Chinese Scholars on European Studies Gather in Xi’an

During August 21-22, 2010, the Division for EU Studies and the Division for European Economic Research, under the umbrella of the Chinese Association of European Studies, jointly organized a conference discussing EU’s economic situation and China-EU relations in Xi’an. More than 60 scholars from China attended this gathering.

Speakers at the conference believe that the current debt crisis/problem in Europe should not be understood simply in economic perspective.  Rather, this economic issue is closely related to political factors.

Many participants at the conference say that the seriousness of the debt crisis/problem in Europe today has been exaggerated by the media worldwide and also by the governments in Europe in the hope that the public must agree to bear the sacrifice of less social benefits in the future.

Regarding the future of Europe, almost all the participants say that Europe has been moving forward amid difficulties and sometimes even crisis. Therefore, in the face of the Greek crisis, Europe will continue to proceed forward.  The future of Europe will be bright. But Europe also needs to deal with such issues as too many social benefits which have dampen innovation and vigor of the society.

Many people at the conference do not agree that Euro will collapse.  They say that the political and economic costs of allowing the common currency to collapse are too enormous to bear for Europe.

Many people at the conference say that the so-called “comprehensive strategic partnership” is important for both EU and China, but more actions need to be undertaken to make it more meaningful and concrete.

This conference was supported by the Xi’an Jiaotong University and the Northwest University of Xi’an. Xi’an is well-known for the tomb of Terra Cotta Warriors.

The Chinese Association of European Studies ( http://www.europeanstudies.cn/ ) is a non-governmental academic organization in China. Its president is Prof. Zhou Hong, Director of IES at CASS. It has several divisions for different focus of academic research on Europe.