Relations with China are an increasingly critical dimension of Europe’s external relations. On the one hand, the rise of a major, non-Western power brings with it – for Europeans – the challenge of rethinking Europe’s role in a world that is becoming less centred on the West and more plural. On the other hand, the same process is also creating unprecedented opportunities for Europe’s autonomous role in world politics, opening new avenues for effective “strategic autonomy”. Addressing these dilemmas requires a truly European approach: as an alliance of European universities, 4EU+ has great potential in this. The goal of the project is to leverage on complementarities between the universities of Milan and Heidelberg to strengthen European research and teaching capacity on Europe-China relations in a rapidly changing world.
“The visiting professorship was for me a unique opportunity to reflect on the implications of China’s rise from a truly European perspective. Teaching a joint seminar together with Prof. Anja Senz was the perfect way to discuss such implications with her and with Master’s students coming from different European countries and beyond. In terms of research, the visiting professorship laid the foundations for future collaborations on Europe-China relations, building on the complementarities between our two universities – a focus on security in Milan, a focus on state-society relations in Heidelberg. Also, during my stay I greatly benefitted from access to the incredible Chinese Collection of the library at CATS, Heidelberg University’s Centre for Asian and Transcultural Studies.”