News

Conference on Greater China held at Durham University

(21 October 2003)

Greater China and the East Asian region come under the spotlight at a conference held at Durham University this week.

Participants from China, Belgium, Denmark, Hong Kong, Singapore and the UK gather to debate the nature of development and change in China and East Asia. The conference, held on 24 and 25 October, will be opened by the President of Renmin University of China, Professor Ji Baocheng.

Durham University has long-established links with China and East Asia through research, exchanges and partnerships in a number of academic departments.

Dr William A. Callahan from Durham University’s Politics Department and co-organiser of the conference said; “This conference will enable us to address how China is emerging as a world power economically, culturally and strategically. We will exchange information and analysis based on knowledge we have built up from our links with and study of China and East Asia.”

This is the first conference of Durham’s research project entitled “Asian Studies in Europe and China” sponsored by the Asia-Link programme of the European Commission. This three year research project joins the University of Durham in a research network with Renmin University of China and the Free University, Brussels. Its activities include the exchange of visiting professors, visiting postgraduate students and research conferences with the aim of developing high-quality academic research on Asian politics by European and Chinese scholars.

1. The conference takes place in the Politics Department of the University of Durham on 48 Old Elvet in Durham. The opening speech by the President of Renmin University of China, Professor Jo Baocheng, will start at 1.30pm on Friday 24 October.
2. In 2002, Durham University’s Politics Department and its Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies hosted an international conference on Chinese Nationalism with participants from China, Hong Kong, Denmark and Britain.
3. University departments and sections with recent or current links with China and Hong Kong include: Archaeology, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Business School, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics & Finance, Education, Engineering, Geography, Geological Sciences, Language Centre, Physics, Politics, Sociology and Theology.

Media enquiries

Dionne Hamil, Public Relations 0191 334 6078
Dr William A. Callahan, Politics Department 0191 334 6569