Event & Discussions

1. ESCP Closing Ceremony held in Beijing on January 31, 2008

The ESCP closing ceremony was held at the venue of International Hotel in Beijing on January 31, 2008. More than 90 participants from ESCP beneficiaries and associates institutions from all over China took part in that event. The EU Ambassador to China Mr. Serge Abou, the Executive Vice-President of the Chinese Academy of Social Science Professor Wang Weiguang, and other high ranking Chinese leaders and officials from the European Commission Delegation in Beijing, MOFCOM and MOE attended in this important event. Five EU member state embassies had sent representatives.

Speeches of EU Ambassador Serge Abou and CASS Executive Vice President Professor Wang Weiguang

In his opening speech, the CASS Executive Vice President Professor Wang Weiguang expressed his cordial congratulation to the completion of the Programme. He pointed out that the European Studies Centre Programme was a governmental collaborate joint-programme between the EU and China. This substantial Programme covered a wide field of activities has great significance. He said in his speech that: "In the field of politics and economy, the EU and China are the two main powers on the international stage. The deepening and widening of the strategic partnership between the two sides does not only have a profound impact on EU-China relations, but is also beneficial to the future of the whole world. Building collaborations the between EU and China in the field of social sciences and humanities is an effective way to create a deeper understanding and trusting friendship on both sides, such as cooperations will function as a channel for the further development of EU-China strategic relations. The successful implementation of the European Studies Centre Programme has not only enriched the collaboration and academic exchange between the EU and China in the field of social sciences and humanities have been highly improved and then reached a newer and higher level by the successful implementation of the European Studies Center Programme. In the four years of Implementation of the European Studies Centre Programme, 20 Chinese universities and institutions have built up solid networks of European Studies among each other, and with their European partner universities and institutions. We hope heartily that the collaboration and academic exchange between EU and China in the field of social sciences and humanities can be sustained with the enhancement of European Studies in China."

Mr Serge Abou’s said in his speech at the ESCP closing ceremony: “Four years ago, when the Programme was launched, Mr. Prodi, then President of the European Commission, took personally part in the opening ceremony and delivered the programme’s inauguration speech. Today I am pleased to be here to highlight the successful conclusion of the European Studies Centre Programme. I am aware that the implementation of this programme was not always easy but the spirit of good cooperation between the European and the Chinese side made it possible to overcome all the hurdles. The EU-China European Studies Centres Programme (ESCP) has been the academic pillar within the wide framework of EU-China co-operation; it has strongly encouraged the continued development of European Studies in the Chinese Higher Education sector but reaching out beyond the strict academic sphere (…) The ESCP therefore also had political impact, some-thing the EC has not overlooked (…) The fifteen enlarged and two newly established European Studies Centres all over China are only the most visible outcome of four years ESCP. But the people exchange facilitated by ESCP has also proven its power to foster and develop relationships between different cultures and there too the ESCP has been quite active (…) All this has led to a better understanding in which way European models and experiences could contribute to China’s further development. The findings and research results give incentives to reconsider some domestic or Asian problems in a new light, e.g. regarding regional development, nationalist and independence move-ments, human rights, social security or Asian Integration. And I am pleased to say that the interest of China to cooperate on Higher Education with the European Union is strong and becoming ever broader and deeper. I should mention the visit of the EU’s Commissioner for Education and Culture Mr Jan Figel last October who signed two significant political agreements with China, one on educational cooperation and one on cooperation in the increasingly relevant field of culture. Cooperation on Higher Education issues is developing at a high speed and in very concrete areas such as the continuation of the highly successful Erasmus Mundus programme so our joint future looks bright indeed!

An old Chinese saying (“shi nian zhong shu, bai nian yu ren”) goes that those who plant trees have to think within the framework of decades, but those who educate people must think within the horizon of a century. So let us hope that the seedling we planted with the European Studies Centre Programme and that we nourished together during the last four years will further flourish and bear rich fruit even a hundred years later.”

A basis for the Future

In their report on the overall results of ESCP implementation, both Co-Directors pointed out that after four years of ESCP implementation as well as the previous four years of implementation of the former EU-China Higher Education Programme, European Studies in China have greatly developed. Nevertheless events like this should not only be taken as an opportunity to lean back and to reflect on what has been achieved, but as opportunity to discuss: what could have been done better and what could we learn for the future? Eight years of EU support have formed a solid basis for the future of European Studies in China. The future, both presenters underlined, will be much more competitive than the past and the present. In order to acquire scarce funds, Centre will have to compete against each other and against Centres in other Asian countries.

A wide framework of support

Following ever closer EU-China ties, there is a growing need to extend and intensify research on Europe and the EU. The ESCP has support fifteen pre-vious-ly existing Centre for European Studies and financed the establishment of two new ESCs with specific profiles. The variety of co-operation activities included:

During ESCP implementation monitoring and evaluation tools had been applied to improve quality and performance.

The results of the Programme will hopefully change the way people think about and deal with European issues. The results of ESCP research and exper-tise are available to the public, institutions and also to think tanks. Chinese ES scholars provide solid information service to high ranking politicians and top level administrators. As a result of such services, qualified decisions can be made based on a proper understanding of European developments, facts and figures.

Fit for survival

Besides introducing the main achievements and the impact of the ESCP co-ope-ration framework, both Co-Directors emphasized that PMO had taken many efforts to make the Centres fit for survival:

Both Co-Directors concluded that the four years of ESCP had been a full success. All main targets had been achieved. There are many visible achievements, on which we can be proud of, but there are also numerous areas of further improvement. The implementation of ESCP projects at beneficiary institutions has clearly shown that there is willingness to improve. The Co-Directors finally emphasized that the impact of the Programme is not restricted to the education system. The results and achievements will radiate towards many parts of society, where they will promote the economic, social and political development in China. The outcome might be not as visible as those of a vocational training programme. But the immeasurable entities are often the most decisive ones.

Presentation of results of ESCP project implementation by Centre directors

In the afternoon of the closing ceremony, each ESC Centre Director gave a presentation on the main achievements of ESCP implementation at their institutions. The presentations included exampes of best practices in Centre management. Most Directors introduced their European Studies teaching programmes and reported about problems and achievements. They also presented their experience with collaborative research with European partners and the exchange of scholars and students. Some advanced Centres also reported about their success in delivering marketable services to private companies and public institutions. Most of the Centre Directors brought up a clear blueprint about the future development of the ESCs at their universities or research institutions including the further sharpening of the academic profile and strategies of tapping future resources.

 Signing Ceremony

At the end of the closing ceremony, PMO and the beneficiary institutions signed certificates on the successful completion of ESCP project implementations. The directors of both European Academic Book Collections signed a handover document certifying the reception of books and hardware items. In the co-operation agreement both libraries promised that they will maintain and regularly up-date the collections. The external reader service will also be available in the future after the termination of the Programme.

Concluding Remarks

After the signing ceremony, representatives from ECD, MOFCOM, CASS and MOE addressed the audience. Rudi Filon, First Secretary of the Development and Co-operation Section of the ECD expressed his gratitude to all who contributed to the success of the ESCP. He proceeded in pointing out clearly that there will be not follow-up programme of this kind financed by the European Commission in the future. But considering the results achieved and the solid basis that had been created during the last years, he expressed his con-fidence that the Centre will find sources of future funding. Ms. Chen Ruhua from MOFCOM, Mr. Wang Lei from the International Co-operation Department of CASS, and ESCP Steering Committee member Mr. He Jian from MOE all underlined in their final remarks the success of the Programme and the spirit of innovation visible all and everywhere. Mr. Wang Lei expressed that the ESCP could serve as a model of future EU-China co-operation projects.

2. ESCP Wrap up Workshop held in Beijing on January 30, 2008

As a part of the ESCP closing events, a workshop with head staff members of all beneficiary institutions and some European partners was held in Beijing at the venue of Xinhai Jinjiang Hotel on January 30, 2008. The workshop was organized by PMO in order to summarize some important experience of co-operation as reflected by the beneficiaries and their European partners.

PMO had invited ESC Centre Directors, heads of research departments of beneficiary institutions and their university vice-presidents. Fifty participants took part in the one-day event that consisted of an interactive session in the morning and a second session with presentations by European and Chinese scholars on various aspects of European Studies in the afternoon. Apart from beneficiaries, representatives from European partners, ECD and MOFCOM participated also in the meeting. The session in the morning was led by Dr. Michael Mechthold-Jin, an experienced external moderator. Under his guidance the workshop became a forum of vivid exchange and discussion on various aspects of ESCP implementation and the future of European Studies in China. Each Centre representative introduced the essential benefits of four years of co-operation. Card writing and other interactive tools were used in order to allow the participants to express themselves freely and to create a brain-storming like atmosphere.

Presentations in the afternoon

Du-ring the afternoon session, presentations were given on important experience in developing European Studies and how to manage European Studies Centres successfully. ESCP Academic Adviser, Professor Guenter Heiduk, and Professor Gao Leyong from Nankai University in Tianjin both gave presentations on “How to become a Centre for teaching and research on European Studies”. While Professor Heiduk was introducing his experience of many years involvement in the promotion of European Studies in China, Professor Gao focussed on the experience of the Nankai ESC in delivering consultancy and advice services with competitive power.

Professor Christine Neuhold from Maastricht University presented on “Sound management – the key to success”. The focus of her speech was on strategies and tech-niques of successful Centre management, both in academic and administrative terms.Dr. Stefan Hell, a European Studies expert with many years of working ex-perience in Southeast Asia, and Professor Feng Zhongping, a Chinese expert well known by his regular media presence on European issues, elaborated on the sub-ject of “Teaching the EU in Asia respectively China”. Based on rich personal experience, both presenters highlightened the requirements of European Studies tea-ching and research in Asia.

Finally Professor Michal Mejstrik from Charles University in Prague introduced the per-spectives of “European Studies in Central Eastern Europe”. Unfortunately the new member state had not played a prominent role in ESCP implementation. The co-operation of Charles University in Prague with the ESC at East China Normal University in Shanghai was rather an exception. Professor Mejstrik′s proposals on “networking possibilities with Chinese ESCs” came just at the right time to show some new possibilities in the field of European Studies.

The ESCP wrap up workshop way concluded by working out a blueprint of the future development of European Studies in China. Many proposals on how to continue future co-operation with European partners were elaborated. The results of the workshop were also introduced to the participants of the ESCP closing ceremony on the following day. Proceedings of the workshop and the ESCP closing ceremony are under preparation and will be sent to the participants and European Studies circles in China soon.

3. European Academic Book Collections (EABCs) in Beijing and Shanghai completed

The second batch of European Studies books arrived at both EABCs in December 2007. With this second delivery of books mainly published in 2006 and 2007 the European Academic Book Collections at Fudan University in Shanghai and the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) in Bejing are now up-dated and completed. Both collections currently consist of 3,000 books on European Studies.

During inspection mission to the Fudan Library on January 14, 2008 and to the CASS Library on January 18, 2008, PMO found all delivered books already classified, well sorted and placed on the shelves. All books had entered the central electronic library catalogue and are available to internal and external readers. Two plaques at the locations indicate the origin of EU funding.

Apart from books, the ESCP also provided financial support to subscribe to 16 e-journals covering various contents of European Studies. A journal directory is available via the websites of both beneficiary libraries (www.library.fudan.edu.cn and www.lib.cass.org.cn).

The enlarged libraries will offer many new academic resources to academic and non-academic users. Readers will have access to recent literature and latest research results. The content of both collections (including the journals) is available to interested people all over China. The Fudan and CASS library both set up external reader services which can be contacted via the following addressees: libcashl@fudan.edu.cn

library-ies@cass.org.cn

4. A recent academic study on EU-China relations in Higher Education uses ESCP as an example of success

An academic work on EU-China relations in Higher Education with reference to the ESCP was finished in December 2007. The study was conducted by the Canada based Italian post-doctorate Christina Pinna and is entitled “EU-China Relations in Higher Education – The Internationalisation Process and Chinese Higher Education: Building Bridges in Global Cultural Dialogue”. The study concludes: “ …strengthening academic relations could be seen as building cultural bridges, crucial for a deeper understanding among different partners; projects of cooperations could be seen as valid instruments in pursuing a more equal comparison in the international context. For these reasons, I think, a cooperative project such as the ESCP could be seen as a positive example in pursuing these goals.”

5. CAES website and database opened to the public

Supported by the ESCP, the website and database of the Chinese Association for European Studies (CAES) has been enlarged and improved. The revised website is open to the public since 29th January 2008. The revised database reports on new and events related to European Studies in China, contains recent publications, speeches, lectures and discussions on various aspects of the subject.

Apart from many links, the website also hosts the European Studies expert database which was originally developed by PMO. After its up-dating and enlargement the database currently contains data of more than 100 Chinese researchers and teachers in the field of European Studies. The database aims at increasing transparency and improving the exchange between experts in this academic field. At the same time European Studies expertise is made known to all circles of society. Teaching and research activities as well as CVs of the experts are available to the public, supplemented by information on accomplished projects and research tasks. A number of search functions which should be further improved in the future will help people to find each other more easily and to present research and teaching results in European Studies to a larger audience.CAES has taken the responsibility to maintain and regularly up-date the database.

6. Last ESCP Newsletter

This is the last and final edition of the ESCP Newsletter. After four years of co-operation our Programme ends on 29th February 2008. PMO would like to say thank you to all our Newsletter readers for their continued interest in our activities. The editors wish all of your good health and all the best in the future.