Author: Philipp Brugner

ReConnect China Podcast: ‘EU–China Relations after the 2024 European Elections’

In this ‘ReConnect China’ Podcast, Bart Dessein and Jasper Roctus shed light on the composition of the European Parliament after the 2024 European elections, and how this might translate into the EU’s China policies. Against the background of a shift in global power – with an enhanced importance of South-South relations, and the growing importance of such China-initiated organizations of global governance and platforms as the SCO and the BRICS+ framework – reflections are made on the functioning of the EU’s Global Gateway initiative, a possible revival of the CAI, and the possibilities for a BAI. With regard to the latter, broader reflections are made on the relations of the EU with Taiwan.

Interviewees: Bart Dessein and Jasper Roctus (Ghent University / Egmont), Interviewer: Mieke Matthyssen (Ghent University)

The podcast is to be accessed on Soundcloud and Spotify.

 

Start of ReConnect China school visits in September

During the project’s first review meeting with independent experts in January 2024 in Brussels, the project consortium was recommended to intensify its engagement with youth as one of the project’s key target groups. As a result from follow-up discussions within the team, we are happy to announce a new project activity – “The ReConnect China school visits”!

In the coming months (and continuing in 2025), various project partners will visit secondary schools in their home countries to present the project and – more importantly – to raise the interest of these young learners about China as a fascinating country.

How does it work? ReConnect China experts visit schools, come to a class and engage students in interactive lectures. Different aspects such as China’s society, economy or politics are presented to the young cohort in a suitable format and in a non-scientific language. At the same time, our experts will be closely collaborating with the teachers for the design, content and questions to be discussed with the class. Visits will last for about 45-60mins. The targeted age level of students is between 15-18 years, but our experts are flexible to adapt their visit’s programme also to younger individuals upon request.

Currently the project plans to organise its first school visit in September. Concrete names of potential schools have already been suggested within the team, with whom the respective partners are now getting into contact.

If you are interested to be visited by the ReConnect China project, just get in touch with us. Please write to Mr. Philipp Brugner (brugner[at]zsi.at) and Mr. Gábor Szüdi (szudi[at]zsi.at). We would be delighted to discuss a visit with you!

Official ReConnect China School visit advertisement.

 

Research Security in R&I cooperation with China: ReConnect China at COST Workshop

Recently, ReConnect China cooperated with the COST Association (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) for the organisation of a science diplomacy training. The training was held at the premises of COST in Brussels on June 20 and involved 30+ researchers from newly funded COST actions. Regardless of the scientific discipline these experts represented, the whole group had a keen interest to learn more about what science diplomacy is and how it is reflected in their own work as internationally oriented researchers.

Katalin Alfoldi from COST opened the training and explained why science diplomacy is important for COST actions. Mostafa Shawrav from the Marie Curie Alumni Association introduced the COST principal investigators to the origin of science diplomacy and how it is operationalised today across various sectors (instruments). Stella Reschke from the European Science Diplomacy Alliance and DLR – Project Management Agency updated on the EU’s strategic approach to science diplomacy. For ReConnect China, Philipp Brugner showed some results from ZSI’s work on EU-China STI cooperation and from its comparative assessment about how research security in the cooperation with China is applied in Higher Education Institutions across some EU Member States.

For more interaction, the training also included a group work and an interview with Ágota Dávid from the Permanent Representation of Hungary to the EU, who, given her professional career until now, is a real science diplomat in action.

This training was the second after the June 2023-edition, about which you can read more in this ReConnect China post.

ReConnect China Podcast: ‘Reframing the EU’s Global Gateway from geopolitics to a positive agenda’

Connectivity initiatives have become a major instrument in the competition among major powers. What are the implications of an exclusively geopolitical reading of connectivity? How should the EU position itself in this context? In this fourth episode of the ReConnect China podcast, Mario Esteban, Senior Analyst at Elcano Royal Institute, interviews Aurelio Insisa, Senior fellow at the Istituto Affari Internazionali. Both have recently authored a Policy Brief arguing that a geopolitical framing of the EU’s Global Gateway is counterproductive for the EU. In this conversation they discuss why this is the case and how a more positive framing of the initiative can help improve the Global Gateway’s standing in the Global South.

The podcast is to be accessed on Soundcloud and Spotify.

Presentation for the CHERN working group on high-technology and innovation

On April 24, ReConnect China researcher Philipp Brugner (ZSI) took part in the CHERN (COST action: China in Europe Research Network) webinar on “EU-China cooperation in science, technology and innovation”.

Philipp presented the ReConnect China report on research and innovation cooperation in digital technologies between EU and China (main authors: Gábor Szüdi and Philipp Brugner, both ZSI) and its related policy recommendations, which were published in two separate policy briefs afterwards.

Since the publication of the report in September 2023 further empirical data was collected aimed at embedding the recommendations drawn in the real-life context of actors involved in R&I cooperation with China. For this reason, some interviews were carried out, complemented by desk research and personal interactions on the question of how to conduct trusted research cooperation with China while adhering to the research security standards and principles.

The CHERN webinar gave space to discuss the status quo of ReConnect China research done on scientific cooperation with China from a European point of view and opened it for critical reflection by working group members.

 

First ReConnect China school visit in Aalst, Belgium

In March 2024, Victor De Decker, a research fellow in Geoeconomics at the Egmont Institute, delivered a lecture to students (age 16-17) at the Art School in Aalst. The lecture focused on geoeconomic competition between the United States, China, and the European Union, with a particular emphasis on the concept of global value chains. Using the example of the design and manufacturing process of an Apple iPhone, Victor De Decker explained how complex value chains connect different countries and regions. Following the lecture, students were tasked with investigating the value chains of everyday consumer goods, exploring how China is integrated into these processes and what the broader consequences of such integration might be.

The ReConnect China Youtube account is live with first MOOC videos

You can find the ReConnect China project now also on Youtube!

https://www.youtube.com/@ReConnectChina

On our Youtube channel we are publishing all single lectures from the project’s Massive Open Online Courses on China. The first MOOCs went online in January and February 2024, as you can read from this recent news.

Until today, three different lectures and the official promotional video have been published. And of course you can still join our first two open MOOCs in case you would like to immerse yourself in the full content we prepared for you!

Introduction to Chinese Politics and Society: Course period in 2024: January 15 – May 12, Registration opens on January 15, 2024.
MOOC_Introduction to Chinese Politics and Society 2024

Introduction to EU-China relations: Course period in 2024: February 12 – June 16, Registration opens on February 12, 2024
MOOC_Introduction to EU-China Relations 2024

Prof. Christian Göbel from ReConnect China delivers workshop on digital methods in Asian Studies

Prof. Christian Göbel (University of Vienna) who leads the ReConnect China work on China’s domestic governance (WP3) will take part in a workshop on digital methods in Asian Studies in March.

The workshop is organised by the Graduate School in Asian Studies at Lund University from March 20-21.

Christian, one of three senior experts contributing to this workshop, will present about his work in ReConnect China, inlcuding the development of a database to trace political developments across China and which new digital sources of information he and his team are using to gain, analyse and then feed data into it.

Together, the senior experts will address not only the practicalities of digital research, but also the broader questions of why we use digital sources and methods, and what, ultimately, they can tell us. The workshop will delve into three areas related to digital methods:

  • Digital technologies and tools for research
  • Digital spaces as research sites
  • Best practice for digital methods.

There will also be sessions where participating PhD students can present the digital aspects of their work and receive feedback on how they might best use digital methods.

Applications are still open to PhD students working on East and South-East Asia, with a deadline of 20 February.

Please check all information at Lund university website.

(Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash.com)

The first ReConnect China online courses (MOOCs) start in January and February 2024!

We are happy to announce the first dates for the ReConnect China online courses

One of the project’s main objectives is to broadly inform society, and in particular persons in education (pupils and students), about China. In this vein, the project takes different vantage points aimed at understanding the country better and translates them into thematically unique online courses. The ReConnect China Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are free of charge, offer certification after successful completion and are developed by leading European institutions of Chinese studies as part of the ReConnect China consortium.

(Image from Samantha Borges on Unsplash)

 

For the first two MOOCs the course periods in 2024 have now been scheduled

Two more MOOCs are planned for release in autumn 2024, final course dates tbc:

  • Introduction to Chinese Economy, forthcoming in autumn 2024
  • Introduction to Chinese Popular Culture, forthcoming in autumn 2024

 

You can find all courses on the digicampus.fi website

On the DigiCampus platform, you can find information about the courses by clicking the “i” icon at the end of the names of the courses. To register to a course, please click the name of the course and start with “Create new account” if you don’t have a DigiCampus user account yet. After that you can sign in to the course with your university’s ID or by manual enrollment. Note that registration opens on the same day as the course starts.

 

ReConnect China wishes you a rewarding learning path!

Who is behind the development of the ReConnect China online course and whom to contact for questions?

The development of the courses is funded by the Horizon Europe project “ReConnect China” and executed by the Centre for East Asian Studies (CEAS) of the University of Turku, Finland. Dr Outi Luova, vice director of CEAS, is in charge of the course execution in general. The planning of each course is overseen by an own academic board, specifically composed of academic experts for the relevant topic. The course materials are produced in collaboration with leading European institutions of Chinese studies. For more information, please contact Dr Outi Luova at outi.luova@utu.fi

Official press release on the start of ReConnect China MOOCs

ReConnect China Press Release MOOCs

 

CEASG hosts ReConnect Roundtable on EU-China relations at the University of Groningen

On November 24, the Centre for East Asian Studies Groningen (CEASG) at the University of Groningen, a partner in ReConnect China hosted a roundtable discussion titled “European Union and China after Covid-19: Derisking, decoupling, or doubling down?” focusing on the evolving dynamics of EU-China relations.

The event brought together experts and practitioners from academia, government and the private sector to share their insights on various aspects of EU-China relations, especially regarding economic ties. Organisers on behalf of CEASG were Dr. Laurens Hemminga, prof. Dr. Tjalling Halbertsma and prof. Dr. Jan van der Harst, who are researchers in the ReConnect China project.

The following experts took part in the roundtable: Mr. Joris Teer, Dr. Herman Voogsgeerd, Dr. Lukas Linsi, Prof. Dr. Bart Dessein, Mr. Yue Wang, Dr. Frank Gaenssmantel, Dr. Frans-Paul van der Putten, Dr. Cristina Pinna, Ms. Lin Goethals, Ms. Floriske Deutman and Dr. Gerdien Meijerink.

The day yielded fruitful insights on how to move forward in EU-China relations. The CEASG team aims to develop these insights further in a follow-up discussion in 2024 and to produce a policy brief based on the findings of these discussions.