Workshop on Chinese-Lower Saxony university cooperation - a successful conclusion to China Week 2022

He was looking forward to a "colorful range of different and controversial topics" and began his speech with the 50th anniversary of German-Chinese diplomatic relations and the development of German-Chinese trade relations. Lower Saxony was the first federal state to seek direct relations and cooperation with the People's Republic of China. The connection with Anhui Province has existed since 1984, he said, adding that today's critical voices warning against too much dependence on China mainly refer to the differences between the governments and systems, but not to the relationship between the peoples. For this reason, Germans should not limit their knowledge of their partners in China to culture and language alone, but should also have a good understanding of the institutional framework and political structures in order to form sustainable partnerships. In addition, the Chinese are pragmatic, strong-willed and drive innovation with large-scale financing and consortia from science and industry. Prof. Dr. Hanschke sees the skyline of Shanghai, where a new building is constructed every year, as a symbol of this upswing.

Following on from this, Prof. Dr. Hou illustrates what China activities have been initiated at Clausthal University of Technology despite the coronavirus pandemic. However, before he begins his lecture, he announces three pieces of good news that have recently reached him:

1) The lifting of many Corona restrictions in China, which will make it noticeably easier for foreigners* to enter the country,

2) the funding of the China Competence Center for another three years by the Executive Board of Clausthal University of Technology, so that China Weeks can also be held in the future, and

3) the approval of the follow-up application for the CDIHK project by the DAAD for two years.

The use of hybrid and digital communication channels has had positive effects, particularly with regard to the implementation of China Week. In addition to the many high-ranking contributors and the high number of connected guests from all over the world, both an increase in contributions and a stabilization of the main topics in the areas of science, business, politics and culture could be observed. And although personal exchange has suffered during the corona pandemic, various activities, such as joint cooperation projects or German-Chinese events, have been realized.

Prof. Dr. Hendrik Lackner from Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences is participating in China Week for the third time and will report on the 15th Sino-German Symposium on Application-Oriented Higher Education in September 2022 via video message. Similar to China Week, the symposium was held in a hybrid format and serves as a central exchange format for university cooperation between the two regions.

The need for hybrid formats, which has already been impressively highlighted by Clausthal University of Technology's China Week and Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences' symposium, is illustrated once again by Prof. Dr. Georg Gesk from Osnabrück University in his contribution "Hybrid forms of academic cooperation between China and Germany". The idea that "we [in Europe] are the hub of the world" could be seen as an obstacle to communication "if we leave Europe". In this context, however, it would be fatal to end cooperation just because we can no longer visit each other. At this point, we should fall back on the hybrid format in order to think in other structures and value patterns. However, there are limits that need to be taken into account and cannot necessarily be resolved by hybrid formats. For example, a hybrid meeting is no substitute for a joint dinner, which makes it rather difficult to create an "emotional mood". Nevertheless, at the end of his presentation, he appealed: "Be brave" - all you need is a positive attitude and the motivation to try something new.

Prof. Dr. Michael H. Breitner from Leibniz Universität Hannover gave a lecture that deserved special recognition and was highly praised both in the chat by the participants connected online and by those present in the Aula Academica. His "non-Eurocentric view" of the world and his approach to different cultures is "better than Huntington's". As a European, you can learn a lot from the prevailing fairness, mutual appreciation and long-term visions that are omnipresent in China. As a scientist, you have to try to understand other systems of norms. For example, the political leadership in China can also be perceived as positive, as it ensures prosperity and enables progress. There should therefore be an awareness that exchange can also bring about a change in values. To this end, incentives should be put in place that support cross-state and cross-society cooperation and promote collaboration, whereby undesirable behavior must also be named and addressed. In summary, we should "come to a way of thinking - thinking in cycles" and "get to know the Chinese, get to know China". Prof. Dr. Breitner suggests a total of three steps for future cooperation:

1.) Understanding, 2.) Identifying win-win situations and 3.) Tolerating that things are thought differently in China than they are here.

Finally, the last two presentations of the workshop focused on the topic of health in cooperation with China. Prof. Dr. Hanschke spoke about digital solutions in the form of AI in the Chinese healthcare system. China is not only more open to new technologies, but also has highly qualified scientists and has already surpassed Europe in this area in some cases. Germany would simply be too slow and not courageous enough to allow new products to mature on the market. In addition, Germany has one of the weakest data networks in the EU and suffers from high electricity costs, so that "data centers would prefer to emigrate". As a result, the "Copy Shop China" has now become a role model: "It's time to copy China".

This is followed by Dr. ZHONG Wenjun's contribution on the strength of traditional Chinese medicine. He would like to be a bridge builder, not a wall builder, which is why he wants to highlight the contrast between traditional Chinese medicine and conventional medicine - and not the conflict. It is all about finding a healthy balance and relying on natural regulation. It is assumed that many things happen naturally and do not require intervention. If you are internally balanced, health and happiness will regulate themselves, for which he uses the following metaphor: Our life is like a theater and our body is the stage, our mind is the director and our soul is the actor.

To summarize, China Week 2022, which celebrated its 5th anniversary this year and shone with excellent contributions and over 3,600 guests, can be seen as a success for German-Chinese cooperation. In addition to the cohesion that has often been emphasized over the past two years, it is now important to re-engage in dialogue, according to those involved. The aim is to develop an understanding of the other culture, based above all on honesty and trust. The current global challenges affect us all and require close cooperation. At the same time, we must also be able to address the issues that divide us in order to find solutions together. There is still a lack of determination on both sides to make efficient use of our common strengths.