German Institute for Global and Area Studies | Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien

German Institute for Global and Area Studies | Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien

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China

China is a partner, competitor, and systemic rival vis-à-vis the European Union. But it is also a political actor that needs to be understood on its own terms. The GIGA offers significant expertise on China’s political and economic development, as well as on the country’s role in both regional and global affairs. 

  • Experts

    Contact

    Current Research

    Countries and Regions

    Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner

    Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner

    Director of the GIGA Institute for Asian Studies / Vice President

    T. +49 40 428874-17[email protected]

    • The Indo-Pacific as a New Strategic Space

    • Comparative Area Studies: Analytical and Organisational Issues

    • Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Island Countries

    • Japan

    • Korean peninsula

    • Indo-Pacific

    Prof. Dr. Heike Holbig

    Prof. Dr. Heike Holbig

    Associate

    [email protected]

    • The politics of the People‘s Republic of China

    • Ideology and political legitimation

    • State-society relations in the Chinese reform period

    • Protection of weak groups and interests in China and Japan

    • Comparative research into authoritarianism

    • Asia-related area studies

    • VR China

    • SVR Hongkong

    Dr. Sinan Chu

    Dr. Sinan Chu

    Research Fellow

    T. +49 40 428874-29[email protected]

    • Legitimacy in global governance

    • Science, experts, and politics

    • Nationalism and ethnicity in China

    • Global IR

    • China

    • East Asia

    Dr. Tomas Costa de Azevedo Marques

    Dr. Tomas Costa de Azevedo Marques

    Research Fellow

    T. +49 40 42825-756[email protected]
    • Chinese investments in Latin America
    • Foreign Direct Investment in China
    • German investments in Brazil
    • The political economy of energy transition
    • South-South and South-North relations
    • China
    • Latin America
    • Brazil
    • Amazon region
    Dr. Karsten Giese

    Dr. Karsten Giese

    Senior Research Fellow / Editor GIGA Focus Asia

    T. +49 40 428874-44[email protected]

    • China

    • China

    • Asia

    Dr. Julia Gurol-Haller

    Dr. Julia Gurol-Haller

    Research Fellow

    [email protected]
    • Chinese foreign policy
    • critical geopolitics
    • global authoritarianism
    • connectivity & infrastructure politics
    • narratives in world politics
    • China
    Dr. Margot Schüller

    Dr. Margot Schüller

    Associate

    T. +49 40 428874-31[email protected]

    • Comparing innovation systems and policies in China, India and Southeast Asia

    • Research Cooperation between Europe and Southeast Asia

    • Chinese Outward Foreign Direct Investments

    • High-Skilled Labour Migration: Brain Ciruculation between Asia and Europe

    • China’s Economic Transition

    • PR China

    • SAR Hong Kong

    Askan Weidemann

    Askan Weidemann

    Doctoral Researcher

    T. +49 40 42825-796[email protected]

    • The politics of the People‘s Republic of China

    • E-government & e-participation

    • Ideology and political legitimation

    • Central-local relations

    • PR China

    In Brief

    Out of Step: What’s Going On within Beijing’s Top Party Leadership?

    GIGA Insights | 15/04/2024

    Out of Step: What’s Going On within Beijing’s Top Party Leadership?

    The People’s Republic of China is engaging in a diplomatic charm offensive, which German chancellor Olaf Scholz, among others, acknowledged with his recent trip there. While the Chinese government broadcasts political stability and continuity, the CCP’s top leadership has been secretive about its future direction. How can these contradictory signals from Beijing be interpreted? 

    New Journal of Current Chinese Affairs 1/2024

    GIGA Journal Family | 24/04/2024

    New Journal of Current Chinese Affairs 1/2024

    Under the headline of “Chinese Migrants in Metropolises Abroad” this special issue explores recent developments in the Chinese diaspora through an urban lens. It presents five empirical contributions based on fieldwork in Paris, Berlin, Manchester (UK), Mexico City, Lagos, Gaborone, and Windhoek.

    New Journal of Current Chinese Affairs 2/2024

    GIGA Journal Family | 09/09/2024

    New Journal of Current Chinese Affairs 2/2024

    This Special Issue presents four studies on Chinese cultural entrepreneurship in literary production, visual arts, social media, and cinema. Other articles deal with the concept of “APCSF,” anti-COVID-19 slogans, and the Chinese party-stateʼs reactions to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

    Research Projects

    Research Project | 01/06/2023 - 31/05/2026

    HNC³ - Hamburg Network on Compliance in Cooperation with China

    This project bundles the China expertise of universities and non-university research institutes in the Hamburg metropolitan area. Against the background of current opportunities and challenges in cooperating with China, primary goals of the project include the development of instruments for such cooperation in accordance with legal parameters, the establishment of appropriate exchange formats among the consortium members, and the implementation of relevant training programmes.
    BMBF, 2023-2026

    Dr. Margot Schüller

    Associate

    Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner

    Director of the GIGA Institute for Asian Studies / Vice President

    Research Project | 01/09/2021 - 29/02/2024

    Ensuring Safe, Transparent and Mutually Beneficial Collaboration with China at Analytical Research Infrastructures (WIKOOP-INFRA)

    The joint project WIKOOP-INFRA will draw up empirically grounded guidelines that offer researchers from Germany and the EU support and guidance for scientific cooperation with their Chinese colleagues at large research infrastructures under existing framework conditions.
    BMBF, 2021-2024

    Dr. Margot Schüller

    Associate

    Dr. Marcus Conlé

    Associate

    Research Project | 01/09/2021 - 29/02/2024

    Performance Monitoring Asia-Pacific Research Area (APRA), Phase II

    The Asia-Pacific research area (APRA) comprises about half of the world's population and some of its most dynamic economies. The importance of the region as producer of knowledge is reflected in its growing number of international publications and patents, as well as development of new (digital) business models. By analysing the performance of science, technology, and innovation in the APRA, the project aims at supplying an empirical-evidence base for the strategic further development of cooperation with countries in Asia-Pacific.
    BMBF, 2021-2024

    Dr. Margot Schüller

    Dr. Iris Wieczorek

    Dr. Marcus Conlé

    Dr. Yun Schüler-Zhou

    Publications

    University of Göttingen Working Paper in Economics | 01/2025

    The (Other) China Shock and the Brazilian Soy Boom: Cui Bono?

    The China shock and the ensuing the soy boom in Brazil have fueled land consolidation and inequality in Brazilian municipalities. Income gains have been mostly limited to the top deciles of the distribution. Additionally, the more unequal a municipality, the more deforestation and rural conflict increase as soy expands.

    Samuel Siewers

    Research Fellow

    Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte | 12/2024

    Souveränität, territoriale Integrität, Nichteinmischung: BRICS als sicherheitspolitischer Akteur

    Trotz ihrer Heterogenität sollte die Bedeutung der BRICS auch in sicherheitspolitischer Hinsicht nicht unterschätzt werden. Während interne Spannungen fortbestehen, gewinnt die Gruppe sowohl symbolisch als auch diskursiv an Einfluss – gerade im Globalen Süden.

    Prof. Dr. Miriam Prys-Hansen

    Lead Research Fellow / Head of Research Programme "Global Orders and Foreign Policies"

    GIGA Focus Latin America | 6/2024

    Brazil G20 Summit 2024: The Global South Takes Centre Stage

    The G20 summit in Brazil will take place at a crossroads in the global power dynamic. The traditional dominance of the rich nations is being challenged by a more united Global South, while diplomatic bridges need to be built to address pressing economic, political, and environmental issues.

    Dr. Tomas Costa de Azevedo Marques

    Research Fellow

    Dr. Nátaly Guilmo

    Technische Universität Berlin

    GIGA Focus Global | 3/2024

    The BRICS+ Summit in Kazan, Russia: Five Things to Watch

    The BRICS+ nations will soon come together in Kazan, Russia, for their 16th Annual Summit. Despite meeting in a country at war, old and new member states will work on initiatives for economic and political cooperation while aspiring ones will await a decision on the group’s further expansion.

    Olena Osypenkova

    Doctoral Researcher

    Prof. Dr. Miriam Prys-Hansen

    Lead Research Fellow / Head of Research Programme "Global Orders and Foreign Policies"

    Economia e Sociedade | 08/2024

    A dinâmica do Investimento Externo Direto na China: uma análise do planejamento e desenvolvimento pós-abertura

    In the 21st century, the People’s Republic of China has risen as one of the main centers of the world economy. This result is attributed to the process of opening and modernization, which promoted China’s integration into the world economy. The role of the State in planning and implementing policies that seek to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) is central to this process.

    Dr. Tomas Costa de Azevedo Marques

    Research Fellow

    Ass. Prof. Dr. Giorgio Romano Schutte

    Federal University of ABC

    Events

    GIGA China Series

    Lecture Series | 06/03/2025

    GIGA China Series

    China’s Social Credit System project elevates “trustworthiness” to a central paradigm of governance. Intended to better enforce law, social-credit measures violate rights and the pillars of public law. The talk explores the entanglement of a traditional legal system with an assessment-driven mode of behavioural regulation.

    Franco-German Observatory of the Indo-Pacific

    Lecture Series | 27/02/2025

    Franco-German Observatory of the Indo-Pacific

    The 29th webinar of the Franco-German Observatory of the Indo-Pacific, hosted by the CERI, features Dr Kelly A. Grieco of the Stimson Center in Washington. She will speak about the integration of defence Industries and US hegemony. Is an Indo-Pacific military-industrial complex in the making?

    Weaponising Fake News Laws

    GIGA Talk | 06/12/2023

    Weaponising Fake News Laws

    Under the banner of countering disinformation, autocratising governments in Asia have recently stifled civil society by either exploiting existing information laws or passing new ones. This contributes to the erosion of civil rights, restriction of information flows, and the deepening of autocratic rule.

    Media Contributions

    Merkur.de | Interview | 18/02/2025

    China nutzt Rückzug der USA unter Trump: „Europa wird zerrieben zwischen Großmächten“

    Unter Donald Trump ziehen sich die USA von ihrer Rolle als weltweite Führungsmacht zurück. Was das für China bedeuten könnte, erklärt Dr. Julia Gurol-Haller im Interview. 

    Dr. Julia Gurol-Haller

    Research Fellow

    F.A.Z. PRO Weltwirtschaft | Expert Comment / Guest Contribution | 16/01/2025

    Kolumne Weltblick: Weltweite Investitionen in die Infrastruktur: Wo bleibt die EU?

    China hat seinen internationalen Einfluss mit seiner „Neuen Seidenstraße“ massiv ausgebaut. Die EU versucht mit dem „Global Gateway“ gegenzuhalten. Das Programm ist jedoch zu kleinteilig, schreibt unser GIGA-Experte und FAZ-Kolumnist Prof. Dr. Christian von Soest.

    Prof. Dr. Christian von Soest

    Lead Research Fellow / Head of Research Programme "Peace and Security"

    WDR 5 | Interview | 14/04/2023

    Wie soll Deutschland mit China umgehen?

    Außenministerin Annalena Baerbock zu Gast in China: GIGA-Experte Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner kommentiert im Interview bei WDR 5 die China-Strategie der Bundesregierung und ordnet die politischen und wirtschaftlichen Interessen Deutschlands gegenüber China ein.

    Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner

    Director of the GIGA Institute for Asian Studies / Vice President

    Lectures

    Cooperation Event | 27/02/2025

    Franco-German Observatory of the Indo-Pacific

    Franco-German Observatory of the Indo-Pacific, Online Event Organisers: German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), Center for International Studies, SciencesPo Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner (Organiser), Dr. Johannes Plagemann (Moderator), Ass. Prof. Dr. Raphaëlle Khan (Moderator)

    Patrick Köllner organised the 28th webinar of the Franco-German Observatory of the Indo-Pacific, featuring Brian C. Chao (Naval War College, US) and Hyun-Binn Cho (College of New Jersey) who address the topic of 'U.S. Freedom-of-Navigation Operations as Signals in the South China Sea'.

    Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner

    Dr. Johannes Plagemann

    Ass. Prof. Dr. Raphaëlle Khan

    Business Association for Latin America | 09/09/2024

    China’s presence in Latin America: Political and Economic Characteristics

    Organiser: Business Association for Latin America Dr. Tomas Costa de Azevedo Marques (Speaker)

    An analysis of the Chinese political and economic presence in Latin America and Caribe, focusing on foreign direct investments, the political context and the change of pattern over the years. The presentation aims to provide an overview of China's presence in LAC and future opportunities for German companies in the region.

    Dr. Tomas Costa de Azevedo Marques

    Research Fellow

    Conference | 12/06/2024 - 15/06/2024

    Chinese investments in Brazil: A threat or opportunity for the development of the Amazon region

    LASA 2024, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá Organisers: Latin American Studies Association Dr. Tomas Costa de Azevedo Marques (Speaker)

    This work shows the pattern of Chinese investments in Brazil, specifically discussing how investments are impacting and might reshape de development of the region, taking into account the Chinese and Brazilian strategies.

    Dr. Tomas Costa de Azevedo Marques

    Research Fellow

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