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?.

Based on the German federal government¡¯s first?, 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.¡±

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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¡±.

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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.

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¡°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