It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Dr. Lim Huat Chye Paul Joseph, one of the co-founders of the European Institute for Asian Studies. Suffering from a virtually incurable illness, he passed away on 21 July 2025 at the St-Luc Clinic in Bouge (Namur). Our heartfelt condolences go to his family, closest friends and loved ones.
On Wednesday, 18 December 2024, EIAS hosted a closed-door roundtable discussion with H.E Fei Shengchao, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of Belgium and distinguished experts and academics to discuss “China’s Relations with Belgium in view of shifting geopolitical dynamics in the EU and around the world.” The discussion was held under the Chatham House Rule. Introducing the ABC of Sino-Belgian relations, the focus of the discussion was directed at A) America-China relations being at the core of global politics; B) Belgium and Brussels serving as a hub in Europe connecting East and West; C) China and Change; D) the Draghi report, development, growth and competitiveness; and E) the European Union as a key actor, commemorating 50 years of EU-China relations in 2025.
As the summer comes to an end and September approaches, we are excited to share our latest publications and upcoming activities with you in the August edition of our EIAS newsletter.
As July winds down and summer continues to spark our curiosity, we are excited to present you an extended summer edition of our newsletter.
On 31 May 2024 EIAS hosted a Visiting Delegation of the Standing Committee on Energy of the House of Representatives of Thailand, during a roundtable meeting. The Thai Delegation was visiting Belgium and France to attend meetings with policy makers, experts and other relevant stakeholders working in the field of energy.
Check out our April 2024 Newsletter with updates on our activities, reports of past ones and an overview of our latest publications.
On Wednesday, 24 April 2024 EIAS Director Lin Goethals moderated the Online Event on “Migration in Central Asia and its implication for Europe”, organised by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. In view of the growing importance of the relationship between the EU and Central Asia, the Year Book on Migration in Central Asia 2022-2023 was presented by Tatiana Zlobina, Coordinator of the projects on human rights and migration at the TianShan Policy Center of the American University of Central Asia (TSPC AUCA) in Bishkek. Julian Plottka, Researcher at the Universities of Bonn and Passau, spoke about cooperation between the EU and Central Asia. The event was opened by Dr Thomas LEEB, Director of the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Brussels and closed by Dr Max Georg MEIER, Head of Projects in Central Asia, Hanns Seidel Foundation.
EIAS had the pleasure of hosting a delegation of high-ranking decision-makers and academics from six Southeast Asian countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam) invited to Brussels and Berlin by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. At EIAS they were welcomed for a discussion on EU-ASEAN Economic Diversification Strategies and Enhanced Partnership Opportunities amid Great Power Dynamics on 23 April 2024.
The March 2024 issue of our monthly EIAS Newsletter has been launched with updates on our upcoming events and most recent publications and activities. Enjoy the read and we hope to see you at EIAS soon.