PART 1: GEOpolitical maritime Seminar (ENG)

Name: PART 1: GEOpolitical maritime Seminar (ENG)
Start: 2026-08-21T10:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-08-21T12:30:00+02:00
Location: Eigtveds Pakhus (SAL IV)

GEOpolitical maritime Seminar

Eigtveds Pakhus - SAL IV
Strandgade 25D
1401 København

21 August 2026 kl. 10:00 – 12:30

Join the Danish Foreign Service from Washington and Beijing as they share their insights into what is shaping and driving developments in the maritime sector, seen from the perspectives of the two capitals. The seminar will be held in English.

From the embassy in Beijing, the maritime ambitions outlined in China’s brand-new 15th Five-Year Plan will be presented, while Denmark’s embassy and consulates share their observations on how the central government and Xi Jinping are acting in an increasingly geopolitically and power-politically driven world.

From the embassy in Washington, first-hand accounts will be given of Donald Trump’s ambitions to “make American shipbuilding great again,” the Trump administration’s view of China as a strategic rival, the status of potential port fees resulting from this, and what American restrictions targeting China’s state-owned shipyard groups could mean for Danish companies’ business activities — both within and outside the United States.

The event offers a couple of hours characterized by hardcore maritime geopolitics combined with deep professional insight from two of Denmark’s most influential diplomatic posts. Naturally, there will also be time to ask questions about developments from the perspective of your own business.

PROGRAM

Welcome - by Danish Maritime
Geopolitical tensions – by Jon Thorgaard, Director of GEOPOL, Geopolitical department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark
China perspectives – by Michael Starbæk Christensen (TBC), Ambassador for Denmark in China, the Danish Embassy in Beijing
USA perspectives – by Jesper Møller Sørensen (TBC), Ambassador for Denmark in USA, Washington D.C., the Danish Embassy in USA
COFFEE BREAK
China’s 15th five-year plan and maritime implications – by Klaus Rostell, Maritime Sector Counsellor, the Danish Embassy in Beijing
Implications for foreign maritime companies in China due to the US restrictions against China’s shipbuilding industry – Jeppe Fredslund, team lead of GEOPOL, Geopolitical department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark
Concluding remarks by Danish Maritime followed by lunch & networking
End of seminar