EU Alumni met in Shanghai

19.09.2025

Shanghai

Press and information team of the Delegation to CHINA

On 18 September 2025, nearly 100 participants, including EU and Chinese alumni, diplomats, academics, students and young leaders joined the “EU Alumni Homecoming” event in Shanghai. This was the first time the event was held in the city. Part of a series of events marking 50 years of EU-China diplomatic relations, the event provided a platform for EU and Chinese participants to share their stories of studying and exchanging across the EU and China and to discuss how alumni can contribute to the EU-China relations today.

The evening opened with welcome remarks by Michal Skrzek, Head of Political, Press and Information Section of the EU Delegation to China, who underlined the significance of engaging with alumni and young professionals in this milestone year. He stressed that the people-to-people links are the foundation of EU-China relations. They are foundation of trust and of a mature and responsible partnership. Young people, students and researchers play a unique role in this context.

This was followed by a keynote address delivered by Professor Filippo Andrea Giurlando, Assistant Professor in the Department of International Studies at Xi’an Jiaotong–Liverpool University.

Drawing on his research in European integration and foreign policy, Professor Giurlando reflected on the 50-year trajectory of EU-China relations, covering the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead while highlighting the importance of mutual understanding and academic exchange.

In a panel discussion, Professor Giurlando exchanged with Professor Annemieke van den Dool, Assistant Professor of Environmental Policy and Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Contemporary China at Duke Kunshan University. Having studied and lived across multiple EU countries before making China her professional home, she shared how her research on health and environmental policymaking has been shaped by the European values of evidence-based governance and collaboration.

Participants engaged in discussion during the open Q&A session and networking reception.

The “EU Alumni Homecoming” is part of the EU Delegation’s ongoing ‘EUPOP’ public and cultural outreach project, supported by the EU’s Foreign Policy Instruments service. This series has already featured an edition in Beijing and will continue with further events in Guangzhou and Chengdu.