ISDP participated in the Final Conference of the European Hub for Contemporary China (EuroHub4Sino) and a separate EuroHub4Sino Policy Roundtable in Brussels
September 29, 2026: On the 22nd and 23rd of September, ISDP participated in the Final Conference of the European Hub for Contemporary China (EuroHub4Sino) and a separate EuroHub4Sino Policy Roundtable in Brussels. The closed-door Policy Roundtable brought together European China experts and policymakers for discussions on China, while the one-day Final Conference brought together leading China scholars, researchers, and policy experts from across Europe to discuss China’s domestic political and economic trajectory, technological and environmental developments, security and defense, and its evolving role in the international order.
The ISDP delegation included Niklas Swanström, Executive Director of ISDP, and Maud Descamps, Project Manager and Research Fellow at the Stockholm China Center. Ms. Descamps moderated the Final Conference panel “(In)Security & Defence (For Who?),” while Dr. Swanström spoke alongside Simone Dossi of the University of Milan and Nicoletta Pusterla of the European External Action Service. The discussion examined the relationship between domestic political dynamics, with the ongoing anti-corruption campaign in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) led by Xi, and China’s military policy, the political control and modernization of the PLA, and regional security challenges.
Across the four panels, discussions addressed China’s domestic political and economic challenges, its technological policies, security and defense, and its approach to a changing global order. Speakers highlighted the implications of economic transformation and youth expectations for the Chinese Communist Party, China’s growing role in green technology and artificial intelligence, the balance between political control and military effectiveness within the PLA, and China’s efforts to expand its influence through initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative and BRICS.
The Final Conference marked the conclusion of EuroHub4Sino, a three-year long EU-funded Horizon Europe project that brought together European research institutions to strengthen independent European expertise and knowledge on contemporary China. ISDP is a consortium partner in the project, alongside universities and think tanks from across Europe. EuroHub4Sino focused on different aspects of China, and its politics, ranging from environmental policy, and domestic politics to security matters. Recordings of the conference panels will soon be available on the EuroHub4Sino website.