This week, LSE IDEAS’ Russia-Ukraine Dialogues and China Foresight welcome experts to discuss the evolving relationship between China and Russia. Panelist will discuss: Status of China-Russia diplomatic relations; Economic and diplomatic lessons learned from the war; and Impacts on the People’s Liberation Army’s military strategy.
Meet the speakers and chair
Lukas Fiala (@LukasdkFiala) is a PhD International Relations candidate at LSE, researching China’s defence industry, military strategy and emerging security relationships with countries in the Global South. He is also the Project Coordinator of China Foresight, the China-focused research programme at LSE IDEAS, the LSE’s foreign policy think-tank. Previously, he was a Yenching Academy Scholar at Peking University.
Dr Björn Alexander Düben is an Assitant Professor at the School of International and Public Affairs at Jilin University. He analyses China’s reaction to, and motivation in implicitly supporting, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, even as Putin’s strategic blunder becomes increasingly difficult to deal with. The author finds that, as long as Putin remains in power, long-term alignment since 2014 and a shared authoritarian world-view will cement closer ties between the PRC and Russian Federation; this at the cost of the latter devolving to a client-state dependent on China to keep its economy afloat, whilst the PRC’s cautious state banks further diminish Russian hopes of financial cooperation in order to avoid secondary sanctions from the West.
Dr Yu Jie (@Yu_JieC @ChathamHouse @CHAsiaPAcific) is senior research fellow on China at Chatham House, focusing on the decision-making process of Chinese foreign policy as well as China’s economic diplomacy. She frequently comments in major media outlets such as BBC News and the Financial Times; and regularly briefs senior policy practitioners from the G7 member governments, the Silk Road Fund in Beijing. She also frequently advises major FTSE 100 corporates and leading European financial institutions on China’s political landscape. Yu Jie has testified on China’s foreign affairs at various UK Parliament committees and was previously head of China Foresight at LSE IDEAS. She remains as an associate fellow with LSE IDEAS. Prior to LSE, she was a management consultant, specializing in Chinese state-owned enterprises investments in Europe and Chinese market entry strategies for European conglomerates at the London Office of Roland Berger. The London School of Economics and Political Science recognized her as one of its ‘Leading Women’ in 2018 for her contribution in teaching and engaging the public debates on China’s foreign affairs. She is a “Young Leader” for the Shangri-La Dialogue.
Leon Hartwell (@LeonHartwell) is the Senior Advisor for the Central and South Eastern European Programme at LSE IDEAS and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) in Washington DC. His research interests include conflict resolution, genocide, transitional justice, diplomacy, democracy, and the Western Balkans. Previously, Hartwell was the 2022 Sotirov Fellow at LSE IDEAS and CEPA’s Acting Director of the Transatlantic Leadership Program and a Title VIII Fellow. From 2012 to 2013, he was also the Senior Policy Advisor for Political and Development Cooperation at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Zimbabwe, where his work included government and civil society engagement, political reporting, peace building projects, and supporting human rights defenders. In 2019, Hartwell completed a joint doctoral degree summa cum laude at Leipzig University (Germany) and Stellenbosch University (South Africa). His thesis analyzed the use of mediation in the resolution of armed conflicts.
More information about the event
Event hashtag: #LSERussiaUkraine
LSE IDEAS (@lseideas) is LSE's foreign policy think tank. Through sustained engagement with policymakers and opinion-formers, IDEAS provides a forum that informs policy debate and connects academic research with the practice of diplomacy and strategy.
This panel is part of LSE IDEAS' Russia-Ukraine Dialogues. Given the recent escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian war (24 February 2022), the conflict continues to be fluid and requires cross-disciplinary analysis. Weekly panels, scheduled for every Tuesday, will bring together in-house and external experts to report on and discuss the war’s impacts on various global issues.