IGD hosts workshop on China

The Institute for Global Dialogue said on September 2 that it had hosted a workshop on non-state actors and China, framing the discussion around how influence moves through institutions, companies and networks rather than only through formal government channels. The Pretoria-based think tank said the session examined how those actors shape policy and regional influence in ways that sit alongside state-to-state diplomacy. The workshop fits within IGD’s broader foreign-policy research agenda, which includes work on South African foreign policy, international diplomacy and the role of new state and non-state actors. IGD describes itself as an independent foreign-policy think tank based in Tshwane, or Pretoria. ### Why did IGD focus on non-state actors in a China discussion? IGD said the workshop centered on non-state actors because influence linked to China does not move only through embassies, ministries or formal bilateral meetings. The institute’s September 2 post said the discussion looked at institutions, companies and networks as channels that can shape policy and regional influence. That places the emphasis on how power is exercised through organized relationships outside direct government-to-government contact. (igd.org.za) The Institute for Global Dialogue’s own research program provides context for that framing. On its foreign policy analysis page, IGD says it examines “the role of new state and non-state actors in foreign policy at the sub-national and global level.” Its international diplomacy program says it studies how decisions and policies of states shape negotiations, conferences and diplomatic clubs, placing the workshop alongside a wider body of work on formal and informal power. (igd.org.za) ### What is the Institute for Global Dialogue? The Institute for Global Dialogue says it is an independent foreign-policy think tank based in Tshwane, South Africa. On its website, IGD says it aims to advance “balanced, relevant and policy-oriented analysis, debate and documentation” of South Africa’s and Africa’s global politics and diplomacy. Its published areas of work include foreign policy analysis, geopolitical dynamics and governance, and international diplomacy. (igd.org.za) Pretoria is central to that positioning. IGD’s site lists its office in the Robert Sobukwe Building on Nana Sita Street in Pretoria, placing the institute in South Africa’s administrative capital and close to the country’s diplomatic and policy community. ### How does this fit into IGD’s China and foreign-policy work? IGD’s publication archive shows that China has been a recurring theme in its work for years. Its site lists titles including “Towards an African Policy on China,” published in October 2017, “South African Perceptions of China’s Belt and Road Initiative,” published in November 2023, and “FOCAC at 24: Africa’s Relations with China in the New Era,” published in January 2025. (igd.org.za) Those entries indicate that the workshop sits within a longer-running research track on China’s role in Africa and South Africa’s policy response. (igd.org.za) IGD’s recent in-house commentary also shows continued attention to shifting global alignments. Its InFocus archive includes articles on BRICS, South Africa’s global stance, and China’s partnerships, underscoring that the workshop was part of an ongoing conversation rather than a one-off event. ### Who would care about a workshop like this? Political science and international relations students are among the most obvious audiences because the workshop deals directly with how influence is organized outside formal diplomacy. (igd.org.za) Policy researchers, think-tank staff, journalists and people working in diplomatic support roles would also recognize the subject matter, since it concerns institutions, companies, networks and the policy effects they can produce. That reading is an inference from the workshop topic and IGD’s stated research focus, not a claim made by the institute in the material reviewed. (igd.org.za) South Africa’s policy ecosystem gives that audience a practical setting. IGD’s location in Pretoria and its focus on foreign policy and diplomacy place the workshop in a city where government departments, embassies, universities and research institutes overlap. ### Where can readers find the next step? IGD’s website carries the September 2 workshop post and maintains separate pages for its foreign policy, international diplomacy and publications work. (igd.org.za) The institute’s site also lists opportunities, publications and event pages for readers tracking future workshops, reports or related China-focused research. (igd.org.za)