Looking globally
The burden of international economy for over a dozen of years has been tilting towards the Far East. Asian countries have simultaneously become leading players on the chessboard of global politics. And so, the initiative of creating a Center for Asian Affairs undertaken by an outstanding expert on Chinese diplomacy, prof. Dominik Mierzejewski. Establishing the unit is primarily a response to the need for Poland to actively shape the European Union's policy towards Asian countries. The works of experts and researchers from Lodz focus mainly on strengthening the potential of local governments, business environment institutions and enterprises. This work is primarily for the purpose of the development of contacts with regions, cities and business of Asian countries.
Local (and not only) monitoring
Center for Asian Affairs cooperates, among others, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, Ministry of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation, Marshal Office of the Lodz Voivodship, Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), KGHM Polska Miedź Foundation and Hatrans company that organizes railway connection from Lodz to the Chinese city of Chengdu. Specialists from the think-tank focus on performing studies and analyses with respect to the new political and economic trends. It’s worth mentioning that the CAA is a member of an international consortium gathering leading research units that undertake studies concerning Eastern Asia – East Asia Net.
Project leaders
During its short history, from December 2015, the UL Center for Asian Affairs has obtained funding for two scientific projects from the National Science Centre*: on the role of local authorities in Chinese foreign politics (manager: prof. Dominik Mierzejewski) as well as Chinese politics towards developing countries (manager prof. Dominik Mierzejewski). Moreover, the UL CAA has obtained a grant from KGHM Polska Miedź Foundation and a grant from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland within the public and local diplomacy programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland. The aftermath of the latter two projects are two reports - published by the Lodz University Press in cooperation with the University of Lodz Foundation - „Aktywność polityczna i gospodarcza Chińskiej Republiki Ludowej w regionie Europy Środkowej i Wschodniej” [Political and economic activity of the People's Republic of China in the region of Central and Eastern Europe] and „Interakcje władz lokalnych w formacie 16+1 – Wnioski dla Polski” [Interactions of local authorities in the 16+1 format - Conclusions for Poland].
Promotion of Poland and Lodz
CAA is also an organiser of the largest in the region of Central and Eastern Europe summer school for partner universities from China. Since 2017, in total more than 500 students as well as academic teachers from around 200 universities from the People's Republic of China have come to the University of Lodz. The students took part in lectures about Poland: its history, art and traditions, and they took part in optional trips to Warsaw, Lodz region and a special guided tour of Lodz. The summer school participants have the opportunity to participate in five selective modules: economics, ecohydrology, IT, philology and a module on broadly understood management.
An exception on a nationwide scale
The Center is the first Polish think-tank established at the University:
– What distinguishes the Center for Asian Affairs from other think-tanks is a fact that it is the first university initiative of this type in Poland. Thanks to that the team of CAA consists of specialists who have great substantive preparation as well as broad practical experience combined with the knowledge of Asian languages. We are becoming more and more appreciated in terms of content as evidenced by our participation in the Asia-Pacific Council of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, and the fact that our experts publish internationally. It is also important that young students of Asian studies, both from Poland and abroad, have internships at CAA - emphasizes Dominik Mierzejewski, Head of the Center.
Activity of the Center is an example of effective realization of the research mission of UL. The University focuses not only on realization of two large projects, but also on their results promotion in Poland and abroad. Simultaneously, UL once again proves that it is a forge of outstanding graduates and valuable solutions, which can be used in the development of social, political and economic life.
A doctoral student of UL on an internship at the George Washington University
An undisputable success of Asian research at the University of Lodz is the fact that a doctoral student from the Department of Asian Studies, Faculty of International and Political Studies, UL and a junior analyst at the Center for Asian Affairs UL – mgr Przemysław Ciborek has been a winner of the prestigious NAWA programme of Iwanowska. Thanks to it the graduate from the University of Lodz has a chance for a foreign scientific internship in the Elliot School of International Affairs at the George Washington University. At the Center for Asian Affairs, which is five years old this year, Przemysław Ciborek is in charge of analyses of relationships of China with Balkan states. He is also a coordinator of the largest summer school for students from China – Understanding Poland and he initiates international cooperation of the Center.
- Application concerning the issue of China's Multilateralism in the context of Sino-American interactions in Central and South-Eastern Europe has gained support of the National Agency for Academic Exchange. The NAWA grant will enable me to conduct a three-month research internship at the Sigur Center for Asian Studies, Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University in Washington, says Przemysław Ciborek.
The goal of the studies is to identify basic motivation with respect to active foreign politics of the People's Republic of China towards countries from the region of Central and Eastern Europe within the 17+1 mechanism of cooperation, with particular emphasis on Sino-American interactions.
- The studies may, among others, provide answers to the following questions: firstly, to what extent is the politics of China in Southern Europe part of China politics towards USA?; secondly, how both powers can cooperate in the wider area of South-North transport corridors in Central and Eastern Europe as well as what is the biggest motivation of Central and Eastern Europe countries to start cooperation with China? An analysis of the multilateralism of the People's Republic of China both in theoretical and practical dimensions constitutes a significant part of the research – adds the doctoral student of the Faculty of International and Political Studies, UL.
Dr hab. prof. UL Dominik Mierzejewski, who is the Head of the UL Center for Asian Affairs, is a Supervisor of mgr Przemysław Ciborek.
*National Science Centre (NCN) NCN is a government agency, supervised by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, set up in 2011 to support basic research in Poland. Basic research is defined as empirical or theoretical endeavours undertaken to gain new knowledge of the foundations of phenomena and observable facts, without any direct commercial use. NCN funds projects in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Life Sciences and Physical Sciences and Engineering.
University of Lodz is one of the biggest universities in Poland. Its mission is to educate top-class scientists and specialists in numerous fields of humanities, social sciences, natural and exact sciences as well as health sciences. UniLodz cooperates with business, both at the staff level by providing qualified employees as well as at the scientific level, by offering its know-how to enterprises from various areas of economy. University of Lodz is an academic institution open to the world – the number of its international students is constantly growing, while its Polish students, thanks to Exchange programmes, get to know Europe, Asia and travel overseas. The University is a part of Lodz, it operates for and with the community of Lodz by getting involved in many socio-cultural projects.
Source: Center for Asian Affairs, UL
Edit: Promotion Centre, UL