Understanding contemporary China has been at the heart of ISDP's Asia activities since its foundation. Through publications, conferences, public presentations and informal briefings, ISDP attempts to provide policymakers in Europe and elsewhere with the information and analysis they need to understand China as it rises as an economic, military and cultural power.
In order to understand how policy is formulated and decisions are made in China, ISDP has formed partnerships with key research and policymaking institutions, including the China Institutes for Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) and the PLA Academy of Military Science (AMS). Each year guest researchers from CICIR and AMS spend up to three months with ISDP in Stockholm. The outcome of their research is published as a paper in our Asia Papers series and is presented to the public during our Asia Forum series of talks. During their time in Stockholm, the guest researchers also visit other academic institutions and Swedish government agencies and interact with the scholarly and policy community in Stockholm. ISDP also regularly exchanges delegations with its partners in China for the purpose of exchanging opinions and making study trips.
ISDP has held an annual international conference in cooperation with the PLA Academy of Military Science since 2008, covering the following topics:
- The Situation in West Asia and North Africa and its Impact on the International Strategic Configuration (Beijing, 2011, proceedings in preparation for publication)
- A New Strategic Landscape: Changes, Challenges and Consequences (Stockholm, 2010)
- The Impact of the Economic Crisis on the International Strategic Configuration (Beijing, 2009)
- Military Reform: Practice and Lessons (Xianghe, Hebei, 2008)
- China's military modernization
- The changing regional security landscape
- China's leadership transition in 2012
- Cross-Strait relations
- China-EU relations
- Sino-Japanese relations
- Sino-Russian relations
Completed research projects include:
- Management of Ethnic Relations and Conflict in Western China: Past and Present (Xiaolin Guo and Michael Schoenhals)
China & PLA Newsletter
As part of the China initiative, the ISDP also publishes a free weekly newsletter, which focuses on the latest developments occurring within the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and China. If you would like to subscribe to the PLA & China Newsletter, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
