Academic conference on Sino-EU relations held at UM

The Jean Monnet Chair (JMC) Academic Conference: ‘European Union-China Relations from the Perspective of Global Governance’, hosted by the Department of Government and Public Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau (UM), was held in the Ho Yin Conference Hall at the university on 29 May. During the event, 17 scholars from universities in mainland China, the United Kingdom, Portugal, and Macao had in-depth discussions on issues such as the governance of the European Union (EU), Sino-EU relations, and global governance.

Prof Song Weiqing, the Jean Monnet Chair, chaired the opening ceremony of the conference and said that discussions at the conference would help participants deepen their understanding of Sino-EU relations. He added that the outcomes of the conference and subsequent research would serve as an important academic basis for scholars and practitioners in related fields.

Prof Rui Martins, vice rector (global affairs) of UM, and Dr Sales Marques, president of the Institute of European Studies of Macau (IEEM), made remarks at the opening ceremony. Prof Martins said that the conference received support from UM,  universities and academic institutions in mainland China, and relevant academic programmes of the EU, and would enhance research and collaboration in the areas of China-EU relations and global governance.

According to Dr Sales Marques, as a special administrative region of China, Macao has a relationship with Europe that goes back a long way and has been actively following European affairs, including the development of the EU. In addition, academic conferences are conducive to promoting a better understanding of Europe in Macao and mainland China, and can enhance exchange in academic affairs and in the field of humanities.

 This conference was co-funded by UM and the European Union’s Erasmus+ Programme. Participants in the conference include Zhang Li, associate professor in the School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University; Ding Chun, professor in the Institute of World Economy, School of Economics, Fudan University; Zeng Jinghan, professor at Lancaster University; He Yun, associate professor in the School of Public Administration, Hunan University; Lai Suet-yi, associate professor in the Centre for European Studies, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies; Zhao Chen, Ye Bin, and He Zhigao, research fellows in the Institute of European Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; and Hu Weixing, dean of the FSS, UM.