Source: School of Foreign Languages
Written by: Organising Committee of Third Workshop on Europe-China Relations in Global Politics
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

The Third Workshop on Europe-China Relations in Global Politics: Regional Integration in Asia and Europe took place at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou on 13-14 March 2014. The event is organised by the Graduate School of Global Politics at Free University Berlin and the School of Foreign Languages at Sun Yat-sen University, in the framework of the UACES Collaborative Research Network on EU-China Relations (ESSCA School of Management at Angers / College of Europe at Bruges / Graduate School of Global Politics at Free University Berlin). This workshop was generously supported by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Shanghai as well as the Association France Euro-Chine. More than 80 scholars, diplomats and other practitioners, students, and interested individuals from over 20 different countries in Asia, Europe and beyond participated in the event.


Prof. Dr. Klaus Segbers, Director of the Center for Global Politics at Free University Berlin, tied up to the current state of leading countries in regional integration, notably Germany. Nonetheless, Segbers stated that especially after the escalation of the events in Ukraine, both the EU and Germany are bound to take on more responsibility in the future. Segbers went on to say that regional integration in both Europe and Asia also happens to coincide with the decline of the United States (US). Finally, Segbers highlighted the third development of our times which is the economic crisis.

Panellist Prof. Dr. Shen Wei, Jean Monnet Chair Professor in EU-China Relations and Associate Dean for China at ESSCA School of Management, stressed that European integration has never been easy but still continues despite multiple obstacles. The factors that have kept the project going have been the visionary leadership – not only of countries, but often of individuals. Shen stressed that people-to-people exchanges and socialisation are crucial for the integration of Europe and of Asia. In order to facilitate this, he entertained the idea of an Asian version of the “Erasmus” student mobility programme.

Dr. Fei Sheng, Assistant Professor at the School of Asian-Pacific Studies, Sun Yat-sen University, discussed the role of China as a leader in Asia. He argued that while Chinese economic pre-dominance and leadership is undisputed, it is an open question to what extent China leads in other areas, such as the process of regional integration. For Chinese policy makers, the fact that China does not export conflict is considered a good development. Moreover, Fei emphasised that China still maintains the identity of a developing nation, and is preoccupied with domestic issues, and hence has limited capacity to devote itself to the process of regional integration. Finally, China, and its foreign policy and scholarly community are very US-centric; they are bound to see the regional processes as related to the development of Sino-American affairs and America’s involvement in the Pacific.

The introductory expert panel discussion was followed by a welcome dinner. The participants were greeted by H.E. Jochen Künzel, Acting Consul-General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Guangzhou who gave a speech on regional integration in Europe and Asia. Künzel stressed the importance of regional integration as a means to secure peace. It is for this reason that a united Europe has been a non-negotiable constant in German foreign policy for almost seven decades. Instead of being governed by the law of the strong, Europe is now governed by the strength of the law. This can serve as a role model for East Asia, where institutionalised political dialogue is still rather weak.


Closing remarks and EU-China Collaborative Research Network‐Best Paper Award

The conference was closed by Dr. Frauke Austermann of ESSCA School of Management, the head of the Workshop’s organisational committee and a Board Member of the UACES Collaborative Research Network on EU-China Relations. Based on the conference results, Austermann developed questions for a tentative research and policy agenda, such as how to solve the puzzle of the necessity for an engine of regional integration on the one hand and the rise of nationalism in both Asia and Europe on the other hand. Tying up to the origins of European integration, she asked: what is Asia’s coal and steel? And what is Europe’s current coal and steel?

As a final official act, the UACES EU-China CRN Best Paper Award was granted. Dr. Zhang Yi-Ke, Deputy Director of the Division of International Teaching at the Department of Academics of the China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong, won the first prize, a monetary award of 100 EUR, for her paper “China’s Perspective on Eurasian Integration.” The second prize, the book based of the First Workshop on Europe-China Relations in Global Politics went to Dr. Dhananjay Tripathi, Assistant Professor at the Department of International Relations, South Asian University, New Delhi, for his paper “Discussing a Way Forward for Asian Regionalism: An Analysis of Complimentary Role of India and China in South and South East Asian Integration.”

The conference concluded with a convivial dinner. All participants agreed that the Third Workshop on Europe-China Relations in Global Politics was a genuine success and are looking forward to the Fourth edition.

Report provided by: Organising Committee of Third Workshop on Europe-China Relations in Global Politics

The full version of the final report can be found at euchinacrn.org/events/workshops/third-workshop-gz/.