About Us
Self-understanding of the Working Group "Academic German China Competence in China"
Our Self-understanding
We are a working group within the Society for German-Chinese Understanding (GDCV) e.V., founded in March 2024 in Changsha. Our members maintain regular personal and digital exchanges. We welcome new members with China experience and interest in our goals.
We believe in the mutual benefit of close cooperation between Germany and China – for bilateral relations and global stability. China's progress in many areas offers opportunities for knowledge exchange from East to West. At the same time, we see great potential for developing mutual trust.
Cooperation with China increasingly faces reservations in Western countries – especially in science and education. While Western media are often criticized, China's state actions also contribute to the tense situation. We advocate for open dialogue and constructive, calm responses to criticism. A better understanding of different communication cultures is essential for this.
Foundation and Member Structure
Formally, we are a working group within the Society for German-Chinese Understanding (GDCV) e.V., which was established at a conference in March 2024 in Changsha. We maintain regular personal and social media exchanges and plan at least one annual meeting of the group. We are open to new members who bring experience and interest in China, live or have lived in China, and can identify with our goals.
Conviction of the Importance of German-Chinese Cooperation
We are convinced that Germany and China can draw mutual benefit from close cooperation and thereby contribute to deepening bilateral relations and global stability. In our opinion, it is overlooked that China has made such remarkable progress in some areas that knowledge transfer from East to West should increasingly be in German interests. At the same time, we believe the potential for confidence-building on both sides is highly developable.
Challenges and Appeal for Constructive Dialogue
We view with concern that cooperation with China in Western countries, increasingly also in Germany, is subject to general reservations and prejudices. This applies particularly to the areas of science and education, in which most of us work and which represent immediate foundations for innovation and modernization.
We see that relations between Germany and China are politically strained and know the narrative that Western media are solely responsible for China's continuously deteriorating image.
Our Team
Prof. Dr. Ole Döring
HNU, AG-Sprecher
Christian Wagner
Datenbank-Pflege und Webseiten-Administration
Prof. Dr. Martin Woesler
HNU, Datenbank-Pflege und Webseiten-Administration
What We Do
Connection
We connect Chinese experts to organizations and promote academic exchange between Germany and China.
Expertise Mediation
Our platform helps find the right China expertise for specific projects and inquiries.
Facilitating Dialogue
We advocate for constructive dialogue and better understanding between cultures.
Contact Us
Do you have questions or would you like to become part of our working group? Feel free to contact us.
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