In recent years China has become a more central and dominant actor in the international arena at large and in the Middle East and Mediterranean region (“Mid-Med”) in particular. China’s current flagship project, the Belt and Road Initiative, in many ways posits the Mid-Med as a focal area and hub. Whether as a medium through which the Belt and Road has to penetrate; a substantial economic and diplomatic partner; a major source for China’s energy; or a geopolitical ground for advancing international agendas, the significance of the Mid-Med for China, and the significance of China in and for the Mid-Med, has been dramatically growing.

Building on our preliminary edition (two “China and the Middle East” conferences held in June 2018 at Tel Aviv University), and the two first editions (in the summer of 2019 and 2020) we aim to bring to fruition a more extensive and concretely based vision of our approach to the study of this theme. Hence, the ChinaMed Project of the TOChina Hub, Tel Aviv University and the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies arejointly organizing the third edition of the online summer program "China in the Mid-Med - Technology, Governance and Security".

Up to 25 graduate students with a background in international and regional studies (Middle East, Mediterranean, and Asia/China in particular) will be selected to join the program for free.

The program for July 2021, consists of two online events: first, a short series of webinars with leading scholars (July 5 and 7); second, a series of in-depth online meetings between leading scholars and graduate students from around the world that will be held under the “Chatham House rule” to encourage an open dialogue and exchange of ideas (July 12-16). It is possible to apply also after July 7th until reaching the maximum number of participants for the workshop.

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How to apply: send an email to martina.poletti@tochina.it with your CV and a cover letter, explaining why you would like to join this program and how you would contribute to its success. Applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis.

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Outline of the Program

Webinars

July 5, 3pm CET - "China and the Eastern Mediterranean Region" with Nathalie Tocci (Director, Istituto Affari Internazionali) - Link to webinar recording.

July 7, 3pm CET - "China and the Gulf" with Liora Hendelman-Baavur (Director, Alliance Center for Iranian Studies of Tel Aviv University) - Link to webinar recording.

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The Workshop

July 12, 14.30 CET - "China and the Mid-Med: Digital Finance" with Matthew D. Johnson (Research Director | Founder and Principal, AltaSilva LLC)

July 13, 14.30 CET - "China and the Mid-Med: China, Science, and Ethics in Historical Perspective" with Stéphanie Balme (Professor Dean, Sciences Po Paris)

July 14, 14.30 CET - "China and the Mid-Med: New Technologies and Strategic Stability" with Lawrence Rubin (Associate Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology)

July 15, 14.30 CET - "China and the Mid-Med: China and the Geopolitics of the Red Sea Littoral" with Harry Verhoeven (Senior Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy of Columbia University)

July 16, 14.30 CET - Student-led roundtable

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How to apply: send an email to martina.poletti@tochina.it with your CV and a cover letter, explaining why you would like to join this program and how you would contribute to its success. Applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis.

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