From Africa to Southeast Asia, global infrastructure is becoming the next frontier of geopolitical competition. With China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) reshaping trade routes and influence for over a decade, the EU has launched the Global Gateway as its answer. But can it keep up?
Join the BCECC’s webinar “The EU’s Global Gateway vs China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Competing for Global Influence” on September 17, 2025 at 10:00 CET with Ms. Alicia García Herrero, Senior Fellow at Bruegel and Chief Economist Asia Pacific of Natixis. She will unpack how both initiatives operate, where they succeed —and where they fall short. We will explore the logic behind China’s fast-moving BRI, the strategic dilemmas of the EU’s decentralized model, and how infrastructure is becoming a tool of soft and hard power. From red tape to return on investment: Has the Global Gateway matched BRI’s traction so far?
With insights on international development, trade, and EU-China relations, joins us to explore the evolving competition for global influence between the EU and China.
Agenda:
10:00-10:10: Opening remarks by Mr. Bernard Dewit, Chairman of the BCECC
10:10-10:50: Presentation by Ms. Alicia García Herrero, Senior Fellow at Bruegel and Chief Economist Asia Pacific of Natixis
10:50-11:05: Q&A session
11:05-11:10: Closing remarks by Mr. Bernard Dewit, Chairman of the BCECC
Registration:
Free of charge, but registration is mandatory
Location:
Zoom (link will be sent to the participants one day before the event)
Interested in joining us? Please fill in below registration form before September 12, 2025!