Conference Addresses Gap Between Academic Research and Policy Application
\nChinese scholars warned of the challenge of \"translating academic research into policy\" at a conference in Beijing, according to reports from the South China Morning Post. The event focused on the discipline known in China as \"area studies,\" which draws on fields including history, politics, economics, and sociology to examine individual countries and regions.
\nSpeakers at the gathering stated that as China’s international engagement deepens, the country requires a better understanding of the political systems, histories, and strategic priorities of the nations it engages with. The discussion highlighted the difficulty Chinese academic courses face in moving beyond frameworks developed in the West to better inform policy.
\n\nExpansion of Area Studies Programs
\nHan Zhibin, vice-president of Northwest University, said the discipline of \"area studies\" is driven by national strategic needs and structural changes in China’s relations with the world. He noted that one or two area and country studies programs are emerging nationwide every day.
\nHan added that each university lists seven or eight supporting disciplines in official documents to support these programs. While he stated that area studies are intended to serve national needs, he said translating academic research into policy is difficult and represents a new challenge for the field.
\nAccording to Han, researchers face difficulties integrating different disciplines. He also noted that sustained fieldwork in studied countries remains insufficient, further complicating the ability of academics to provide actionable insights for government decision-makers.
\n\nShifting Global Frameworks and Western Influence
\nDi Dongsheng, dean of the School of Global and Area Studies at Renmin University, said China needed to develop its own framework for understanding the world as its global footprint expanded. He reported that China’s past integration into global markets relied heavily on Western-led structures, which reduced the need to independently study different regions.
\nDi stated that China’s understanding of the world was primarily anchored in studying the United States, followed by Europe and Japan. He said China had little need to invest heavily in understanding other regions independently because it was \"navigating the world on someone else’s ship – piggybacking on the global markets built by the West,\" according to the South China Morning Post.
\nHowever, Di asserted that relying on Western structures is no longer viable as China’s technology, standards, and capital expand globally. This shift necessitates a more independent approach to regional analysis.
\n\nPerspectives from the Global South and Beyond
\nLiu Qing, vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said international research is moving beyond traditional focuses on geopolitics and economics as perspectives from the Global South gain prominence. She stated that the Global South represents not just an emerging geopolitical force but also the rise of its own intellectual power and ideas.
\nYang Jiemian, a senior research fellow at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said China needs to escape the trap of Western-centrism. He argued that responding to Western claims of hegemony by insisting on innocence is playing defense and remaining trapped in a cycle.