Germany urges ‘realpolitik’ attitude to Chinese collaborations

German higher education institutions should adopt an “interest-oriented, risk-reflective and competence-based” approach to collaboration with China, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) advises in a new paper.

Based on the German federal government’s first Strategy on China, released in 2023, DAAD recommends a “realpolitik” attitude to collaboration in the paper, encouraging institutions to pursue mutually beneficial relationships with Chinese universities and research institutes while assessing security risks.

Last year, Germany’s government described China as “simultaneously a partner, competitor and systemic rival” in its 64-page strategy document. The government said there were no plans to “decouple” from China, stressing a continued desire for cooperation, but called for a “de-risking” approach, defined as “reducing dependencies in critical areas, keeping geopolitical aspects in mind when taking economic decisions, and increasing our resilience”.

“We have institutions in Germany that have collaborated with leading institutions in China for many decades, and of course it is in our interest that we keep these ties alive,” DAAD president Joybrato Mukherjee told Times Higher Education. “Some of these institutions in China harbour the best research groups in their particular field so it’s in our interest to collaborate.”

German institutions should determine and prioritise their own interests while organising collaborations with their Chinese counterparts, DAAD advises, while students and early career researchers from both countries should engage in “reciprocal” exchange programmes.

“We need cultural exchange, and the best point to do that is when people are young,” Professor Mukherjee told THE. “There are many global challenges that can only be tackled if we work together, despite the differences in our political systems”.

The risks of both cooperation and non-cooperation should be weighed in the planning stage, the organisation recommends, while cooperative projects should be transparent and “based on clearly formulated contracts and agreements”.

“Not all German institutions have the resources available for these kinds of risk assessment procedures, for these kinds of structures that need to be built in every single institution,” Professor Mukherjee acknowledged. “Smaller universities will need help and additional resources.”

Warning against a “defensive and cautious” attitude to cooperation with Chinese universities and research institutes, DAAD advises an “active approach to China” as a “challenging and complex” partner.

German institutions, researchers and students must also develop a greater understanding of the Chinese science system and broader society, including lived experience via exchange programmes, DAAD says, with a lack of “China competence” and Chinese language skills a significant impediment to successful collaboration.

“China has developed into a successful scientific nation and is now a world leader in some areas. In addition, many of the man-made crises, such as rapid climate change and the mass extinction of species, can only be successfully overcome on a global scale in cooperation with China,” Professor Mukherjee said.

“At the same time, the People’s Republic is a challenging partner in foreign science policy and is also seen as a systemic rival by the German government in its China strategy. Academic cooperation with China must take this differentiated reassessment into account: scientific cooperation with China must be shaped realistically.”

 emily.dixon@timeshighereducation.com