China and Europe

Europe and China do not only share the same continent Eurasia, but also grow closer together economically. They have grown strong relationships along the development of their centuries-old traditions, through contacts at various historical periods, starting since ancient times, and in a variety of fields, such as culture, arts, science and trade. Although Europe’s and China’s culture and tradition differ, both sides can profit from each other through mutual understanding on different levels.
In this volume, 21 international experts from China, Europe and beyond, present the results of their analysis of the relation of the two regions on the levels of culture, society, economy.
Key questions tackled in this book are: How to balance economical development and environmental protection? Is the 3rd way of China (by some called the “Beijing Consensus”) more successful than the 1st way of Europe? What can China learn from Europe, what can Europe learn from China?
The contributions were selected through a Call for Papers at H-Asia and a review process. The experts exchanged their views on a conference. The presenters got feedback before, at and after the conference, which they worked in. The papers went through several proofreading rounds both by mother-tongue scholars in the United States and Great Britain. All this was organized by the editorial board of the European Journal of Sinology, the first and so far only academic journal in Europe engaged specifically in a multidisciplinary approach to the study of traditional and contemporary China, in view of a comparison with the European world and culture.
The conference was organized by the Centre of excellence Altiero Spinelli (CeAS) at the University “Roma Tre”. The Centre was set up more than ten years ago, with the financial support of the European Commission. It pursues a mission aimed at encouraging intercultural studies, according to common values at the base of a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, justice and solidarity prevail.
This volume is part of the framework of the “strategic dialogue” between Europe and China, with regard in particular to its third pillar, the people to people dialogue. In this dialogue, universities are called upon to play a very important role.
This volume gives a clear vision and a mission to develop further the cultural dialogue and exchanges between Europe and China. It opens a forum of reflection and discussion on a variety of levels: culture, society, law and economy. It pushes forward comparative and intercultural studies at various levels, to bring China and Europe relationships closer together, as a basic condition for the future of a multi-polar world, in which the strategic partnership between China and Europe will become a key issue for the advancement of peace and prosperity of all people.
This volume examines the history, current state and future potential of Chinese and Europeans to learn from each other.
The volume was realized with the support of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Confucius Institute in Rome. We hope that the Special Issues Series, which starts with this volume, will produce a substantial series of similar contributions on China in the years to come, maybe applying the same format with an international conference, which has proved successful for this inaugural volume of the series.

Luigi Moccia, Rome, September 2014
Martin Woesler, Peking, September 2014