Chairperson of Global Neighbours Jovanka Porsche Visits ICC

On 18 March 2026, Ms. Jovanka Porsche, Chairperson of the European think tank, Global Neighbors, paid visit to the Jianguomen Office of the International Cooperation Center (ICC). Ms. Zhou Hong, Chairperson of the Academic Committee of the ICC and Member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), and Mr. Zhang Yu, Convener of the Joint Meeting and Director of the Steering Committee of the ICC, met with Ms. Jovanka Porsche. The two sides shared the view that amid the accelerated evolution of the once-in-a-century global changes, human society has once again arrived at a critical crossroads. As two major constructive forces in today’s world, China and Europe should do more to provide valuable stability and certainty to a world fraught with turbulence and intertwined challenges. It is hoped that both sides will view China-Europe relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, give play to their respective strengths, and make greater contributions to enhancing mutual trust and deepening cooperation between China and Europe. During the talks, the two sides held in-depth exchanges and reached important consensus on advancing high-level China-Europe exchanges, strengthening strategic communication and coordination, as well as international and regional issues of common concern.

Zhou Hong (Right)   Jovanka Porsche (Left)

The two sides stated that the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation, with profound changes unfolding in the global geopolitical landscape. The evolution of China-Europe relations has shown that China and Europe are partners, not rivals, and that cooperation is the defining feature and anchor of their relationship. The two sides share extensive common interests, both uphold multilateralism and open cooperation, support the central role of the United Nations and greater democracy in international relations, and remain committed to peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue. Against the backdrop of major realignments in geopolitics, the importance of China-Europe relations has become increasingly prominent. In the face of a world marked by rising uncertainty, the ICC hopes to work with friendly European think tanks including Global Neighbours to grasp the overriding trends of the world, intensify high-level dialogue and consultation, jointly send clear and strong signals on key issues between China and Europe, advance the building of a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation, inject stability, confidence and positive expectations into the world, and join hands to address global challenges.

The two sides held a meeting

The two sides also discussed other matters. The Special Representative of Economic Affairs of the ICC, officials from the Secretariat of the ICC, the Public Diplomacy Research Center of the ICC, and the Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese Working Committee of the ICC attended the meeting. It is learned that the European Think Tank Global Neighbours headquartered in Vienna, Austria, was co-founded in 2022 by Jovanka Porsche, former Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern, and former Vice Chancellor of Germany Philipp Rösler. In November 2024, He Wei, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, met in Beijing with a delegation of the Global Neighbours led by former Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern. In the same period, the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and the Global Neighbours co-hosted a China-Europe Relations Roundtable in Beijing under the theme “China and Europe: Partners Shaping the Future”. In March 2026, Siddharth Chatterjee, former United Nations Resident Coordinator in China, assumed the post of Chief Executive Officer of the Global Neighbours.