Science

All news and posts of our editorial team on the topic

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 →
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 →
New weapon in the fight against blue-green algae
Chinese scientists have developed an eco-friendly technology to fight the explosive global infestation of blue-green algae in large and small bodies of water. They have managed to reduce blue-green algae in China's third largest lake by 80 percent without the use of chemicals. continue reading →
Nis Gruenberg – travel fever with no chance for a fast cure
The impressions of his first trip to China have left a lasting impression on Nis Gruenberg. Even today, when he thinks back on it, he is overcome with such intense emotion that the half-Dane is left speechless. “Mindblowing,” the lead analyst of the Berlin research institute Merics told China.Table instead: simply overwhelming. That was 18 […] continue reading →
Christian Soffel – Confucius’s expertise for more humanity
“Every 20 years, the tide turns in China.” This is how Christian Soffel observes politics in the People’s Republic. The sinologist identified the last turning point in 2008 when openness to the West peaked. Under Xi Jinping, things are going downhill at the moment, which also applies to European-Chinese relations. More than two years of […] continue reading →
Christine Althauser – Diplomat in un-retirement
As a student, Christine Althauser always earned skeptical looks whenever her classes and interests were discussed. Political science – not particularly exciting. But Sinology and Slavic Studies as minors? One year of studies in Taiwan and one in Moscow? That sometimes won her horrified looks.But Althauser was not discouraged from her fascination with Asia and […] continue reading →
Researchers work on mind-reading
Chinese researchers have unveiled a helmet that can interpret brainwaves so accurately that conclusions can be drawn about the just consumed content, such as pornography. The technology potentially offers new possibilities for political surveillance. continue reading →
Merics and Trier University investigate intra-Chinese debates
With the “China Spectrum” project, the Berlin-based China think tank Merics, together with the China Institute at the University of Trier, aims to make the debates within China visible and to map the broad spectrum of existing opinions in the People’s Republic. It is true that under Xi Jinping as head of state and party, […] continue reading →
Viktoria Laura Herczegh – a linguistic prodigy tracking down double standards
Will there be a change of power in China’s leadership in November 2022? Viktoria Laura Herczegh works on questions like these as an analyst at Geopolitical Futures, the geopolitical forecasting publication founded by George Friedman in 2015. On the side, she is writing her Ph.D. in International Relations and Political Science at Corvinus University in […] continue reading →
Sinologists without China experience
A bachelor's degree in sinology takes an average of six semesters, or three years. Now the Covid pandemic also enters its third year. At the end of this summer semester, the first sinologists who have never set foot in the People's Republic will graduate. How are students handling this? continue reading →
‘Universities are not prepared for cooperation with China’
The Chinese military benefits from research cooperation between Europe and China. European universities collaborate with partners in Xinjiang. Matej Šimalčík of the think tank CEIAS and his team have taken a closer look at the ties between European and Chinese research institutions and uncovered some alarming findings. German universities fare particularly poorly. The interview was conducted by Amelie Richter. continue reading →
Antonia Hmaidi – the multi-talent
Her career as a China expert begins with a kung fu course. Antonia Hmaidi is just fifteen years old, but already earned her high school diploma in Schwaebisch-Hall. The highly gifted student has skipped four grades. She doesn’t want to study yet. Despite her rapid school career, she has had enough of numbers and letters […] continue reading →
Hans van Ess – sinologist and LMU professor
Even today, Hans van Ess clearly remembers how the scents, so foreign to him at the time, assailed his nose. He stood next to his father, the islamologist Josef van Ess, in the bazaar in Beirut and saw the spices piled up in heaps on tables along the street. Cardamom, cloves, curry, saffron and allspice […] continue reading →
Sanxingdui: ‘Archaeology with Chinese characteristics’
China is currently experiencing a golden age of archaeology. The main focus is on the spectacular discoveries at Sanxingdui, which challenge the image of a unified Chinese identity. Xi Jinping wants the excavation site to be recognized as one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the century. Ancient history is always political in China. continue reading →
Leading the world with key laboratories
The Chinese government has already been working for a long time on a strategy to promote innovation in the field of science and technology. So-called key laboratories are supposed to help the country become a global leader in cutting-edge technologies. continue reading →
Thomas Hoellmann – ‘Multiculturalism is at risk’
Shortly before finishing his A-levels, Thomas Höllmann started to become interested in China. He originally planned to study art, but as his enthusiasm for Chinese art grew, so did his interest in Chinese history. “In the early 1970s, the Cultural Revolution in China still had a high potential for attention,” says Hoellmann.He enrolled in sinology […] continue reading →
Philip Clart – a sinologist with a soft spot for religious movements
Philip Clart can barely be reached at the moment. His research semester in Cambridge recently ended, “sadly,” he says. Now he’s back in the busy life of the University of Leipzig and jumps from appointment to appointment. Just finished with his lectures, he is next off to attend a lecture by one of his colleagues, […] continue reading →
New project on academic collaboration
Which universities and research institutes in Europe are collaborating with Chinese institutions? This is the first time that the “Academic engagement tracker” of the Central European think tank The Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS) has explored this question in detail. The think tank has recorded more than 2,300 connections between academic institutions and […] continue reading →