May 28, 2025, Klaus Welle, former Secretary-General of the European Parliament and current Chairman of the Academic Committee of the Martens Centre (the think tank of the European People's Party), accompanied by Research Professor Zhuang Chengzhan, representative of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Shanghai Office, paid a visit to the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance & Area Studies (SAGGAS) upon invitation. They engaged in discussions with the academy's scholars and students, conducting in-depth exchanges on the current European situation and China-EU relations. The event was hosted by Hu Chunchun, Executive Director of the Institute for European Studies at SAGGAS.
Professor Yang Cheng, Executive Dean of SAGGAS, extended a warm welcome to the guests and provided a brief introduction to the academy's profile and research orientations. He elaborated on Chinese perspectives regarding issues of European concern, particularly the Russia-Ukraine conflict and China-EU relations. Mr. Welle shared his analysis on Europe's current focal issues, including the rise of right-wing forces in Europe, the Ukraine crisis, the future of transatlantic partnership, the EU's Critical Raw Materials Act, China-Europe-Africa trilateral cooperation, and UK-EU defense collaboration. He also addressed questions from European Studies graduate students concerning whether the reduction of U.S. aid to Ukraine would create substantial burdens for Europe.
The event was also attended by Jiang Feng, Chair of Council of SAGGAS; Xin Hua, Director of the Center for EU Studies; Li Guanjie, Think Tank Researcher at the Center for British Studies ; Associate Research Professor Zhou Jinyan; Postdoctoral Fellow Li Wei; Professor Men Jing, Director of the Center for European Studies at East China Normal University; as well as master's and doctoral students from the European Studies Institute.
