SCOLAR Podcast

Welcome to the episode #13 of the "SCOLAR on the Belt & Road", where we diverge a bit from Asia and turn to look at a European country, whose deepening relations with China have recently made it the first G7 country to join the Belt and Road Initiative. We are talking, of course, about Italy.

Joining us in the studio is Enrico Fardella, Tenured Associate Professor at the History Department of Peking University (PKU) and Director of PKU’s Center for Mediterranean Area Studies, who recently was part of the deleation welcoming Xi Jinping during his historic visit in Italy.

Enrico works jointly with TOChina Hub as director of the ChinaMed Project and Area Director of the ChinaMed Business Program. He is Global Fellow of Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington D.C., Research Scholar at the Machiavelli Center for Cold War Studies, member of the Academic Committee at Pangoal Institution in Beijing and Fellow of the Science & Technology China Program of the European Commission. Enrico was also the first foreign person to join the post-doc programme at Peking University.

Is the Italian government's opening to China something new? How long back in history do the bilateral relations between Italy and the PRC stretch? What is Italy looking for in the BRI – and what are China's interests in Italy and the wider Mediterranean region?

On how much Italy aligns itself with the Eurasian dream of the Belt & Road and on the journey of its "inter-civilisational dialogue" with China hear from our guest Enrico and our co-host, Olim Alimov. Enjoy!

Приветствуем из Пекина на новом эпизоде «SCOLAR on the Belt & Road»! Совсем недавно в столицу Китая с визитом приезжал **Алексей Карпенко**, исполнительный секретарь базирующегося в Москве Молодёжного совета ШОС – официального молодёжного крыла Шанхайской Организации Сотрудничества. Среди насыщенного графика визитов в Пекине, Алексей нашел время заглянуть и к нам на подкаст, чтобы рассказать о работе и новых проектах Молодёжного совета.

Знали ли вы о том, как Молодёжный совет помогает наращивать сотрудничество и обмен между высшими учебными заведениями стран ШОС? А о так называемой “Молодёжной карте ШОС” – проекте совета, нацеленного на наращивание человеческого и туристического потенциала нашего региона? Интересно, какую форму принимает – и какие перспективы содержит в себе – сотрудничество между предпринимательскими площадками и университетами?

Обо всем этом и многом другом слушайте из беседы между со-ведущими эпизода, Олимом Алимовым и Олесей Довгалюк, и Алексеем Карпенко. Надеемся, что вам понравится. Приятного прослушивания!

Today we are coming to you from **Baku, Azerbaijan**, with the first of the two special episodes recorded during the **7th Global Baku Forum.**

In the first episode we spoke with **Rza Aliyev**, who is currently pursuing his PhD in Economics at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. He has worked as a Private Banker, Advisor at the International Market Analysis Ltd., Special Envoy of “Children Uniting Nations”, and has been an active participant in Club of Rome and Club de Madrid meetings, among many other titles. But most importantly for our today’s episode, Rza is Deputy Secretary General on Foreign Affairs of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center. NGIC is an organisation promoting the values of peace, justice and human rights, a network of top global thinkers connecting 100 former presidents and prime ministers representing more than 50 countries, as well as the hosting organisation for the Global Baku Forum (check their website: http://nizamiganjavi-ic.org/aboutus).

How did Global Baku Forum – an “unusually open and honest discussion" forum – emerge, and what values and ideas does it promote? How does it try to address pressing international issues in unique and practical ways? What sets it apart from other comparable professional organisations? And, importantly, what is the role of the young leaders in all this?

About all this and more you will hear from the discussion between our host, Olim Alimov, and Rza Aliyev. We hope you enjoy – and tune in next week for the second special episode from Baku!

**Happy 10th episode to "SCOLAR on the Belt & Road"!** Our today's guest is a prominent young individual at the forefront of connecting young entrepreneurs across China and wider Asia-Pacific. **Tianqi Han**, President of the China Branch of G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance and CEO of the APEC Voices of the Future in China, was named as one of the 30 best social entrepreneurs under the age of 30 in 2018 by Forbes for his efforts in youth development. Besides gaining official recognition for the APEC Youth Report, growing institutional connections with leading businesses and individuals, and establishing the VOF Mentorship Program under APEC, he co-founded an Environmental Technology Company and served as founding co-chair for the Oxford Emerging Markets Summit.

Over the next 30 minutes, you will hear how Tianqi’s story started with the APEC Voices of the Future National Contest back in 2013, and his personal view on the importance of supporting cross-border interaction and mutual “ideational” nourishment of the youth, institutional support for the young people from the global-scale institutions and initiatives, such as APEC, G20 and B&R, as well as the challenges facing the young generation today. Enjoy!

Сегодня на нашем подкасте особый гость: **Сергей Вадимович Канавский – исполнительный секретарь Делового Совета Шанхайской Организации Сотрудничества!** У Сергея Вадимовича, родившегося в 1961 году в Москве, за плечами интересная карьера. В 1994-2004 годах он являлся дипломатическим работником в представительствах России в странах Скандинавии, а в 2006-2009 годах был советником заместителя председателя Совета Федерации Федерального Собрания Российской Федерации, где отвечал за международные аспекты сотрудничества. В 2006 году был избран Президентом Делового Клуба Шанхайской Организации Сотрудничества, и через год был избран исполнительным секретарем Делового Совета ШОС.

В ходе нашей с ним “инсайдерской" беседы нам удалось узнать много нового о работе Делового Совета, включая то, над какими проектами орган сейчас работает, как их выбирают и кем они финансируются, а также с кем идет сотрудничество по их осуществлению.

Мы также поговорили о более широкой политико-экономической картине в странах ШОС и “Пояса и Пути” и затронули такие вопросы, как сдвиг мирового производства в юго-восточно-азиатском направлении, тенденции свободного движения человеческого и материального капитала в нашем регионе, и природа и преимущества как двустороннего так и многостороннего сотрудничества. Мы надеемся, что следующие 40 минут вам откроют глаза на многие невидимые, но важные механизмы работы ШОС в сфере развития именно предпринимательского потенциала наших стран. Приятного прослушивания!

Welcome to episode #8 of the “SCOLAR on the Belt & Road”! Today we have with us Biman Najika Liyanage – researcher, innovator and entrepreneur from Sri-Lanka, member of the WEF Global Shapers initiative and Forbes 30 under 30 in 2017 (among other positions and titles). Biman's award-winning inventions, including Finger Braille Interface that allows blind people perceive and communicate information about colours, and a smart condom that can respond to blood flow and send health data to a smartphone app, cannot fail to impress with their acute vision of tackling modern societal challenges. But, as we have discovered today, much more than inventions themselves lies in Biman's integral philosophy of work and creation: he takes often-overlooked problems and finds solutions that would be easily available for the general public to use. We have followed with Biman his journey in China, where he came in 2008 chasing the first signs of the coming innovation age, and asked him about his thoughts on and work towards the development in Eurasia, including his home country, Sri Lanka. Accompanied by the stories of Biman’s socially-significant projects and initiatives, our discussion turned into a rich and reflective deliberation that we are thrilled to share with you. Enjoy!

Welcome back to the “SCOLAR on the Belt & Road”! After our Russian listeners' feedback on the previous episode with the SCOLAR co-founder and Tsinghua university master’s student Viktoria Khu, we are bringing you an English version of the interview in the episode #7.5.

Born and raised in Russian city Irkutsk as an ethnic Chinese, Vika shares with us her inspiring journey from Siberia to the Chinese capital of Beijing, and a story of self-growth through understanding and acceptance of one’s own multifaceted and rich cultural heritage. We’ve touched on multiple topics, including origins of Vika’s family and their connection to China, experience of growing up in a bilingual family, creating SCOLAR and learning to not be afraid to follow your passion, try and fail – and try again.

A positive and forward-looking young professional, Vika never fails to inspire those working with her. We hope this episode inspires you as well. Enjoy!

Виктория Ху родилась в Иркутске, Россия. Студент-магистр университета Цинхуа.

В 2015 году - сооснователь Ассоциации российских студентов в Китае (АРС); в 2017 - сооснователь Молодёжной лиги при Секретариате ШОС (SCOLAR). В то время как АРС объединяет более 1000 российских студентов в Пекине с целью способствовать взаимному культурному обмену, SCOLAR дает возможность молодым людям с пространства 18 стран ШОС усилить связи, создавать диалог и вносить вклад в региональное развитие.

С 2015 года - интерн, помощник директора, менеджер по развитию Octo Consulting, бутик - консалтинг компании, работающей с проектами ШОС и «Пояса и пути». Виктория также является спикером TEDx и членом Global Shapers, инициативы Всемирного экономического форума.

Hello and Happy Spring festival to all our listeners in China and elsewhere in the world! 大家新年快乐! Today, in response to the feedback from our non-Russian-speaking listeners, we bring you a summary of our first, exclusive interview with His Excellency Mr Rashid Alimov, at that time SCO Secretary General. On the Organization and its contribution to the development in Eurasia, the role of entrepreneurship and youth – enjoy!

Welcome back to the "SCOLAR on the Belt & Road"! Our guest today is Evgeny Kosolapov. Evgeny has worked with multiple companies and organisations, opening AIESEC branch in China, working with DHL in Asia Pacific and CIS & Baltic regions, and leading I-Free as CEO, among other accomplishments. He has lived in a range of countries across Asia Pacific and Eurasia, including Ukraine, Singapore and China, and now works with Skolkovo Foundation, Russian innovation park, as Advisor for the Development of Activities and a representative in PRC.

With him, we talked through the innovation management in China, Russia and other countries, unfolding the concept behind and the daily working of Skolkovo innovation park and comparing it with Silicon Valley in the USA and Zhongguancun in China. Enjoy!