Just back from a wonderful Peking duck meal, hosted by the China Institute for International Affairs (CIIS). Both Ola and I are in Beijing for the 4th Sino-Nordic Roundtable, discussing issues that range from (exactly) Sino-Nordic relations to Development models, Energy and Climate Change as well as State-building and Peace Operations. The picture shows Ola in action at the roundtable, talking about media images of China in the Nordic countries, which was followed by intense debate. Tomorrow, I get to talk about Afghanistan and the international operation there, and I am curious to hear the perspectives of our Chinese colleagues, not the least on the prospects of a post-NATO Afghanistan.
My first time in Beijing –and in China – it is an overwhelming experience. One gets very curious about how this state is organized, and it is easy to jump to conclusions. I was totally taken, for example, by people waiting for their respective buses lined up flawlessly in lanes painted on the sidewalks, and was certain that this was an old commie trait. Wrong. The lanes were introduced in the run-up to the Olympics, and have since been kept. The hope now is that Shanghai will get a similar culture, as lanes are introduced there in order to ensure the unfolding Expo is running smoothly.
After the conference ends tomorrow, I am flying on to Washington, where CMI and PRIO (Astri Suhrke and I) will host a conference at the German Marshall Foundation US, discussing policy formulation and transformation of key NATO allies on Afghanistan. Karzai has already arrived, and is generating interest in the issues. More on Washington later. I wish you all a pleasant day off and a good weekend!
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