The 6th YCW-King’s College London China Conference
China: Going Global, Staying Local
Saturday, February 18, 2023
• Conference start time: 10am (London)
• Conference venue: King’s College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS
• RSVP required: RSVP here
• Conference Programme: click here
• ID required for entry: Please bring photographic ID as this will be checked by KCL security.
The Young China Watchers London team is very pleased to begin the Year of the Rabbit with the return of our annual conference – the first one in person since 2019! The theme of the conference highlights the often contradictory impressions observers and analysts may have of China. With the unexpectedly swift lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, Beijing signalled to the world that China is open again: for tourism, for diplomacy and for business. After three years of pandemic containment, many will be watching how attitudes and priorities for global relations have evolved.
At YCW, we try to examine China from all possible angles. The linkages we create between topics and themes broadens the discussion and enhances our understanding of the big picture. At this year’s conference, we’ve aimed to represent some of this diversity with speakers on international law, cultural collaborations, politics, economics and the environment. Attendees will have the chance to network and mingle with the next generation of China thinkers, watchers and actors.
PROGRAMME
• 1000: YCW and KCL Welcome
• 1030: Opening Keynote – China’s Economy with Rory Green (Chief China Economist, TS Lombard)
• 1115: International Law Panel – China and the International Legal Order: Replacing or Shaping?
• 1200: Essay Winner Presentation – Government Tech – China’s “Online Mass-Line”
• 1220: Lunch
• 1330: China-North Korea Panel – “Lips and Teeth”: The China – North Korea Relationship in 2023
• 1420: Film Panel – The Big Screen: UK-China relations through film exchange
• 1510: Coffee break
• 1530: UK-China Panel – The UK-China Debate: How are relations depicted by key opinion-formers?
• 1610: Closing Keynote with Jessie Lau (Independent Writer and Journalist)
• 1650: Social and networking
SPEAKERS
• KCL Welcome: Prof Alessio Patalano (Professor of War & Strategy in East Asia, King’s College London)
• Opening Keynote: Rory Green (Chief China Economist and Head of Asia Research, TS Lombard)
International Law Panel:
• Joshua Fung (Barrister; 2020-22 Yenching Scholar)
• Xiao Mao (Oxford Tutor in Public Int’l Law; 2021-22 Judicial Fellow, International Court of Justice)
• Dr Lijun (Liz) Zhao (Senior Lecturer in Law, City, University of London)
Essay Winner Presentation:
• Luke Cavanaugh (Associate, Boston Consulting Group; Founder and Trustee, Student Think Tank on Europe-Asia Relations)
China-North Korea Panel:
• Alastair Morgan (former UK ambassador to North Korea; former UK Consul General in Guangzhou)
• Prof Ramon Pacheco Pardo (King’s College London)
Film Panel:
• Alex Chang (Actor and Co-Founder, Paradox House)
• Giulia D’Aquila (PhD Candidate, King’s College London)
UK-China Panel:
• Andrew Yeh (Deputy Director, China Strategic Risks Institute)
• Karoline Kan (Journalist and Author, Under Red Skies)
• Clementine Pippa Ebel (Founder, China Business Breakfast Club; 2023-25 Yenching Scholar)
Closing Keynote:
• Jessie Lau (Independent Writer, Journalist, Editor, Filmmaker and Artist)


