Digital China Week 2021 officially launched

As in the previous year, the top-class program and prominent speakers were once again impressive. A good 50 participants were already connected online for the opening, which increased to up to 70 guests over the course of the event. While the initiator and China representative of TU Clausthal Prof. Dr. Michael Z. Hou takes over the moderation on this day, President Prof. Dr. Joachim Schachtner opens the event. He also sees a positive effect in holding the China Week online, as it enables a significantly higher number of interested people to take part - especially from the partner country China. He is particularly pleased about the participation of Clausthal University of Technology alumnus and honorary professor Professor WAN Gang, who will be joining the event live from China (Beijing) to give a welcome address despite the time difference. He recalled how the Chinese student community at the time, with the support of the Clausthal University of Technology's International Office, organized the first China Culture Evening in the canteen in 1987. In addition to cultural performances such as Chinese folk music, theater, singing and dancing, the program also included traditionally prepared dishes. The interest was great and the old canteen quickly became too small for several hundred guests - the foundation stone for cultural and scientific exchange was laid and now culminated in a whole week of events. And although the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in physical distancing, the scientific exchange between Germany and China has not been halted. He is optimistic that travel restrictions will be relaxed after the 2022 Winter Olympics in China and that exchanges with local partners will be possible again. Until then, "a form of diplomacy of trust" is necessary, according to former Federal Minister Annette Schavan, who is taking part in the opening of China Week 2021 in the form of a video message. She also longs for the time when people can meet in person again, as online meetings are "not bad" but also "not enough" for a successful and long-term cooperative relationship. Minister Björn Thümler from the MWK Lower Saxony, who also sent his greeting via video message, expressed the need for mutual respect in this context, including the "value of free and open discourse and the guarantee of freedom of science and opinion" as indispensable prerequisites.

This was followed by the first substantive presentation in the form of a keynote speech by Prof. Dr. Birgitt Riegraf, President of Paderborn University, on the success factors of German-Chinese cooperation. She also emphasized the importance of mutual trust, which is built primarily through direct encounters and personal exchange. After all, personal encounters are often the "seeds for later cooperation", which are recorded in contractual agreements and regulations. On the part of the students, careful preparation, which includes intercultural as well as linguistic focuses, is particularly conducive to local integration. Paderborn University has established a corresponding concept in this regard, which has been continuously developed over the years and has many a success story to its name. This will be followed by a presentation by Prof. Dr. Joybrato Mukherjee, President of the DAAD, who believes that cooperation is essential for tackling the major global challenges. The DAAD is currently supporting key players in the international context in order to provide important impetus for strengthening scientific cooperation between China and Germany. In response to Prof. Dr. Hou's final question about what advice he can give for dealing with the pandemic, he replied that collaborations that already existed successfully before the pandemic will continue to exist. We have also learned - as today has shown - how to hold conferences and engage in scientific exchange despite the pandemic.

Prof. Dr. Xuewu GU from the University of Bonn gave the last keynote speech of the day with the slightly provocative title: Is a war between China and the US inevitable? Although he makes it clear at the beginning of his presentation that he is unable to answer this question, he explains the rivalry between the two superpowers in detail. While the main pillar of peace used to lie primarily in trade, today it is more likely to be found in the mutual and timely exchange of information between the military. The rise of China can no longer be stopped, it can only be slowed down. Although he has mixed feelings about this, it could work "if both sides develop common sense and manage their conflict peacefully".

This was followed by the last item on today's agenda in the form of a panel discussion, which was moderated by Dr. Lara. M. Gottfried. In addition to the speakers Prof. Dr. Riegraf and Prof. Dr. Xuewu GU as well as Prof. Dr. Schachtner and Prof. Dr. Hou, Prof. Dr. Liang LIU from the Education Department of the Chinese Embassy has also been invited. The topic of Chinese-German cooperation after the pandemic: opportunities and challenges will be discussed openly and animatedly for almost 90 minutes. In addition to the question of what is expected of the new federal government and the Chinese government, the conducive conditions for success - in the sense of "lessons learned" - during or through the corona pandemic were also discussed.

One thing in particular became clear on the first day: all speakers and discussants would like to see face-to-face exchanges possible again in the near future. They also emphasized the need for trust and a meeting of equals for successful and long-term cooperation between Germany and China.

Video link: https: //video.tu-clausthal.de/film/china-woche-2021_1228.html

Photo link: HERE