Date: Wednesday 7th May 2008, 3-5pm

Speakers:

•Salvatore Gabola, Director of Global Stakeholder Relations, The Coca-Cola Company

•Liza Lort-Phillips, Associate Director, Corporate Citizenship

•Graham Baxter, Director,Responsible Business Solutions International Business Leaders Forum(IBLF)

•Sumi Dhanarajan, Co-head,Private Sector Team, Policy Department Oxfam

The Foreign Policy Centre, in association with Coca-Cola Great Britain, presented the third seminar in the 'CSR in Emerging Markets' series on Wed 7 May at Portcullis House. The seminar examined CSR in emerging markets with a focus on marketplace practices, including issues such as consumer relations, ethical trade and responsible investment, and wealth creation. The speakers explored these themes from both business and civil society perspectives.

This event was held in association with Coca-Cola Great Britain

Download Invitation (90 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Date: Monday 10th March 2008, 3pm to 5pm

Venue: Grimond Room, Portcullis House, Bridge Street, London, SW1A 2LW

Speakers:

• Salvatore Gabola, Director of Worldwide Stakeholder Relations, The Coca-Cola Company
• Daniel Graymore, Team Leader, Business Alliance Team, Department for International Development
• Daniel Litvin, Director, Critical Resource Strategy & Analysis
• Stephen Twigg (Chair), Director, The Foreign Policy Centre

About this event:

At this event, the Foreign Policy Centre launched a major project on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in emerging markets in association with Coca-Cola Great Britain. The project will explore the role of multinational corporations' CSR practices in emerging markets in the areas of labour standards, marketplace practices, and the environment. With an initial background paper, this launch seminar reviewed recent trends in multinationals' CSR practices, defined the latest debate on CSR, and established the context for the following three seminars which will form part of this project.

This event was held in association with Coca-Cola Great Britain.

Download the initial background paper (140 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Date: Tuesday 26th February 2008

Speakers:

• Mark Leonard, Author "What Does China Think?"
• Rt Hon Lord Malloch-Brown, Minister for Africa, Asia & the UN, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
• Professor Zheng Yongnian, China Policy Institute, Nottingham University
• Gideon Rachman, The Financial Times

About this event:

In his new book "What Does China Think?", which was published by Fourth Estate on 18 February, Mark Leonard introduces us to the thinkers shaping China's future, and opens up a hidden world of intellectual debate that could change our world. We know all about the statistics of China's rise – dizzying growth rates, vast currency reserves, new cities built every week. But have heard very little about China as a powerhouse of ideas about politics, economics and world order.

Leonard reveals a Chinese model of Globalisation that could re-shape the face of Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. He shows how experiments with focus groups and opinion polls are changing China from a traditional authoritarian state to a new 'deliberative dictatorship'. And he reveals how Beijing hopes to use a "China Dream" to challenge America's military power. What does China Think? charts the development of a Chinese worldview and portrays the factions battling for influence.

This event was held in association with The Fabian Society and the European Council on Foreign Relations.

October 2007

In October, The Foreign Policy Centre and the All Party Parliamentary China Group presented a seminar on The China Model-the Chinese Way in World Politics. The speaker at this event was Professor Pan Wei from Peking University.

Following the success of this event and the high number of enquires received, a transcript of Professor Wei's speech can now be found on our website by accessing the link below.

About the Event

From the "Beijing Consensus" to the "China Model". Three years ago, the Foreign Policy Centre published one of its most influential pamphlets—The Beijing Consensus by Joshua Ramo. Professor Pan Wei of Peking University presented at the FPC a Chinese view of what a China model in world politics might be in the future. It is based on a research project he has just completed with other Chinese scholars. And it is the first time the research findings are presented outside China. Professor Pan spoke about how a superpower China will likely behave in foreign policy and domestic politics and what that may mean for the world.

About The Speaker

Professor Pan Wei obtained his PhD from UC Berkeley. He is one of China's most original and influential thinkers on Chinese politics and foreign policy. His works on "consultative democracy"—the idea that China can have a distinctive form of democracy different from the Western liberal one—has attracted increased attention at home and abroad. His researches on China's rural reform and social values have also been influential. Most recently he has been collaborating with Hong Kong scholars on the "China model" to examine what a superpower China might look like.

For more details, contact feng.zhang[at]fpc.org.uk

Download The Chinese Model of Development (40 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Time: 4.00-6.00 pm

Venue: Committee Room 19, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA

The Foreign Policy Centre and Never Again cordially invite you to a discussion on:

Will China Help Prevent or Provoke Conflict in Africa?

Speakers:

• Stephanie T. Kleine-Ahlbrandt, International Affairs Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, New York
• Patrick Smith, Editor, Africa Confidential

The Theme

After 50 years of independent rule and Western development practice, people in Africa grapple still with the threats, legacies and realities of violent conflict. Will China's unique approach to development offer new solutions or further complicate local and international tensions? Will China's growing investment in the continent encourage African nations to become independent parties to the world trade regime? Will China's investment strengthen African national economies? How will China's involvement influence good governance, human rights and civil society in African countries? What drives China's Africa policy? This seminar will explore the implications of China's increasing assertiveness in Africa, what this means for African governments and citizens, and for the West which has traditionally played a key role in the region.

The speakers

Stephanie T. Kleine-Ahlbrandt is Programme Manager and Officer-in-Charge, Asia Division, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (2002-2006). She is responsible for human rights and technical cooperation on administration of justice with the government of the People's Republic of China. She is currently on sabbatical and is an international affairs fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, New York, researching the human rights implications of China's deepening engagement with the African continent.

Patrick Smith is editor of Africa Confidential, the world's leading fortnightly bulletin on Africa.

Due to a limited number of places please RSVP to Feng Zhang at:

Feng.Zhang[at]fpc.org.uk or call at +44 (0)20 7729 7566; +44 (0) 78 0976 4855.

Wednesday 7 February 2007

Speakers:

Joshua Cooper Ramo

Martin Wolf, FT

Martin Jacques, LSE/The Guardian

Stephen Twigg, Foreign Policy Centre (Chair)

In this new report, from the author of the widely discussed paper 'The Beijing Consensus', Ramo argues that China's national image, and the misalignment between China's image of itself and how it is viewed by the rest of the world, may be its greatest strategic threat. It argues that alongside its other reforms, China needs a 'fifth transition' if the trust and understanding necessary for the next stage of its development are to be achieved.

This event is by invitation only, for more information, please email alex.bigham[at]fpc.org.uk. For press enquiries, call 020 7729 7566.

This paper has been kindly supported by Hill & Knowlton.

Download Brand China (260 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)