51° 2/2011: China
Cooperation and conflict are inextricably linked in international relations work. There is one thing above all that fundamental differences between nations and a lack of mutual understanding make abundantly clear, however – and that is the essential need for dialogue.
This is precisely why Stiftung Mercator decided to launch its “Enlightenment in Dialogue” series of events. The title can be taken literally – we wish to enter into an open and critical dialogue with China. Our aim was to create a platform for mutual exchange, and we have achieved this. Michael Schaefer, the German ambassador in Beijing, reports on the first event in the series in the cover page interview of this edition, which we have devoted to China.
We will also be presenting an extraordinary cooperative venture that we initiated between the cities of Wuxi and Düsseldorf, take a look back at our New Year reception, and hear from a Chinese cultural manager who visited Germany within the framework of our exchange programme. In our column, the author Frank Sieren explores the image Germans have of China and the way the Chinese view Germany.
Furthermore, this edition of 51° will report on the teacher training congress for German as a second language in Dortmund, introduce you to two fellows of our Chance2 scholarship programme, and slip into the shoes of a participant in our Young Islam Conference. We will also be reporting on the official opening of our Berlin Project Centre and the next round of the Global Young Faculty, our successful network of excellence.