The European Union (EU) ambassdor to China has called for deeper academic cooperation with China while unveiling a series of activities this year to commemorate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between both sides.

“Strengthening academic cooperation between China and Europe is a priority for future bilateral ties, as academic exchanges play an increasingly important role in the China-Europe relationship,” said EU Ambassador to China Hans Dietmar Schweisgut.

“Strengthening academic cooperation between China and Europe is a priority for future bilateral ties, as academic exchanges play an increasingly important role in the China-Europe relationship,” said EU Ambassador to China Hans Dietmar Schweisgut.

“Strengthening academic cooperation between China and Europe is a priority for future bilateral ties, as academic exchanges play an increasingly important role in the China-Europe relationship,” said EU Ambassador to China Hans Dietmar Schweisgut. “Academic events will constitute an important part of the activities.”

China and Europe have long engaged in intensive research of each other. Despite Europe’s rich history in Sinology, some scholars claimed its acquaintance with the Chinese history and culture is inadequate for understanding the present and future of China.
 

“Today, China has become a noticeable political and economic force on the international arena. However, European society lacks sufficient cognition of this growing power,” said Doris Fischer, a professor from the University of Wuerzburg in Germany.

“Although traditional Sinology is dominant in Europe, some efforts have been diverted to study modern China,” said Tim Wright, a professor from the School of East Asian Studies at the University of Sheffield in the UK. Wright noted that many UK universities and research institutions, such as the universities of Leeds, Nottingham and Manchester, have invested lots of resources in related fields and established exclusive institutes to probe contemporary China.
 

On the other hand, the Chinese have started to investigate European techniques, systems and thoughts since the 19th century, taking Europe as an important point of departure for viewing the world.
 

Over the past four decades amid deepening China-Europe relations across a wide range of fields, European studies in China have likewise progressed.
 

 Zhou Hong, Member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, noted that after decades of accumulation and development, Chinese scholars specializing in European studies have changed the traditional research mode of macroscopic judgment, learning to use methodologies of social sciences such as economics, politics, sociology and historiography to analyze various phenomena in Europe and underlying laws.
 

Rapid development of the China-Europe relationship has created a good environment for bilateral academic collaboration, which will in turn deepen both sides’ relations. “In recent years, academic exchanges between China and Europe have increased significantly and are expected to further,” Wright said.
 

Wang Yiwei, a professor from the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China in Beijing, pinpointed deeper integration as a new trend of the two-way academic communication.
 

“We must adapt to new changes in bilateral academic exchanges,” said Fischer, adding that more European scholars from other fields will join in academic cooperation with Chinese academics, which will help upgrade the level of research on China in Europe.

 

Mao Li is a reporter from Chinese Social Sciences Today.