GPPi holds public discussion on China’s contribution to Global Governance
On November 30, GPPi held a joint event with Peking University and the Hertie School of Governance entitled “China’s contribution to Global Governance: Joint stakeholders in fighting climate change and nuclear proliferation.” The public discussion took place at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin and assembled a select audience from academia, think tanks and the government. Speaking at the event were Prof. Han Hua and Prof. Zhang Haibin, respectively directors of the Centre for Arms Control and Disarmament as well as the Centre for International Organizations at Beijing University’s School of International Studies.
Focusing on China’s evolving policies towards the international non-proliferation regime and international climate change mitigation efforts, the speakers highlighted the impressive trajectory of China’s domestic and international posture in these fields over the past two decades. Discerning specific criteria for “leadership” in global governance, the speakers argued that China, even though increasingly active, is still reluctant to take on far-reaching global responsibilities in these fields. However, if the current trends continue, they argued, this position is set to change in the upcoming years.
The event was part of GPPi’s ongoing Sino-German Expert Workshop Series: Cooperation on Climate Change Mitigation and Nuclear Non-proliferation project. The project is generously funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) under the framework of the German-Chinese year of science and education (2009−2010) and features a series of expert workshops in Beijing and Berlin. The workshops focus on EU-China cooperation in the fields of climate change mitigation and nuclear non-proliferation and aim at discerning patterns of bureaucratic networks between the two administrations. The workshops are co-hosted by the Global Public Policy Institute and the School of International Studies (SIS) at Peking University. The program ran from September to December 2009.