Call for paper: international graduate workshop on “China and the EU in a multipolar world”

In 2015, China and the EU celebrated 40 years of diplomatic relations. In this period, China’s unprecedented rise and European integration have gone hand in hand with a progressive widening and deepening of their bilateral relations. At the same time, the international structure in which China and the EU are embedded has also undergone tremendous changes. Both China and the EU have emerged as new important global players, even though of very different kind.

Indeed, their rise on the international stage epitomizes two parallel phenomenon that contribute to move the world away from the bipolar structure of the cold war:the increasing powers of non-western states, which some see as best representedby the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) on theone hand, and the rise of institutionalised “regions” (ASEAN, SGO, Trilateral NEA, MERCOSUR, SADC andothers) of which the EU is the most advanced project, on the other hand. Furthermore, China and the EU’s multifaceted and multi-layered relations mirrors a third phenomenon characteristic of the 21^st century’s global order: the unprecedented interdependence amongst widely different international actors under globalisation.

China and the EU have often expressed diverging views of the international order, the challenges it poses, the kind of political response they require, as well as their respective responsibility in addressing them. And yet, as an increasing number of issues acquire a global dimension, from financial stability to climate change, from transnational terrorism to managing the global internet, the EU and China have had to address them collectively, both bilaterally and as prominent actors within global institutions.

The objective of this two-day workshop is to bring together PhD students working on China and/or the EU to explore the vast topic of China, the EU and the development of new multilateral forms of multilayered governance to manage an increasingly complex and interdependent global structure. The first day will examine the EU and China from a global perspective, with the aim to explore theoretical and empirical dimensions of their bilateral and multilateral relations. In this context, onthe one hand we look forward to a discussion of different theoretical approaches to the EU and China’s relative position and role in the global order, and related concepts, including multipolarity itself. On the other hand,we are keen to discuss empirically grounded analysis of different aspects of EU-China political relations in different policy areas (economic and trade; regional and interregional policies in East Asia and Europe).

The second day will examine the EU and China from a comparative perspective, to emphasise the role of domestic institutions and the interaction of domestic and global policy agendas. In that context, we invite contributions that explore firstof all the input of domestic institutions into global governance structures (elite politics, domestic structures of external policy making, etc.) Secondly,we invite reflections regarding the converging and diverging trends of the EU and China’s domestic interpretation of, and reaction to, global challenges (security policy, regional integration, environmental crisis, etc.).

The broader objective of the workshop is to foster a dialogue between young scholars from Europe and China, contribute to developing a vivid academic network of political scientists and emulate academic cooperation that can lead to join tinternational publications. The workshop will combine panel discussions andacademic lectures (tbc). The selected papers will be reviewed by an academic chair and discussed in-depth during the panel sessions. Common social activities will provide opportunities for informal exchanges amongst participants.

We welcome paper abstracts (both theoretical and empirical), which can contribute to the discussion of China, the EU and multipolarity as highlighted above. Priority will be given (but not limited to) to papers focusing on the themes listed below:

1. 1. EU and China in the Economic Dimension of IR
2. 2. World Order Viewed by the EU and China
3. 3. The EU and China’s interaction in global governance institutions
4. 4. The EU and China’s Foreign Policy
5. 5. Leadership Transition and Elite Politicsin EU and China
6. 6. Regional Politics of Asia and Europe

Participationin the conference is free of charge and meals and accommodation during the conference will be provided for paper presenters.

Submission ofproposals

Please submit paper proposals of approximately 300 words along with a brief English CV(1 page) to Mr. Wang Shichen (shichen.wang@erasmusmundus-gem.eu) no later than 31 December 2015 (23:59 PM, Brussels Time). The organisers will confirm acceptance by 29 January 2016. Participants are expected to submit 6000 words papers by 17 April 2016. The best conference papers could be selected for a joint publication, either in the form an edited volume of GEM book series or in a special issue in a relevant academic journal.