Author: Philipp Brugner

ReConnect China Podcast: ‘Unpacking China’s COVID-19 Aid Diplomacy: Implications for Global Health’

In this episode of the Reconnect China podcast, Hermann Aubié, Senior Researcher at the University of Turku, delves into China’s COVID-19 aid diplomacy in Europe. Aubié explores the fragmented nature of China’s global donation campaign, highlighting the roles of both state actors and private donors like the Jack Ma Foundation. He discusses the geopolitical motivations behind these aid efforts, the discrepancies between Beijing’s narrative and the data, and the implications for global health governance. This engaging conversation sheds light on how China’s aid reshaped EU perceptions and prompted lessons for future pandemic responses.

Interviewee: Hermann Aubié (University of Turku), Interviewer: Huanyu Zhao (Ghent University)

 

The podcast is to be accessed on Soundcloud and Spotify.

Second school visit in Austria by our partner ZSI

After our first school visit in Vienna in October, we went to Hartberg, a small Austrian town, on December 13 for the second round.

Gábor Szüdi and Philipp Brugner from ZSI had the pleasure to present the ReConnect China MOOCs and gave an introduction on China’s political and economic system to more than 30 students from classes 6A and 7A of Gymnasium Hartberg.

Gymnasium Hartberg is member of the European Parliament Ambassador School network and as such´ regularly involved in extracurricular activities related to European political education.

The Mentimeter results from this school visit can be found in this pdf.

ReConnect China Podcast: ‘Unpacking China’s narratives of ‘a shared future for mankind”

In this ‘ReConnect China’ Podcast Professor Bart Dessein unpacks China’s narrative of ‘a shared future for mankind’ as one of a series of ‘strategic narratives’ along with the country’s ‘Global Development Initiative’ of 2021, the ‘Global Security Initiative’ of 2022, and the ‘Global Civilization Initiative’ of 2023. The episode sheds light on these initiatives as part and parcel of China’s geopolitical and geo-economic initiatives (Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS+, Belt and Road Initiative), and traces the historic roots of such initiatives back to the 1950s.

Prof. Dr. Bart Dessein is full professor at the Department of Languages and Cultures of Ghent University and serves as the scientific coordinator of the ReConnect China project.

The episode is hosted by Dr Huanyu Zhao, a postdoc researcher at the Department of Languages and Cultures of Ghent University and manager of the ReConnect China project.

 

The podcast is to be accessed on Soundcloud and Spotify.

Roundtable discussion in Groningen: “EU-China economic relations – exploring connections between words and deeds”

On November 22, the Centre for East Asian Studies at the University of Groningen successfully held a discussion roundtable as part of the ReConnect China project. The event took place in Groningen, the Netherlands, and consisted of two panels.

Frank Gaenssmantel (Groningen University)

The morning panel focused on discourse in EU-China relations, exploring how statements by public authorities or private entities on social media or in media outlets relate to and shape economic interaction. The afternoon panel focused on the current state of EU-China economic relations, and on policy directions for the EU. The morning panel featured the following presenters: Cristina Pinna (University of Groningen), Bart Dessein (Ghent University), Joost Herman (University of Nottingham Ningbo), and Frank Gaenssmantel (University of Groningen). The afternoon panel featured the following presenter: Ding Chun (Center for European Studies at Fudan University), Martin Albers (State of Hamburg, presenting his own views), Lukas Linsi (University of Groningen), Françoise Nicolas (IFRI Center for Asian Studies), and Lin Goethals (European Institute for Asian Studies). 

The agenda of the day is attached in the following link: CEASG-ReConnect China Roundtable 22 November

ReConnect China Podcast: ‘Electric Shock: EU Tariffs vs. China’s Power Play in the Global EV Race’

In this episode, we explore the EU’s recent tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs) with an expert who sheds light on the underlying dynamics of this strategic policy move. After explaining reasons behind the EU’s tariffs, the discussion delves into the fast-paced evolution of China’s EV industry, tracing its roots and remarkable expansion into global markets. With Europe’s auto industry facing fierce competition, our guest unpacks the strategic crossroads that could shape the sector’s future competitiveness. Tune in to understand how geopolitical currents, market innovations, and industry shifts are reshaping the EV landscape. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone curious about the collision of policy, geoeconomics, and technology at the forefront of the green industrial transition.

Interviewee: Victor De Decker (Egmont Institute), Interviewer: Hermann Aubié (University of Turku)

The podcast is to be accessed on Soundcloud and Spotify.

 

Tartu hosted the first Europe-China Knowledge Forum

The city of Tartu in Estonia is a European Capital of Culture in 2024. And it was the host city for the first Europe-China Knowledge Forum organised by the ReConnect China project. From October 24-26, more than 100 participants from Europe, Southeast Asia and China joined the forum with the general theme “ReConnect China Dialog? Bridging Gaps, Charting Futures with Europe”.

The forum, which was held under Chatham House Rule, gave a stage to ReConnect China researchers to present their work on China-specific topics, in line with the project’s four focus points science and technology, trade and economy, politics and foreign policy. In addition, external experts, including academics, policy makers and professionals, contributed their views on EU-China relations in the various plenary and panel discussions organised.

For a full list of all ReConnect China and external speakers, please follow this link. Please also check the full conference website for plenty of more information.

The overall feedback to the first ECKF was more than positive and we are looking forward to its 2nd and 3rd edition, scheduled for 2025 in The Hague and for 2026 in Brussels.

And again thanks – or “Aitüma!” – to our hosts for the warm welcome and immaculate organisation of the Tartu ECKF, namely Elo Süld, Anastasia Sinitsyna and Evelyn Pihla!

 

School visit to the Artevelde School of Journalism in Ghent

On October 16, Victor De Decker, a research fellow in Geoeconomics at the Egmont Institute, delivered an lecture to bachelor students at the Artevelde School of Journalism in Ghent. The lecture focused on the rise of China as a global power, examining its growing influence in economic, political, and strategic arenas worldwide. After the lecture, students were challenged to assess China’s role and impact on various global issues, including Taiwan, the war in Ukraine, and international efforts to combat climate change. This exercise aimed to deepen their understanding of China’s role in shaping the future of global affairs.

Second school visit done: Discussing China with students in Vienna

As announced earlier on this website, ReConnect China experts are starting to get involved in school visits across Europe since September. On October 14, the second (after the March school visit by Victor De Decker in Aalst, Belgium) these school visits took place in Vienna.

Gábor Szüdi and Philipp Brugner, our team members from ZSI, visited the BORG 3 in Vienna-Landstraße, a public higher education school. This school is member of the European Parliament Ambassador School network and as such is regularly involved in extracurricular activities related to European political education.

Over two hours, our experts engaged the group of eleven students in a lively discussion on China and its political and economic system in particular. They gave a presentation (its content was built on the learning materials prepared by the ReConnect China MOOCs) to quickly introduce the ReConnect China project and to outline the basics of the Chinese political (the party-state, the CCP, CCP structure, PRC central state institutions) and economic (the Mao era, the reform period – Deng Xiaoping, the Xi Jinping era, EU-China trade relations) system. With nine Mentimeter questions to provoke students having a guess about some specific facts relating to China, an interactive element with real-time results was added to spice up the presentation.

The visit concluded with a world café setting for two groups which took time to write up and visualise their thoughts, ideas and concerns regarding the future of EU-China cooperation.

From our side it was particularly interesting to present our work to a young and non-expert audience, requiring to choose a comprehensible language for a complex topic.

The results of the Mentimeter questions can be found in Vienna school visit_Mentimeter results

 

ReConnect China Roundtable at the 25th Biennial Conference of the European Association for Chinese Studies

Key achievements of ReConnect China research at Europe’s main scientific conference on China

From 27 to 30 August 2024, the ‘European Association for Chinese Studies’ held its 25th Biennial Conference in Tallinn, Estonia. Our project was present with a roundtable discussing the key research outputs of the project realised so far.

Outi Luova (University of Tartu), Jasper Roctus (UGent/Egmont), Bart Dessein (UGent/Egmont), and Beatrice Gallelli (University Ca’Foscari/Istito Affari Internationali) took part in the roundtable on behalf of ReConnect China. Beatrice Gallelli also moderated the roundtable. With an audience of academics and think tankers in the field of China studies, discussions developed based on the policy briefs that are the main outcome of the research done within our consortium. In particular, with some of the authors of the policy briefs and members of Work Package 6 (Measures to Maximise Impact) being present, the discussions developed on issues related to the Chinese economy, China’s international relations, China’s domestic policies, research and development, scientific cooperation, and outreach to civil society with emphasis on European youth.

While for the last topic, the ‘ReConnect China’ consortium has developed MOOCs on Chinese Politics and Society, EU-China Relations, the Chinese Economy, and Chinese Popular Culture, the panelists, in their statements, especially drew on the policy briefs ‘Knowledge and Perception of Research Security’ and ‘Policy Recommendations on EU-China STI Cooperation in the big Data-related Scientific Fields’ (ZSI), ‘Geopolitical Narratives Are Counterproductive’ (Elcano and IAI), ‘Navigating EU-China Investment Dynamics: Safeguarding Technological Know-How while fostering Cooperation’ (IAI), and ‘‘Remonstrating’ or the Art of Forging Relations’ (Egmont).

from left to right: Outi Louva, Bart Dessein, Jasper Roctus, Beatrice Gallelli

Two more ReConnect China MOOCs started on September 2!

Following up on the first two ReConnect China MOOCs on China’s politics and society and EU-China relations, having started in January and February 2024 respectively, we are proud to announce the launch of MOOC courses no. 3 and 4.

 

The MOOCs “Introduction to Chinese economy” and “Introduction to Chinese popular culture” both started on September 2, with the registration open since the same day. Both courses run until December 15, 2024, and are worth 3ECTS.

Introduction to Chinese economy

This course offers a comprehensive introduction to China’s economy. It is designed for learners seeking a foundational understanding of the key factors that influence China’s domestic economy within a global context. By the end of the course, participants will have gained essential knowledge about the drivers behind China’s remarkable growth as well as the reasons for its current challenges. Participants will also become familiar with primary sources of information on the Chinese economy, enabling them to continue their engagement and learning even after completing the course.

https://digicampus.fi/enrol/index.php?id=4822

Introduction to Chinese popular culture

This course offers a comprehensive introduction to popular culture in contemporary China, exploring its emergence across cinema, music, television, and social media creator culture. During the course, you will explore how popular culture intersects with gender, class, national identity, and political power within the Chinese context. Additionally, you will examine Chinese popular culture as a part of cultural flows within East Asia.
By the end of this course, you will be familiar with the various forms of popular culture, the factors driving its rapid evolution, and the platformisation of cultural production in China. You will also explore key films, shows, and songs, as well as academic resources related to China’s popular culture, which will help you continue your engagement and learning beyond the course.

https://digicampus.fi/enrol/index.php?id=4823

 

Based on the feedback received from course participants in the first two courses, we are convinced that our new courses bring another opportunity to yourself in a rewarding learning journey.

“This is a valuable and enjoyable course with extensive information, and most importantly, completely exciting.”

“Thank you for valuable course – it gave me much insight into economic and geopolitical changes in Asia!”

“I love to study and experience something new, especially if it is dynamic and exciting. I was engrossed in this course and was even sad that the course ended so quickly.”

“I liked the structure and format, it was pretty cool and I hope, there will be more courses like this one in my university department!”