On 21 February 2024, the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs (HIIA) organized a public event entitled “Focus on Connectivity: concepts from Beijing to Washington”. The participants of the discussion were Viktor Buzna, Gergely Salát, Zsolt Trembeczki and László Vasa, researchers of HIIA. The event was moderated by Péter Goreczky, senior researcher at the Institute.
The roundtable discussion of the recently formed Connectivity Center of HIIA focused on the definition and contextualisation of connectivity as a concept as well as its role in the foreign policy of different countries. As an introduction, Viktor Buzna presented the theoretical background of the concept and its emergence in international relations, highlighting that connectivity can be defined both as a way of thinking and as a capability that helps actors in the multiplex international system to find the points of connection through which they can increase their positional power. Gergely Salát spoke about the Chinese interpretation of the notion, as China was the first country to put connectivity at the centre of its foreign policy in the form of the Belt and Road Initiative. The expert stressed the selective yet inclusive nature of the Chinese concept of connectivity, which is based on national interest, and according to which Beijing is not constrained by ideological considerations in its practice of connectivity.
Turning to the US’ interpretation of connectivity, Zsolt Trembeczki said that it is largely a reaction to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. In Washington, the focus is less on connectivity and more on the concept of infrastructure, focusing on its role in connecting communities. He pointed out that in the US’ interpretation, connectivity appears to be a positive element of high quality, financially, environmentally, and socially sustainable infrastructure. László Vasa spoke about the emergence of the concept in Central Asia, where connectivity is more visible on a practical level. For the countries of the region, connectivity is a huge opportunity to diversify their economies and is most visible in the increasing interconnectivity with different countries and with each other. Péter Goreczky then presented the European Union’s definition of connectivity, the Global Gateway strategy, a major connectivity strategy with a strong focus on Asia, and its priority areas. The event concluded with a discussion of questions and suggestions raised by the audience.