Research

All news and posts of our editorial team on the topic

Heberer and Schmidt-Glintzer continue to face criticism
After their opinion piece in the NZZ about their Xinjiang trip, sinologists Thomas Heberer and Helwig Schmidt-Glintzer attempted to explain themselves. However, that failed to convince other sinologists. continue reading →
Sinologists on Xinjiang: German China experts are horrified
An article by two forefathers of German sinology on Xinjiang reignites the debate on the stance of German China research. continue reading →
‘Without China, we would miss out on knowledge’
Niels Peter Thomas, head of China at Springer Nature, one of the world's leading scientific publishing houses, spoke with Frank Sieren about the risks and opportunities of Germany's scientific cooperation with China. continue reading →
‘German researchers helped China to develop hypersonic weapons’
In an interview with Michael Radunski, Jeffrey Stoff warns against overly close scientific cooperation between China and Germany. continue reading →
No explicit support for researchers
The German government sees limits to scientific cooperation due to the fusion of civilian and military applications in China. continue reading →
Hong Kong revokes talent visa for clone researcher
Controversial Chinese geneticist, He Jiankui, will not be allowed to conduct research in Hong Kong because of suspicions of false claims. The Hong Kong Immigration Department revoked an initially granted talent visa for the 39-year-old, as the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on Wednesday. He now even faces legal consequences, according […] continue reading →
Clone scientist He to work in Hong Kong
Chinese scientist He Jiankui, who had been convicted of unethical genetic experiments, plans to continue his research in Hong Kong. He has received one of the Hong Kong government’s newly created talent visas, the South China Morning Post reported Tuesday. This will allow him to work in the Chinese special administrative region for an initial […] continue reading →
Christian Goebel – tracking protests in China with Big Data
When talking to Christian Goebel, things quickly become technical, because the sinology professor with a focus on social sciences at the University of Vienna is not only an expert on Chinese protest movements and regime stability, but also programs custom machine learning algorithms for his research.Christian Goebel originally studied English and political science until a […] continue reading →
Haifen Nan – journalist and researcher
Making an effort and standing up for her cause is something Haifen Nan learned at an early age. She grew up in a small village near the southern Chinese city of Wenzhou; her parents had spent their own childhood in severe poverty and wanted their children to have it better. “My father always said, ‘Everything […] continue reading →
Expert council EFI warns against cooperation between researchers
The German government’s Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation (EFI) has called for increased caution in scientific collaborations with China. Cooperation must be “limited where it can lead to results running counter to our liberal democratic values,” the council of experts wrote in a paper submitted to the German government on Wednesday.It said these […] continue reading →
Research with China: criticism of central register proposal
The debate about the risks of research cooperation with Chinese partners is being conducted in detail among China experts. The idea of a possible central register is not well received by all, as researchers could become targets of the Chinese state apparatus. continue reading →
Marc Matten – understanding China’s present through its past
Marc Matten’s interest in China began with a visit to a flea market in the 1990s. While still in school, he stumbled across a book by Edgar Snow, the US journalist who recorded his encounter with Mao Zedong in the world-famous bestseller “Red Star Over China”. Matten was fascinated. “A little later, when our city […] continue reading →
He Jiankui – the return of the clone researcher
For three years, Chinese scientist He Jiankui was in prison for creating the world’s first genetically engineered babies. After his release in April 2022, he has now returned in a remarkable interview with the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post. Some four years after their birth, he explained, the three children were doing well. […] continue reading →
Susanne Weigelin-Schwiedrzik – Pioneer of modern China research
“I have spent a very significant part of my professional life making people aware of this repeatedly: You can’t think of the world without China,” says Susanne Weigelin-Schwiedrzik. Since the mid-1970s, the now 68-year-old has been intensively involved with China. The influence of her older brother – a Mao enthusiast – and a year abroad […] continue reading →
Sarah Eaton – proud co-founder of a China network
Sarah Eaton knows very well that certain encounters can change the course of entire lives. When she studied political science and Asian studies at a small university in her native Canada, she met Marilyn McCullough, an expert in modern Chinese history.McCullough became Eaton’s mentor and significantly influenced her future academic endeavors. “I knew then that […] continue reading →
EU offers fellowship for China experts
The EU Commission launches a fellowship program on China-related issues. The fellowship aims to promote strategic cooperation with think tanks and universities on China-related issues, the Brussels-based authority announced.The fellowships are launched as part of IDEA, the European Commission’s internal consultancy. They are intended for academics and researchers from think tanks and universities who specialize […] continue reading →
Risks of joint research
When evaluating scientific cooperation with China, there is often a lack of differentiation between China as a country and China as a one-party system. However, this necessary differentiation is also neglected in connection with other autocratically ruled states. continue reading →
Survey: China’s relations with the EU are deteriorating
According to a survey conducted by the Merics research institute, an overwhelming majority of the China experts surveyed expect China’s relations with the EU and other Western countries to deteriorate. The majority (55 percent) expect China to stick to its pro-Russian “neutrality” regardless of the ongoing war in Ukraine and that China and Russia will […] continue reading →