In a global context marked by growing economic interdependence, connectivity — infrastructural, digital, commercial — stands today as one of the principal levers of shared development between regions that are geographically distant yet deeply interconnected. Initiatives such as China’s Belt and Road and the EU’s Global Gateway, though born in different contexts, share the ambition of strengthening material and immaterial links between peoples, opening new opportunities for economic, cultural, and technological cooperation between Europe and East Asia.
This panel offers a space for direct dialogue between the two regions on trade, investment, infrastructure, and innovation, exploring possible synergies between different models of regional connectivity and the mutual benefits of deeper cooperation. It will address the role of China, Japan, South Korea, and ASEAN in building economic bridges with Europe, and how institutions, businesses, and civil society can contribute to a connectivity that is genuinely shared, grounded in mutual respect and common benefit.
The discussion will offer the audience a perspective on how Europe and East Asia can turn connectivity into a genuine instrument of dialogue and shared prosperity.
