (GRIPS)
- Moderator: Alice Ekman, Research Fellow, Head of China Research, Center for Asian Studies, Ifri
15:30 - Coffee break
15:45 - The changing geo-economic order in Asia and implications for European trade policy
- Françoise Nicolas, Director, Center for Asian Studies, Ifri
- Heungchong Kim, Senior Research Fellow, former Vice President, Korean Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP)
- Zhang Ming-zhong, Representative, Taipei Representative Office in France
- Moderator: Patrick Messerlin, Emeritus Professor, Sciences Po, Paris
Other events
Nuclear Sharing in Europe: A Contested Policy That Endures
Since the end of the Cold War, the number of US nuclear weapons stationed in Europe has fallen more than seventy-fold, yet their presence in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey remains a quiet pillar of NATO's deterrence posture. This "nuclear sharing" arrangement, central to the Alliance since its founding, has long been contested by public opinion, political parties, and civil society across Europe, without ever being abandoned by host governments. This paradox lies at the heart of the seminar: why does such an unpopular policy persist?