China and Silk

In October 2025, I attended two major academic conferences in Shanghai—both by invitation, and, curiously, as the only scholar from Scandinavia. That absence felt unjust to the more experienced Nordic experts in China studies who deserve a seat at such global forums. What unfolded was a journey through two distinct but interwoven events—each offering a lens into China’s intellectual landscape and its evolving role in the world. The 2nd World Conference on China Studies The first event, the 2nd World Conference on China Studies, brought together over 500 scholars from 50 countries under the theme “Historical and Contemporary China: A Global Perspective.” I participated in the sub-forum titled “China in Global Context: Continuity and Innovation of Civilisation.” It was a masterfully orchestrated gathering… Continue reading here on TFF Substack… Remember to subscribe when you are there. Then you will also automatically get TFF PressInfo and not miss any of what we say and do.

Professor Zhang Weiwei is a highly respected Chinese intellectual and professor at Fudan University in Shanghai. He is the director of its China Institute and also runs a series of conversations with many different people around the world. Here is what came out of their meetings there and in Skopje, Macedonia in October 2024: & As you can see, also at the end of the second one, we both enjoy win-win exchanges like these about world order issues. Zhang Weiwei is known for using videos and social media to reach a large audience in China and worldwide. We suggest you see many more of Zhang Weiwei’s conversations – like recently with Professor Jeffrey Sachs – on the Thinkers’ Forum on YouTube. PSTFF posts hundreds of videos, its own and those of others, in our Video Collections on TFF Substack – including those that appear on YouTube. However, TFF has been cancelled by Google-owned...