From October 12 to 14, 2023, the Association of Chinese Political Studies (ACPS), in collaboration with the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) in Germany, hosted the 35th annual meeting and international symposium. The conference theme was “China at the Crossroads: Rethinking Power, Policy, and Order in the 21st Century.”
Keynote talks were delivered by Professors Steve Chan from the University of Colorado, Brantly Womack from the University of Virginia, and Rosemary Foot from the University of Oxford. They explored the conceptual discrepancies surrounding the notion of Thucydides’ Trap, discussed recent developments in Asia—including the conceptual transition from the Asia-Pacific to the IndoPacific—and examined China’s role within the UN and global peacekeeping efforts.
The paper presentations were organized into seven thematic panels: China’s Global Influence; China’s Rise and the Liberal World Order (I & II); China-USEU Relations; Chinese Domestic Politics; China & Africa & Latin America; and Governing the Green Transition in China: Multiple Stakeholders and Policy Changes.
Opening remarks were made by Nele Noesselt, ACPS President, and Karen Shire, Professor of Comparative Sociology and Japanese Society, in her role as Vice-Rector for University Culture, Diversity & International Affairs at UDE.
Additionally, an optional visit to the MKM Museum Küppersmühle (https://museum-kueppersmuehle.de/en/museum/) was arranged prior to the evening keynote. The local organization of the conference received logistical support from UDE’s Institute of East Asian Studies (IN-EAST).