The Role of German Universities in Academic Engagement with China

Abstract

This article examines how German universities engage in “science diplomacy” in their evolving relationship with the People’s Republic of China. Based on the Stiftung Mercator-funded project “Universities as Actors in Dialogue with China” (Hochschulen als Akteure im Dialog mit China), the study integrates interaction-oriented policy research, organizational actorhood, and science diplomacy scholarship to conceptualize universities as composite yet strategic actors. Empirically, it combines extensive document analysis with 49 semi-structured interviews with university-based researchers and administrators in the Ruhr and Frankfurt Rhine-Main regions. The findings reveal a broad, decentralized configuration of cooperation that includes student exchanges, joint curricula, research laboratories, and even a German campus in Hainan, yet provides limited institutional oversight of informal projects and scant internal coordination. Since the advent of Xi Jinping’s more intrusive science and security agenda, interviewees report increased politicization, securitization and regulatory complexity, heightening concerns about academic freedom, intellectual property leakage and dual-use research risks. Although many German universities identify primarily with “diplomacy for science” and “science for diplomacy,” few regard themselves as ‘diplomats’ proactively engaging in “science in diplomacy.” Capacity constraints, federal fragmentation, and ambiguous national policies further hinder systematic risk management, although due-diligence tools are increasingly being used. The study concludes that disengagement from China would undermine global problem-solving and that differentiated, transparency-oriented strategies — clarifying red lines, strengthening China competence and knowledge, and EU-level policy coordination — are essential if German universities are to remain credible bridge-builders while safeguarding academic integrity in an increasingly contested geopolitical environment.