School delegation visits partner university in Xiamen

A delegation of Politics and International Relations staff from Cardiff visited the School of International Relations (SIR) of Xiamen University in November. Coming in the wake of the inauguration of the new strategic partnership between Cardiff and Xiamen, the visit explored practical avenues of cooperation  highlighting in particular collaborative research, student exchange, and teaching provision. The visit speaks to deepening ties between the two Schools. Last year a joint School workshop on maritime security was organised in Xiamen, while SIR was involved in an international conference on the history of China's foreign relations, hosted by Cardiff this October.

Professor Sergey Radchenko, member of the delegation, commented, “We are excited about the new strategic partnership. DPIR and SIR have partially overlapping but also mutually complementary areas of expertise.  We look forward to strengthening collaboration with our Chinese colleagues, working together to deliver world-leading research output. We also anticipate that the partnership will offer students on both sides excellent opportunities for exchange, learning, and career development."

During the visit the delegation held detailed discussions with the management of SIR, attended a scheduled lecture by a SIR professor and explored campus facilities. As part of the visit, Dr. Christian Bueger, Reader in International Relations, gave a well-attended talk entitled “Maritime security. The rise of a new order at sea”. In his talk Dr. Bueger drew on results of his ESRC funded project “Counter-Piracy Governance. A Praxiographic Analysis” and discussed the consequences of the maritime security discourse for how the oceans are perceived and governed.