A high-level delegation of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) visited Fudan University in Shanghai, where representatives of the two institutions held an exchange on the current state and future development of China–European Union relations.

The meeting brought together senior members of the European Parliament from different political groups and representatives of Fudan University. Discussions focused on China–EU relations, current geopolitical dynamics, global governance, and opportunities to strengthen academic cooperation and dialogue between European and Chinese institutions.

The European Parliament delegation was led by David McAllister, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and included Engin Eroglu, Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with the People’s Republic of China, Javi López, Vice-President of the European Parliament, as well as Members of the European Parliament Lucia Annunziata, Adam Bielan, Hilde Vautmans and Nicolás Pascual de la Parte.

Prof. Dr. Shaohua Yan, Senior Research Fellow of the Institute for National and International Security (INIS), Associate Professor and Deputy Director at Fudan University, and Associate Editor of Asia Europe Journal, made an important contribution to establishing and developing this dialogue. The meeting followed his earlier discussions with MEP Engin Eroglu in Brussels and represented another step in strengthening communication between Fudan University and European institutions.

The Fudan University side also included Vice President Prof. Lei Zhou and other academic representatives, providing an opportunity to consider how universities, research institutions, and scholars can help maintain communication channels amid increasing geopolitical and geoeconomic complexity.

For INIS, the participation of its Senior Research Fellow in such a high-level academic and institutional dialogue is particularly significant. It reflects the international engagement of the Institute’s research network and the importance INIS places on academic diplomacy, dialogue and cooperation among institutions from different regions of the world.

At a time when relations between major global actors are increasingly shaped by strategic competition, economic security, and geopolitical uncertainty, direct dialogue between academic institutions and political decision-makers remains an important instrument for improving mutual understanding and identifying areas where cooperation remains both possible and necessary.