Mario Esteban is Senior Fellow at the Elcano Royal Institute and Full Professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid, where he is the Director of the Centre for East Asian Studies.
He has been senior researcher of projects funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Korea Foundation. He has served as external expert for the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Spanish Ministry of Defence. He has also been visiting professor at the Beijing Foreign Studies University and the University of Turku, and visiting researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Chengchi National University in Taipei.
He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the same university and holds an MSc in Asian Politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London).
University of affiliation
Research Areas: his research is focused on the international relations of East Asia, EU-East Asia Relations and the domestic and international politics of China.
Selected publications: China and International Norms: Evidence from the Belt and Road Initiative (with Yue Lin, eds., Routledge,2023); “China and Western aid norms in the belt and road: Normative clash or convergence? A case study on Ethiopia” (with Iliana Olivié, Journal of Contemporary China, 2022); “The Limits of China’s engagement in the Mediterranean: Role conflict and emerging mistrust in Spain-China relations” (with Ugo Armanini, Mediterranean Politics, 2022); “EU sanctions against North Korea Making a stringent UN sanctions regime even tougher” (with Clara Portela, Routledge, 2021); “COVID-19 and EU-China relations” (with Ugo Armanini, Routledge, 2021); “EU-China cooperation amidst fragmented climate leadership” (with Lara Lázaro, Routledge, 2021); “Beyond Balancing: China’s approach towards the Belt and Road Initiative” (with Weifeng Zhou, Journal of Contemporary China, 2018). He has also published articles in academic journals such as The China Quarterly, African and Asian Studies, Journal of Current Chinese Affairs, The Chinese Political Science Review and The European Journal of East Asian Studies.
Events
- Seminar ‘Korea and the reform of global governance: opportunities for cooperation with the EU and Spain’ (2025)
- Webinar 'India among powers: USA, China, Russia and Pakistan' (2024)
- Webinar ‘The link between India and the European Union: Towards greater convergence?’ (2024)
- Roundtable ‘Korea’s economic security pathway: takeaways and opportunities for Europe’ (2024)
- Seminar ‘NATO and European-ROK global cooperation on security’ (2023)
- Webcast “Australia, Korea and Japan: conciling strategies between China and the U.S." (2022)
- Webcast “A new regional architecture in the Indo-Pacific. Is there room for the EU?” (2022)
- Webinar 'War in Ukraine: What role for Asia?' (2022)
- First Elcano Royal Institute - Chatham House Seminar (2022)
- Webinar ‘Envisioning a future EU-Japan Digital Partnership: A stepping stone towards greater influence in the digital transition?’ (2022)
