Session 1

1. Professor Martin Ding Fat Wong
Provost, Hong Kong Baptist University
Chair Professor, Department of Computer Science, Hong Kong Baptist University

2. Mr. Benjamin Hubin
Deputy French Consul General

Session 2

Panel Chair: Professor Celine Yunya Song
Speakers:

1. Advancing Public Diplomacy: Uniting Humanity and Technology for Global Collaboration
Professor Bu Zhong
Dean, School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University

2. Fashion is the New Soft!: from Sciences to Society
Professor Eleni Mouratidou
Professor of Information and Communication Sciences,
Vice-president of Science for/and the Society, Université Paris Nanterre

3. Changing Geopolitics of Global Communication
Professor Daya Thussu
Professor, School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University
President, IAMCR (International Association for Media and Communication Research)

Lunch Break

Session 3

Research Insights: Theories and Practices in Digital Diplomacy

Panel Chair: Dr. Zhao Alexandre Huang
Presentations:

1. Diplomacy 4.0: Leveraging Big Data Analytics for Strategic Global Influence
Professor Céline Yunya Song
Associate Dean, School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University

2. University Think Tanks as a New Medium for Knowledge Public Diplomacy?
Dr. Lucile Desmoulins
Associate Professor of Information and Communication Sciences, Université Gustave Eiffel

3. News Bias before and during the Social Media era: A Time Series Analysis of Economic Reporting in the Ukraine and Iraq Wars
Dr. Nick Zhang
Assistant Professor, School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University

4. Infrastructure Cooperation as Public Diplomacy: Cases, Tensions, and Evaluations of China-Vietnam Communication
Dr. Jiarui Li
Assistant Professor, School of Journalism and Communication, Guangxi University, China

5. Culture to Science Diplomacy between France and China in the Digital Age
Professor Marta Severo
Professor of Information and Communication Sciences, Director of Dicen-IDF laboratory;
Vice-president of Digitalization, Université Paris Nanterre

Session 4

Fireside Dialogue: Bridging Cultures through Technology: How Technology is Transforming Cross-Cultural Dialogue and Understanding？

Session 5

Research Insights: Practical Approaches to Diplomacy in the Digital Age

Panel Chair: Professor Raymond Li
Presentations:

1. Is Social Media Enhancing or Undermining the Public Diplomacy between China and Western Countries?
Professor Raymond Li
Head of Department of Journalism, School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University

2. The Europeanisation of France's China Policy and of China's France Policy
Professor Jean-Pierre Cabestan
Emeritus Professor, Department of Government and International Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University

3. “Panda engagement” vs “Louvre diplomacy”: “Emo-power” of the Intercultual Dialogue in the Chinese and French Media
Dr. Zhao Alexandre Huang
Associate Professor of Information and Communication Sciences, Université Gustave Eiffel;
Vice-President of French Society of Information and Communication Sciences
(Société Française des Sciences de l’information et de la communication, SFSIC)

4. Detecting Digital Public Diplomacy Narratives and Strategies with Digital Tools
Dr. Dario Compagno
Associate Professor, Co-director of the Data and Society (DES) master’s degree, Université Paris Nanterre

5. Climate Issues as Public Diplomacy: Leveraging Chinese and French Media to Promote Bilateral Climate Cooperation
Carrie Jingyi Zhang
PhD student, School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University

Session 6

Fireside Dialogue: Shaping National Narratives in the Digital Age: The Influence of Digital Media on National Identity and Public Perception

Lunch Break

Session 7

Research Spotlight: Technology’s Role in Public Diplomacy through Social Networks

Panel Chair: Dr. Nick Zhang
Presentations:

1. Wolf Warrior Diplomacy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China
Dr. Luwei Rose Luqiu
Associate Professor and Associate Head of the Department of Journalism, School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University

2. Enacting the Organizationality in the Networked Public Diplomacy: The Case of the French Cultural Diplomacy
Dr. Mylène Hardy
Associate Professor of Information and Communication Sciences, Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO)

3. AI Diplomacy in the Middle East: China’s Strategic Engagement with Arab States
Dr. Emilie Tran
Assistant Professor, School of Arts and Social Sciences, Hong Kong Metropolitan University

4. Crafting Frenchness and Francophilia: Digital Public Diplomacy through Chinese Video Game Genshin Impact and Players
Dr. Miao Xu
Lecturer, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College
PhD, School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University
Dr. Mengqi Li
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College

5. Climate Diplomacy in Transition: Comparative Perspectives on France and China’s Global Roles
Qihan Su
PhD student, School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University

Session 8

Fireside Dialogue: Media Innovation as a Cultural Power Tool: Leveraging Film, Arts, and Media to Shape Global Perspectives

Panel Host:Dr. Zhao Alexandre Huang

Discussants: Dr. Luwei Rose Luqiu, Dr. Emilie Tran, Dr. Mylène Hardy, Dr. Miao Xu