Madariaga - College of Europe Foundation

12:30 - Monday, 19 January 2009

A Seminar on "China's ability to cope with natural disasters: a global challenge - from rescue operations to rehabilitation policies: the Sichuan earthquake case" was held on the premises of the European economic and Social committee in Brussels, followed by a reception and a photographic exhibition.

What if China, the third global economic power, on its way to be second to the US and the first in a foreseeable future, was vulnerable to natural disasters to a point that would impact the rest of the world? China’s extreme geographical conditions in most of its territory make development an extremely tough challenge and expose China to severe natural hazards or to man-made disasters which can lead to significant economic shocks with an impact on the rest of the world. In a global economy, China’s partners should develop an acute awareness of this peculiarity. 

To answer to these questions the Madariaga-College of Europe Foundation in close cooperation with the Mission of the People’s Republic of China organised on January 19th 2009 - from 4.00 to 6.30 p.m. - a workshop devoted to this topic on the premises of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). After a welcoming address by Filip Hamro-Drotz, President of the External Relations Section at EESC, the event was introduced by Ambassador Song Zhe and  chaired by Jean-Luc Dehaene, President of the Administrative Council of the College of Europe while Javier Solana, High Representative for the European Common Foreign and Security Policy and President of the Madariaga - College of Europe Foundation, drawn the conclusions.  

For more information please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 0032 2 209 62 10

Please find below the programme and the presentations. The edited collection of papers from the Conference is now available; if you would like to order a copy, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

   Programme - English version                             Programme - version franςaise

Speakers' presentations:

Ambassador SONG Zhe - Head of the Mission of the peopl's Republic of China to the EU - welcoming speech 

Professor SUN Baitao - Vice-Director of the Institute for Engineering Mechanics of the China Earthquake Administration, Member of UNDAC and of trhe China International Search and Rescue Team (CISAR)- power point presentation

Professor SHI Peijun - Executive Vice-President of the Beijing Normal University, Associate Director of the Expert Committee under the National Disaster Reduction Committee of China, and Associate Director of the State Wenchuan Earthquake Expert Committee - power point presentation  and China Wenchuan Earthquake Disaster and Its loss Assessment

Terry CANNON - Reader in Development Studies, specialist on disaster vulnerability and China's economic reforms at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Greenwich - power point presentation - Article "Reducing People's Vulnerability to Natural Hazards: Communities and Resilience" 

Please click here for the first three chapters of the book "At risk: natural hazards, people's vulnerability and disasters", by Ben Wisner, Piers Blaikie, Terry Cannon and Ian Davis.  

Professor Jing MEN - Chairholder, InBev-Baillet Latour Chair of European Union - China Relations, College of Europe - power point presentation

Indhira Santos - Research Fellow, Bruegel - power point presentation

Moreno Bertoldi - Head of Unit, Economies of America and Asia, and Main International Economic Institutions and Fora, European Commission (DG ECFIN) - presentation -