The Shanghai-based Fudan University established its first research center for Chinese studies in Europe, in a joint project with the University of Copenhagen.

The Fudan-European Center for China Studies at the University of Copenhagen is a strategic initiative of Fudan University to meet the unprecedented demand for resources to understand China's development and to advance social science and humanistic studies on China in a European and international context, said Lin Shangli, vice-president of Fudan University, at the opening ceremony on April 10 in Shanghai.

The center will promote scholarly communication between China and Europe and be dedicated to cutting-edge, in-depth and policy research on the critical issues of China, such as the welfare state and social policies, social innovation and civic participation, political institutions and public governance, national identity and political culture, conflict resolution and peace building, and economic models and sustainable development, according to the university.

The center will open on April 16 at the University of Copenhagen and will be located in the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies. Other European universities and institutes of Chinese studies will also be involved in the project. An interdisciplinary and cross-department advisory committee, comprising celebrated scholars in the fields of politics, international relations, economics law, sociology and public policy, will offer advice to the center.

"The establishment of the center will elevate the theoretical value of Chinese studies in contemporary social sciences and promote the development of social sciences," said Lin.

Through initiatives such as seasonal panel discussions or small seminars, the annual China-Europe Forum, a series of lectures and thesis presentations, the center will appeal to top researchers and new prominent scholars in China and Europe to develop its academic network.