Department of Political Studies - University of Catania

Jean Monnet Chair of European Comparative Politics

Jean Monnet Working Papers in Comparative and International Politics

  Liu Fei & Shen Yannan
Center for European Studies,
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Report on European Studies in China

December 1998 - JMWP n° 20

This report on "European Studies in China" is based on a survey that covers the studies on European economy, politics, society, foreign relations and security in China. The main contents of the survey are: (a) Chinese institutions for European studies; (b) Research achievements; (c) Academic exchanges between Chinese and European scholars; (d) Main academic works published in China from 1990-1997. The latest developments in Chinese European studies and publications are not included in this report.

General View

European Studies have been going on for many years in China. Early in the 1950s when the European Economic Community set up, some Chinese scholars began to pay attention to the integration of western European countries. During the cold war, Chinese scholars generally viewed Europe from the angle of east-west confrontation, and their studies concentrated mostly on the foreign relations of western European countries. In the 1960s, international situation changed dramatically when European studies in China became more active and developed quickly. However, then, Chinese scholars only paid attention to western European integration, European economy, political system and international relations, and they still could not get ride of the framework of two-polar world. Since the late 70s and early 80s, especially after the implementation of "open-door" policy and reform in China, Chinese European studies step into a new period. There have been several associations, societies and centers for European Studies established in China since then, and conferences and discussions held quite often among universities and research institutions.

Until 1997, there are six European study centers in China. They are: Center for European Studies at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; European Study Center of Fudan University; European Study Center of Wuhan University; European Study Center of Sichuan University; European Study Center of Nankai University and European Study Center of Renmin University. The six centers situate separately in Beijing, Northern China, Eastern China, Central China and Southwest China, and they are playing important roles as coordinator in their areas, contributing greatly to the establishment of a research network in China.

The main institutions within the research network include: the Institute of European Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Chinese Institute of International Affairs; China Institute of Contemporary International Relations; the Institute of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Foreign Trade; China Institute of Peace and Development; Chinese Association for Strategy Studies; Foreign Affair College; the Institute of International Studies, Beijing University; the Institute of International Studies, Beijing Academy of Social Sciences; the Institute of International Business, University of Foreign Trade; the Institute of World Economies, Fudan University; Shanghai Institute of International Affairs; Shanghai Institute of Peace and Development; the Institute of German Studies, Tongji University; Center for International Studies, Huadong Normal University; the Institute for European Studies, Shandong University; the Institute of World Economies, Jiangsu Academy of Social Sciences; the Institute of French Studies, Wuhan University, etc.. Beside these institutions, there are more than ten universities that engage in teaching and studying on European affairs.

From late 80s, Chinese scholars and research institutions have already given up the old frameworks and models of international studies, and paid more attention to theories and their practical meanings. Following are the main focus of Chinese European studies:

1. 1. European Integration (European economic and monetary union, the implementation of EURO and its influences, the reform of European Union, the Enlargement of EU and the position of EU in the world);
   2. Comparative studies on political systems of European countries;
   3. European Parliament;
   4. European law (EC law, EU law, the system of European law, trade law, etc.);
   5. Comparative studies on European economic system and economic development (finance, investment, employment, privatization);
   6. Welfare system of European countries (social security policy, social security reform);
   7. Relationship between central and local governments in European countries;
   8. European security and organizations (including eastward expansion of NATO, Western European Union, Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe);
   9. Foreign relations of European countries;
   10. Development of EU and its influences (including the enlargement of EU);
   11. EU-China relations (economic and trade relations, the cooperation between governments and enterprises);

There are some other research undertaken by Chinese scholars and institutions, such as: European regional problem, environment, bilateral relations between European countries, European nationalism, theories of international relations in Europe, human right in Europe and so on ( here "European studies" exclude natural sciences, technology, history, arts, literature, etc.).

At present, there are 56 research projects undertaken in the six European Study Centers excluding Renmin University not available for information). Among them, there are 11 on social problems, 14 on economic studies, 15 on politics, 1 on security issues, 7 on bilateral relations and 8 on comprehensive studies (see Table 8).

European studies in China have achieved a lot. The studies not only enable Chinese to have a better understanding of Europe, but also enable them to draw lessons from the experiences of European countries. It has been widely acknowledged that the studies have been helpful in promoting political and economic cooperation between China and Europe.

In the meantime, scholars are quite aware of the problems existing in Chinese European studies. In order to improve Chinese European studies, several discussions on the necessity of setting up the project — "European Studies in China"— have been held. The Center for European Studies and the Institute of European Studies at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences , the editorial house of EUROPE (a bimonthly academic journal) have started the project in 1996, and this report is a part of it. According to the survey and analysis, the problems existing in European study field are mainly:

1. Until now, there is not a systematic analysis on the general state and development of European Studies. The theoretical frameworks and methods adopted in the research also have not been studied and summarized. All These phenomena are not coordinated with the development of European studies in China ;
2. Lack of systematic studies and scientific management;
3. Comparative studies are not given enough attention;
4. Lack of up-to-date information on new developments in European countries; database on European studies have not been set up completely;
5. The collaborative studies between Chinese and European scholars are not systematic and wide enough;
6. The exchange of ideas and collaborative research are mainly between governmental institutions and scholars, just a few between enterprises and non-governmental organizations in China and Europe.

European Study is an important part of international studies in China. During the past ten years, Chinese scholars have achieved a lot, but still there is much to do. The second Asia--Europe Summit Conference and the EU new policies toward China mark a new era of China-EU relations. Chinese scholars take it as a very good chance to improve their European studies and to promote the collaborative research with European scholars.

The Chinese Association for European Studies

The Chinese Association for European Studies (CAES), founded in 1983, is a nationwide non-governmental organization. It has over 500 members engaging in European study and teaching. The association has been playing a significant role as a coordinator promoting collaborative research and academic exchange. CAES has sponsored by far 19 academic conferences including 5 national wide conferences on European Studies and 14 annual symposiums on specific topics of European affairs.

The bimonthly journal "Europe" — the only academic periodical focus on European studies in present China, is published jointly by the Chinese Association for the European Studies and the Institute of European Studies at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. It publishes more than 100 papers on European studies every year. Not only it presents academic achievements but also reflects fairly well the current research levels in European study field.

Publications on European Studies

A statistic analysis based mainly upon the works published by the six European study centers and in journals such as "Europe" shows: there are 208 monographs on European affairs in China since 1990, among which 93 are within the scope of this report, including 62 books published by the six ESC and 31 books by other teaching and research institutions (see Table 1-7). Among the books published, there are 6 on social studies 43 on economic studies 27 on politics and 4 on bilateral relation studies. For statistic convenience, those studies involving both social and economic problems, or both bilateral relations and security are sorted to comprehensive studies which amount to 21 monograph (see Table 8).

From 1990, there are 1132 academic papers published by scholars from the above-mentioned centers and other research institutions. Among these papers published, there are 760 falling into the scope of this report, including 172 comprehensive studies, 96 social studies, 103 economic studies, 257 political studies, 74 security studies and 58 bilateral relation studies. These papers are mainly published in the following journals: EUROPE, EUROPEAN INTEGRATION STUDIES, INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, STRATEGY AND MANAGEMENT, FOREIGN TRADE STUDIES, INTERNATIONAL OUTLOOK, FOREIGN AFFAIRS, etc..

Academic Exchange between Chinese and European scholars

Academic exchanges between Chinese and European scholars have been developing rapidly since the implementation of "open door" policy. There have been frequent academic exchanges between Chinese European study centers and European universities and institutions. Quite a few European scholars came to China as visiting professor and lecturer while more Chinese scholars had the chances to visit Europe.

As a nationwide academic institution, Chinese Association for European Studies engage in coordinating academic activities on European studies, and promoting bilateral academic exchanges between China and Europe.

Limited by time and research condition, it is impossible for this report to cover all the exchanges. According to the survey, among the activities held by the six centers there have been 17 international conferences and 20 collaborative projects, of which 9 international conferences, 4 collaborative projects and 5 workshops are within the scope of this report. In addition, there are 5 seminars (see Table 9). The topics of the international conferences are mainly on Sino-European relations and European economy. The collaborative research — "The Investment of EU in China"— were carried out jointly by centers at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Fudan University, Nankai University, Wuhan University, Macao Institute of European Studies and Anterweip University in Belgium.

There are 7 international conferences involving current situations, prospect of bilateral relations between China and Europe, and EU integration. 4 conference out of 7 are on bilateral relations. They are also conferences on: "Sino-French Relations and Its Positions in Asia and Europe", "Sino-German Relations", "Sino-German Relations in the Context of Asian", " The Adjustment of Western Countries’ Asian Policies and China". As for European Community study, the three conferences hold are under the titles of "European Community and the world", "International Symposium on China and European Community", "China and European Community in 90s". At present, Chinese scholars are paying more attention to: "The Impacts of European Single Market on China", "European Community in 90s", "Relations between East Asia and Europe in the Context of World Structure".

At the conferences, different ideas are presented and discussed. For example, at the third international conference on "China and European Community", there were heated discussions on "the impacts of European single market on China " among EU officials, European and Chinese scholars presented. Some Chinese scholars argued that EU single market was far from a negative factor to the other countries’ economic development. Facing this challenge and opportunity, the other countries in the world should be adapted to the changing situations. Some of them suggested that even if European single market might have negative effects on China, in the long run it will be beneficial to China. Other Chinese scholars held different ideas arguing that, though theoretically speaking the European single market could be beneficial to China, it could also have some negative effects on China, for with the development of European inner market, limits on import from the other countries in the world could increase, that meant Chinese export to Europe could be hindered.

Well-developed discussions on these conferences have been promoting deeper understanding among scholars from China and abroad. After each conference, usually there will be a collection of papers published (both in Chinese and English).

Analysis on the overall situation of academic exchanges between Europe and China shows that, achievements in the past five years are great both in quality and quantity. However, there exist obviously insufficiencies such as: (1) The coverage of the projects are not wide enough, most of them are concentrating on European politics, economy and foreign policy; while industrial structure, environment security, population and immigration, welfare and insurance system, as well as unemployment have not been given enough attention; (2) collaborative research and exchange are lack of coordination.

In 1997, EU-China Higher Education Cooperation Programme began to be implemented. The Chinese Association for European Studies and the European study centers are benefited greatly from the programme. This programme will certainly promote further academic exchanges between Chinese and European scholars.

Achievement Analysis

This analysis is just a general view on the main achievements by Chinese scholars in European study field. It covers only four aspects -- economy, politics, society, bilateral relations -- and just a few examples have been given, for it is impossible to include all of them in this short report.

Economy

Economy is the field which draw most attentions from Chinese scholars. They are doing research on the subjects ranging from economic situation of European country to financial and economic policy, economic system, Sino-European economic and trade relations, etc.. Almost all important subjects in this field have been studied. According to the survey, there have been 103 papers, 58 monographs and collections on Europe economic published since 1990. There certainly will be more if comprehensive studies concerning these subjects are included.

Among those papers and monographs, the establishment of EU single market is the most common topic dealt with by Chinese scholars, while the impacts of EU Single market on Chinese economy have also been focused. According to the survey, there are 86 papers and 15 monographs on this every subject, while Sino-Europe financial and trade relations have also been given enough attention.

Before the establishment of EU single market, a study group led by Prof. Zhang Yunling had published a book entitled "Challenge of the Century— Undergoing EU Single Market". The book gives an overall introduction and analysis on the process and prospects of the establishment of European single market. The authors point out that the establishment of the single market is a great event in the world economy, the significance of which may not be realized until a relative long period. The analysis on the internal and external impacts of the single market is based on detailed description. The book also put forward several suggestions for Chinese to response. It argues that the single market is a challenge as well as a chance for the development of Chinese economy, and it suggests that Chinese system of foreign trade and management should be improved and adjusted by way of adopting relatively concentrated management and integrated administration. The adjustment of Chinese foreign trade structure, they insist, should go step by step, and the implementation of new industrial policies to promote the reform on commodity system is necessary. They also maintain that, to reach mutual beneficial agreement, Chinese should take an active attitude in trade negotiation with European countries. The development of Chinese direct investment to EU member states and the establishment of reliable trading relations are important. The authors also suggest that, to develop Sino-European trade relations and to make up culture gaps between China and Europe, training of "European style" manager and staff is necessary and important.

In October 1990, Chinese Society for EC Studies (under the Chinese Association for European Studies) and Wuhan University jointly sponsored "The Third International Symposium on European Community". After the conference, the proceedings were published under the title of "The Establishment of the European Single Market and Its Impact". There are 35 papers published concerning " The establishment of European Common Market and its impact on world economies" and "international relations". Chinese scholars believe that the establishment of the Common Market is an epoch-making event, it will exert a great and far-reaching influence on European and world economies and politics.

Professor Shen Jiru published his monograph — "European Community and the World"— in 1993. He not only presents a deep analysis on the concrete policies of European integration, but also on the policies of EC member-state and other countries in the world. Based upon these analysis, he goes further into how the social functions of a state can influence its international relations. He points out, the process of European integration is beneficial to world peace and development, and he argues that China should develop a very good relationship with European countries.

Chinese scholars are also interested in "economic and monetary union", especially the "single currency". At the fifth annual conference of the Chinese Association for European Studies, nearly half of the papers presented concerned the topic, while before the conference most scholars were only concerned about the process of the integration and the possibility of its realization. Since the process of "European integration" has been developing faster than they expected, now Chinese scholars are paying more attention to the impacts of the single currency on the world, especially its impact on Chinese economy and financial system. At the conference, policy suggestions on " Chinese foreign exchange reserve" and "the composition of foreign debt " have been put under analysis.

According to the survey, there are more Chinese scholars paying attention to economic theories and economic problems occurred in the process of European economic integration than before. The impacts of European economic integration on Chinese economy and Sino-European trade relations are within their focus. The other concerns of Chinese scholar concentrate on financial and tax systems, regional development policies, management of public enterprises, national economic policies, implementing system of economic plan, adjustment on production structure, involvement of government in high-tech policy-making, system of economic law, problems of tax avoidance and anti-dumping, etc. Their studies not only enable Chinese readers to have a better understanding of Europe, but also have the practical aim of providing policy suggestions.

Politics

Chinese scholars are keen on European political studies just as economic studies. There are quite a few monographs and papers published since later 80s. Most of the studies in this field are concentrating on the political integration of European Union, while political situations in European countries have been studied continuously. The political integration studies in China are often related to international relations studies, while European political situation studies have always been the main focus of Chinese scholars. Among the publications, there are analysis on the political development in European countries and its impacts on economy and foreign policies, European political thoughts and their practices, party system, administration system, relationship between central and local governments, policy-making system, as well as social structure and law. Here we would like to give just a few example:

The monograph — "Comparative Study on Political Systems in the West"— provides an overall analysis on the political systems of the main western European countries --Britain, France, Germany and Italy, and compares the differences amongst them. The authors point out that the rapid development of monopoly capitalism has interfered and adjusted the process of social capital’s reconstruction. It has also relaxed or adjusted the tensions between capitalist productive relations and productivity. In the meantime, it intensifies the basic contradiction in capitalist society. The fact is that increasingly serious social problems and the changes of value have become a direct threat to the political system of western countries. In their point of view, the threats and challenges come mainly from the following aspects -- the crisis of "welfare state" makes the legitimacy and efficiency of the state a question; the weakness and limitation of representative government system are increasingly clear; the collapse of the traditional value becomes a challenge to present political systems in the West; national contradictions and regionalism remain serious problems which western political systems have to face.

"The Political System in Contemporary France" introduces and analyses the establishment of contemporary French political system which Chinese scholar think has been influenced by various political thoughts. The author argues that the establishment of French political system is a long historical process. It is a process of searching, improving and reforming. Generally speaking, the present political system has been adapted to the needs of present economic, political and social development in France. By way of self-adjustment, French political system has been improved and strengthened, and it has reached a mature stage.

After introducing and analyzing the past and present political systems in Britain, the monograph-- "The Political System in Britain"--points out that Britain has been keeping a relatively stable development and constancy during its long history. Compared with the other European countries, British political system has more flexibility due to the lack that Britain does not have a written law to set up rigid rules and restrictions on institutions and procedures. On the other hand, the slow process of reform shows the strong influence of conservatism

Ever since French "power-division reform" started in 1982, Chinese scholars began to study the theoretical motives of the reform and its implementation. Papers published on this topic argue that the aim of the reform is to increase efficiency, promote democracy and safeguard freedom which, to Chinese scholars , has been influenced greatly by Tocqueville’ idea. The powers of local governments on different level have been enlarged by the reform undertaking. However, all these rights have not fallen into the hands of common people, and "participation democracy" has not really happened in people’s life. The fact is that, local officials who hold several positions at the same time have benefited a lot from their power, while common people are still outsiders from the process of decision making. Though as it is, Chinese scholars think they can learn something from the experiences of the French "power- division reform", as well as from the theory elaborated by Tocqueville.

The reforms undertaken by Mrs. Thatcher’s government in Britain have also been studied by Chinese scholars. There are some books and papers published on "the relationships between central and local government in Britain". In order to go further into the decentralization of power and local autonomy, Chinese scholars tried first to make clear the definitions concerning local autonomy and local government autonomy which are very close to each other. And then based on the analysis, they argue that, although Thatcher’s reform on financial relations greatly limited the powers of local government, one still cannot say that local autonomy in Britain is weakened. They believe that it is necessary to distinguish centralized administration and division of economic power, and Thatcher’s financial reform is a combined process of the two. Some scholars argue in their books and papers that even if British central government has the powers of setting law and the administration and judicial powers, local governments are still far from just being the representatives of central government. Rather, they are legal organizations which are deeply rooted in British political life, and they are able to exert influences on central government to some extent. The relationship between British central and local government is a kind of mutual dependence, for example, local government depends on central government for financial assistance, while central government needs the cooperation from local governments and their administrative experiences. The control of central government is not an autocratic rule, on the contrary, the independent powers of local government have decentralized the powers of central government, and have prevented central government from abusing powers.

Apart from the works mentioned above, there are some other monographs and papers on the following topics: "the change of class structure and its impacts on party politics", "the history and development of nation and nationalism", "extreme- right and its impact on politics", "religions in the political life of European countries". In the meantime, the collapse of Soviet Union and dramatic changes in eastern European countries made Chinese scholars pay more attention to the internal factors of these developments, and they have published several books on them.

According to some Chinese scholars, an important phenomenon in contemporary western European political systems "is the rapid growth of government institutions and administrative organization that leads to a widely existing fact -- bureaucracy and serious intrusion of civil right". In the academic circle, scholars are increasingly interested in political theories and its practice, and published some books and papers on the administrative supervision of central government, supervision of legislation, judicial power and administrative self-supervision, supervision of superintendent and social supervision, protection of citizen’s right. Their analyses show that the systems of supervision in western European countries are far from being perfect, and some countries just have very limited supervision, still there are useful experiences which Chinese can draw lessons from in their political system reform.

Society

Among the subject studied on European society, "social security system" and "social policies of western European countries" have drawn most attention from Chinese scholars. There have been 23 papers, 3 monographs and 1 collection published since 1992. In addition, 2 monographs and 1 collection are going to be published soon.

The establishment of welfare state and its problems are Chinese scholars' main focus. The monograph entitled "Social Security Systems of Western European States" makes an overall analysis on the history and current situation of social security systems in western European countries. During the past ten years, comparative studies have been carried out mainly on Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden and Netherlands. In the above-mentioned books, Chinese scholars not only discuss the concrete situation of welfare state but also make analysis by employing theories on economy, politics, sociology and culture. They argue that, social security systems of western European countries were established after World War II based on the development of economies. Social security system and economic development have been interrelated and interacted ever since. Social security system has had such great impact on economies that it became an important part of national economy. Social security system plays an important role in narrowing the social gaps between labor and capital caused by free market distribution, in keeping income balance, in maintaining social stability and developing social economy. It has become an effective mechanism for security self-protection. There are also arguments among Chinese, such as: while the model of distribution has been changed by the welfare system the model of production still remains the same in the western European countries. The crisis of welfare state is mainly caused by economic problems rather than welfare system itself. But experts holding different opinions argued that, it was social welfare system itself has caused clumsy organizations, bureaucratic working style, inefficiency and extravagance. As a matter of fact, these phenomena are the opposite to the aims of welfare state, and they have put welfare state into a dilemma. In the meantime, Chinese scholars share the same opinion that it is important to understand both sides of European welfare system, and it is necessary for Chinese to draw lessons from their experience in building Chinese social security system.

A paper written by Dr. Zhou Hong and published in the academic journal "Europe" (No.4, 1997) entitled "Discompose Welfare – welfare state study" analyses the definitions of welfare, and compares the welfare systems in western Europe with America. By way of discompose and comparison, Dr. Zhou Hong tries to detect the innate rules of development in the welfare states and characteristics of welfare policies. Her research certainly will benefit Chinese in developing their own social security systems.

Not only the establishment and development of welfare systems in western European countries but also the theoretic problems are studied by Chinese scholars. For example, British "reform" on social security system and the experiment of modern monetarism under Mrs. Thacher’ Government have always been paid great attention. Based on analysis, Chinese scholars argue that the "reform" did have some achievements in decreasing inflation and promoting foreign trade as well as balancing surplus, but this was paid in terms of an increment of unemployment and of widening of social gaps.

A paper published in "Europe" (No.6,1997) introduces and analysis the background, contents and characteristics of German Act of Nursing Insurance. The author insists that, although the Act is considered as "the fifth pillar" of German Social Insurance System, it is far from being perfect. On the other hand, it is worthy noticing that, the implementation of the Act has made 950 thousands disabled people possible to rely on the nursing insurance legally. Furthermore, since it has been accepted by some political parties, it may become the guideline of reform on social security system in the coming years. The paper also introduces and presents positive comments on German ways — " civil revenue" and "café principle"— of solving problems existing in social security system.

Unemployment in western European countries is another important problem of Chinese scholars. Their studies include: labor market and policies, the adjustment of economic structure and its impact on social structure, as well as governmental intervention in industrial relations. There have been 27 papers published on unemployment since 1990, including analysis on unemployment situation, and comparative study between European countries and the United States on governmental intervention in industrial relations. Besides above-mentioned topics, there are studies involving trade union, Green party ,environment protection, new social movement and its impacts on social value, as well as the common social policies of EU.

Bilateral Relations

Sino-European bilateral relation study has always been an important part of European Studies in China. Books and papers published during the past five years mainly focus on Sino- European trade relations and Sino-European relations in world politics, while during the 70s and 80s, most of the studies were concentrating on foreign policies and political situation. What to be happy with is that, Chinese scholars are beginning to pay more attention to the elements of cultural and ideology in their studies .

Bilateral relations between China and Great Britain, China and France, China and Germany, China and Italy, as well as China and Russia have been studied constantly. According to the survey, these studies are based on up-to-date information and known facts. The books and papers (including comments and analysis on new phenomenon and developments in bilateral relations) published in this field are considered helpful to Chinese government and enterprises in their policy making .

With the rapid development of Sino-European relations, especially trade relations, there are more scholars study law and trade issues than before. Among the subjects inviting expert’ attentions are: European economic law and regulations, the development of European single market, economic and monetary union and its impact on China, investment environment in European countries, specially that of eastern European countries and their impacts on Sino-European trade relations. Those research have been proved to have very practical meaning in promoting China-EU relations.

Take textile trade which occupies an important position in Sino-European trade relations as an example. After intensive studies, Chinese scholars point out that, as labor intensive industry, textile and clothing trade attribute a lot in the competition of labor cost in the world market. China as a country of large population certainly has the advantages of rich labor source and lower wage in world clothing market. It is the quota system which EU set on Chinese textile and clothing export that led to the problems of trade imbalance, instability of trading scale and scope on Chinese side. Having studied EU quota system, trade law, trade policy and its implementation. Some Chinese scholars argued that, on one hand, EU quota system limits the growth of textile exports from China to Europe; on the other hand, it helps to keep the stability of Chinese export scale. In 1992, EU adjusted its quota system on China. Chinese scholars maintain that the adjustment have a negative effect on Chinese textile export, for this one-sided quota system forms a strict and discriminative non-tariff barrier toward China. In the meantime, Chinese scholars believe that, with the development of multi-lateral trade systems, barriers between Sino-European textile trade could be eliminated.

As for anti-dumping disputes, Chinese scholars have not only compared the anti-dumping law and its implementation among European countries, but also compared it with American anti-dumping law which led to the conclusion that EU anti-dumping law is within the scope of international law, while American anti-dumping law is included in national law. Some scholars point out that, although the investigation procedures of the two are basically same, the investigating methods are quite different from each other. EU law has more flexibility and it emphasizes on administrative measures rather than on procedures of law. Studies on this issue are helpful to solve problems of anti-dumping in Sino-European trade.

During the past ten years, many well-known European companies began to invest in China. This new trend attracts Chinese scholars’ attention, and several programs have been carried on it. According to the studies, it is Chinese continuing economic growth, increasing market capacity and the achievements of European companies in China that attract European companies. The adjustment of European’s policies toward Asia and China has also played an important role in the new development. The investments of European companies have had great impact on Chinese economy, even if they are facing many problems in Chinese market. On the Chinese side, experts point out that in order to develop China-EU economic relations, investment environment should be improved; while from the European side, problems lie in the fact that the scale of European investment in China is not big enough. According to statistics, European investment to China is smaller than that of the United States and Japan. In the meantime, some of the problems European companies facing in Chinese market are owing to not having enough knowledge of Chinese market and policies, and barriers from European side in high technology transfer may be one of the other reasons.

From July 1994 to July 1995, EU published three important documents on new policies toward Asian and China. The first Asia- Europe summit meeting was held successfully in 1996. Chinese scholars believe that the summit meeting means a fundamental change in Sino-European relations, and the announcement of the Summit meeting set up a framework for future Asia -European relations. They argue that, in the perspective of world politics, the development of a new relationship between Asia and Europe will balance the triangle relations among Asia, Europe and the United States; in the perspective of world economy, it is helpful for the three economic groups to contact and coordinate each other to promote the prosperity of world economy; in the perspective of international system, it is beneficial to develop a multi-polar structure in the World and to set-up a fair and reasonable world order; in the perspective of international relations, it reflects a new pattern of relations between developed and developing countries.

Sino- European relations have been developing quickly in economic, political and military fields. Economic relation between China and European countries is the foundation of bilateral relations between the two. In 1996, the visit of Chinese government leaders to Great Britain relaxed the tension between the two countries on Hong Kong issue. The settlement of Hong Kong issue indicates a new beginning of Sino-British relationship. The visit of German president to China in the same year also has a very good result. French president claimed that relationship between China and France is a "long-term political strategic relation". The visit of vice Chairman of Chinese Military Committee under Communist Party Liu Huaqing to France and Italy in 1996, contributes to the development of military relations between China and European countries. Chinese and Russian leaders visited each other also in 1996, and the relations between the two countries have entered a new stage.

In the meantime, Chinese scholars are quite aware of the barriers in the development of Sino-European relations, such as "Tibetan issue" , "human right issue" and the interference of some European countries in Chinese internal affairs. They suggest that Chinese and European leaders should take more active attitude to solve the problems and should try to avoid the negative consequences that they might bring.

Since the data-base of Chinese European study is just beginning to set up, this report is only based on the available documents, and the newest developments are not included. What we present here is a general view on present European studies in China.

Supported by EU-China Higher Education Cooperation Programme, our study group will go further on the subject "European Studies in China and Europe — a comparative study". The final report will come out at the end of 1999. We hope it will be helpful to promote and improve Chinese European studies.

Main Achievements

Table 1.
Center for European Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (1992 - 1997)

Table 2.
Center for European Studies, Fudan University (1992-1997)

Table 3
Center for European Studies, Wuhan University (1992-1997)

Table 4
Center for European Studies, Sichuan United University (1992--1997)

Table 5.
Center for European Studies, Nankai University (1992-1997)

Table 6.
Main Achievements by Other Institutions (1990-1996)

Table 7.
Classified Statistics on Academic Works

"Security" here refers to studies on environment, population, society and immigration problems rather than military and strategy.

Table 8.
Classified Statistics on Academic Papers (1990-1997)

"Security" here refers to papers on environment, populations, society and immigration problems rather than military and strategy.

Table 9.
Academic Exchanges of the European Study Centers

ã Copyright 1998. Jean Monnet Chair of European Comparative Politics .

  Liu Fei & Shen Yannan
Center for European Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

luisluis@mail.excite.com FeiLiu@hotmail.com LiuFei@ies.cass.net.cn  Shenyannan@ies.cass.net.cn