Stefan Messingschlager
Non-Resident Fellow
Stefan Messingschlager is a non-resident fellow at the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) in Berlin. He is also a research associate at the Chair of Modern History at Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg, where he has taught since 2019. Trained as a historian and political scientist at the University of Konstanz and Peking University (北京大学), his work examines the history and politics of modern China, the evolution of Sino-German relations, Western “China expertise” and China’s role in global affairs. Stefan is particularly interested in the foreign and security policy implications of the US-China rivalry and its transatlantic repercussions. His research has appeared in peer-reviewed journals in German, English and Mandarin.
Beyond academia, Stefan contributes to public debates through interviews and commentary in national and international media (DGAP’s Internationale Politik, The Diplomat and ARD’s Tagesschau) and has provided policy advice on China to two federal institutions. In September 2024, he co-organized an interdisciplinary conference on the concept of “expertise,” funded by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation and the Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Hamburg.
His work has been supported through scholarships from the German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes), the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation, as well as the Bavarian State Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs. Additionally, he has received research funding from the Fritz Thyssen Foundation and the Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Hamburg. Stefan serves as a commission member in the Studienstiftung’s China Scholarship Program and leads mentoring initiatives addressing educational inequalities (ApplicAid, ArbeiterKind.de).