Leiden Asia Centre

Get to know the speakers for our plenary session!

As part of our 10th anniversary conference, "Decade of Dialogue: Asia and Europe in a Changing World," we're bringing together three experts for a plenary session on Japan, South Korea & Europe relations:

- Nanae Baldauff, Associate Research Fellow at UNU-CRIS

- Lami Kim, Korea Chair at the International Institute for Strategic Studies

- Pim ten Haff, Senior Policy Officer at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Their combined expertise in research, policy, and diplomacy will offer a rich discussion on how Japan, South Korea, and Europe are navigating a changing world together.

📅 Save the date: 1 October — The Hague

Stay tuned for more details! 🎉

The Nexperia case revealed one of the most important strategic dependencies in the EU-China relationship: 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀.

🔎 In this article, 𝗥𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗩𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮 argues that mature (“legacy”) chips 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 will be a defining variable in EU-China engagement over the coming decade.

“𝘋𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦-𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮. 𝘚𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘥𝘦𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘌𝘜-𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.”

Read the full article 👉 https://leidenasiacentre.nl/legacy-chips-in-eu-china-relations/

MA Asian Studies Leiden University

Get to know our keynote speakers for the Leiden Asia Centre's anniversary event - Decade of Dialogue: Asia and Europe in a Changing World

We're delighted to announce two outstanding keynote speakers for our 10th anniversary conferences (30 September, Leiden & 1 October, The Hague):

Prof. Haruko Satoh - Specially Appointed Professor at the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP), where she teaches Japan's relations with Asia and identity in international relations. She is co-director of the OSIPP-IAFOR Research Centre and has previously worked with the Japan Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, and Gaiko Forum. Her research focuses on state theory, Japanese nationalism, and identity politics.

Prof. Vinod Subramaniam - President of the Executive Board of the Universiteit van Amsterdam. A biophysicist by training, his career spans leading research institutions across Europe, including the University of Twente (where he led the Nanobiophysics department) and AMOLF. He previously served as Rector Magnificus of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam).

Join us as we mark ten years of connecting Europe and Asia through research, dialogue, and impact.

📅 30 September – Leiden | 1 October – The Hague

𝗟𝗲𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁

Yesterday Leiden Asia Centre’s researchers gathered to attend the workshop: “Communicating your research with the public”, hosted by our 𝘔𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘑𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘯 Anoma P. van der Veere👏

After a brief introduction of our many activities of the first half of 2026 and a look ahead towards LAC's 10 year anniversary🎉, Anoma taught us how to communicate academic research effectively, using lots of interaction and exercises. As a scholar with thorough knowledge of Japan ánd a journalist with a wide array of experience, he knows both sides of the debate - and the potential for misunderstanding between academics and journalists. Many thanks for hosting!

We look back to a fruitful academic year and are looking forward to what’s to come🌟

Subscribe to our newsletter to keep track of our (anniversary) activities > https://leidenasiacentre.nl/

Ports are critical infrastructure. As the new EU Port Strategy writes, they are ‘vital gateways for trade, logistics, energy, and military mobility’. Ports are also at the midst of US-China geopolitical rivalry, as shown by the ongoing dispute over Chinese investments in ports in Panama. A key question for the EU is how to deal with foreign direct investment and related strategic dependencies. As such, Chinese FDI in EU-seaports has become a topic of heated debate.

This new CKN report analyses the impact of Chinese direct investment in EU seaports on port competitiveness and national security interests. What should we know about the three main Chinese investors in EU seaports: COSCO Shipping Ports, China Merchants Port Holdings (CMPort), and Hutchinson Ports? Is there a tipping point where an increase in Chinese FDI no longer leads to increased economic competitiveness? And how to balance economic and national security interests?

📅 24 June 2026
🕒 15:30 - 17:00
📍Wijnhaven Building Room 2.19, Turfmarkt 99, The Hague | or online 🖥️
📝 Link: https://leidenasiacentre.nl/event/ckn-report-presentation-chinese-investment-in-eu-seaports/

We have something to celebrate, and we'd love for you to join us. 🎊

This year, the Leiden Asia Centre turns 10. A decade of research, dialogue, and bridge-building between Europe and Asia.

To mark this milestone, we're hosting a two-day anniversary conference: "Decade of Dialogue: Asia and Europe in a Changing World."

The event takes place on 30 September in Leiden (evening opening) and 1 October in The Hague (full-day symposium), bringing together policymakers, researchers, and business leaders to discuss the issues shaping our shared future. From Indo-Pacific security to AI, climate, and beyond.

Registration opens in June. More details to follow soon!

Op 29 mei presenteerden onderzoeker en correspondent dr. 𝗔𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗮 𝘃𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗩𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗲 en voedselhistorica prof. 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘇𝘆𝗻𝗮 (𝗞𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗮) 𝗖𝘄𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗸𝗮 hun boek 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪 𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘫𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘫𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯. Tijdens de bijeenkomst vertelden de auteurs hoe het boek tot stand is gekomen en deelden zij hun kennis over de Japanse eetcultuur. Het publiek kreeg meer inzicht in bekende producten zoals sushi en matcha, maar ook in de veranderingen en uitdagingen binnen traditionele voedselculturen.

De auteurs vertelden hoe het boek in nauwe samenwerking tot stand kwam en hoe het tot een samenhangend geheel is geworden waarin persoonlijke ervaringen en historische context elkaar aanvullen💡

Vaak vormden de verhalen en observaties van dr. Van der Veere het vertrekpunt, waarna prof. Cwiertka deze verrijkte met historische achtergronden en wetenschappelijke inzichten. Door teksten vervolgens meerdere keren gezamenlijk te herzien, ontstond stap voor stap het uiteindelijke boek🙌

Lees verder over theegeschiedenis, de 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥, vegetarisch eten in Japan en meer in het artikel van LeidenGlobal👉 https://www.leidenglobal.org/highlight/van-matcha-tot-sushi-een-culinaire-reis-door-japan

Ten years ago, we started with a simple but powerful idea: that understanding Asia means listening to Asia. 🌏

None of what we've built would have been possible without the partners who believed in that mission from the very beginning, and those who joined along the way.

This week we're highlighting our Academic Bridge: a decade of connecting researchers, expanding scholarly horizons, and making sure that academic exchange between Europe and Asia goes both ways.

Swipe through to see who has been part of this journey, and stay with us as we celebrate 10 years of dialogue! 🎉

What does a think tank actually look like from the inside?

As we celebrate 10 years of the Leiden Asia Centre, we want to take a moment to show you what makes us tick, not just our research or our events, but the people and the place behind it all.

Bridge #8 in our LACLustrum series is the Practical Bridge: the idea that real dialogue needs a real space. Our office in Leiden is where expertise meets practice, where our team of researchers, coordinators, and board members work every day to ensure that Asian perspectives are heard in European debates.

Swipe through to meet them. From China and Taiwan to Indonesia, from Korea and Japan to Vietnam and India, our staff cover the full breadth of Asia with depth, dedication, and genuine curiosity.

None of this would be possible without them. Here's to the team. 🙌

What do Chinese yuan, Dutch semiconductors, and cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo have in common? They're all part of the economic story connecting Europe and Asia, and they've all been the subject of Leiden Asia Centre research.

Over the past ten years, we've worked to build an Economic Bridge: producing analysis that helps businesses, policymakers, and institutions understand what's happening in Asian markets and what's coming next. Our researchers don't just react to events, they anticipate them.

Some examples:
📄 Internationalization of the RMB - Bert Hofman & Johannes Petry
📄 The Netherlands and South Korea: From Semiconductors to Universities - Anoma van der Veere
📄 Chinese Approaches to Overseas Responsible Business - Stacey Links, Tycho de Feijter & Jonas Lammertink

Ten years of connecting research to economic reality. That's the LAC Economic Bridge. 🔟🎉