Contextualizing Taiwan’s Role in Central and Eastern Europe
When: Wednesday, March 15, 2023 from 10:00AM – 11:30AM (ET)
Where: Online Only (RSVP here)
Event Description:
The Global Taiwan Institute (GTI) is pleased to invite you to a virtual seminar discussion on “Contextualizing Taiwan’s Role in Central and Eastern Europe.”
In 2021, Lithuania made international headlines by dramatically expanding its relationship with Taiwan, including the controversial decision to allow the opening of the “Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania.” Despite pushback from the People’s Republic of China, ties between the two have continued to grow, potentially laying the groundwork for an enduring partnership. While these developments were certainly noteworthy in their own right, they are emblematic of larger policy shifts in Central and Eastern Europe. Once a bastion of Chinese influence, the region has grown increasingly wary of Beijing in recent years. At the same time, states across the region have steadily expanded their ties with Taiwan, with lawmakers from countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary working to engage more deeply with Taiwanese partners. From delegations to trade deals, Taiwan’s role in Central and Eastern Europe seems poised to continue to grow, though significant challenges remain. What is behind China’s declining role in Central and Eastern Europe? What factors have shaped Taiwan’s relationships with regional states? How can Taiwan strengthen its position in the region? This panel will discuss these questions and more.
This panel will coincide with the release of a new GTI report on Taiwan’s ties with Central and Eastern Europe.
The Speakers:
Dr. Kristina Kironska is an assistant professor at Palacký University in Olomouc, Czech Republic. In addition to her academic work, she is the advocacy director at the Central European Institute of Asian Studies, as well as the chair of Amnesty International Slovakia. Previously, she has served as a visiting scholar at the University of Taipei, a research assistant at the Institute of China and Asia-Pacific Studies, and a lecturer at National Sun Yat-sen University. She received her PhD and MA from National Sun Yat-sen University and an MA and BA from the University of Economics in Bratislava.
Filip Šebok is a project manager and China Research Fellow at the Association for International Affairs (AMO), Czech Republic, working on the MapInfluenCE and China Observers in Central and Eastern Europe (CHOICE) projects. Previously, he worked for the Slovak research institutions Stratpol and CEIAS and was a Fall 2022 CEPA James S. Denton Fellow in Washington, DC. Šebok also gained experience as an intern at the Asia desk of the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Slovak embassy in Beijing. His research interests include Chinese domestic and foreign policy, especially relations between China and Central and Eastern European countries, and China’s foreign policy rhetoric. Šebok graduated in Chinese cultural studies and international relations from Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic, and Renmin University in Beijing, studying in a full-time program taught in Chinese.
Dr. Ágnes Szunomár is an associate professor at Corvinus University of Budapest. In addition, she serves as the head of the Research Group on Development Economics at the Institute of World Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, Hungary. Her research focuses on East Asia, emerging markets, and foreign direct investment issues and related policies in Central and Eastern Europe. She led and participated in several international and Hungarian research projects and is a member of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action “China In Europe Research Network”, where she is the head of the Working Group on “Strategic sectors and infrastructure developments.” She is also a member of China Observers in Central and Eastern Europe (CHOICE) network. She received her PhD and MA from Corvinus University of Budapest, as well as an MA from Eötvös Loránd University.
The Moderator:
Marshall Reid is the program manager at GTI, as well as the host of GTI’s podcast, GTI Insights. Previously, he worked as a program assistant with the Asia Program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, where he helped to organize several international forums focused on East and South Asian affairs. He has also worked as an office assistant at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. Prior to moving to Washington, DC, he served as an english instructor in Taipei, Taiwan. He received his MA in international affairs at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University and his BA in history and international relations from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee.