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Understanding China

2017

An international contest for CEE university students

 

 

 

Introduction

 

The 16+1 cooperation between China and its sixteen Central and Eastern European partners has become one of the most interesting initiatives of our region. Budapest was the host of the first high-level meeting between the two parties in 2011, followed by the first summit in Warsaw in 2012 and the annual summits in Bucharest, Belgrade, and finally in Suzhou, China. Political relations are flourishing, Chinese companies are thriving the CEE region, as more and more tourists arrive in our countries from the Middle Kingdom. However, people-to-people exchanges are somewhat lagging behind the pace of economic and trade developments. Having realised the importance of mutual understanding, the Central and Eastern European Center for Asian Studies (www.ceecas.org) and the Antall József Knowledge Centre (www.ajtk.hu) would like to further promote the 16+1 cooperation by organising an international knowledge contest for university students of CEE countries in 2017: The Understanding China Contest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 2017 Contest

 

The aim of the contest is to raise awareness of the importance of China and the 16+1 cooperation throughout the CEE region, with a special focus on the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs, and intellectuals in the sixteen participating countries.

 

The contest has two rounds:

 

The first, local round will select national champions from all sixteen CEE countries, based on an online trivia quiz. Contenders are requested to follow the link below to the online trivia to begin journey. The quiz tests their knowledge on modern Chinese society, economy, as well as foreign and security policy. The system randomly selects 40 multiple choice questions to be answered within the time limit of 30 minutes.

 

Based on the results of the quiz, the organisers will invite the best-performing students to write an abstract of their research paper (450-500 words). A scientific jury will select the best abstracts to be developed into a full, scientific-quality research paper about modern Chinese economics, politics, society or foreign affairs (5000 words).

 

The second, live round will take place in Budapest, where all national champions will present their papers. The final winners will be selected by a jury of high-profile international experts and diplomats from the CEE countries and from China, who will also assess the quality of the papers and their presentation. First, second, and third place will all receive a prize.

 

All expenses, including international travel and accommodation in Budapest, will be covered by the organisers!  (Please note that it only applies for university students travelling from the 16 CEE countries.)

 

 

Contenders are welcome to choose their specific topic in the following areas:

 

- Foreign Policy of China in the 21st Century

- Social Challenges in Contemporary China

- Economics of China

- The Global Role of China

- Internationalisation of the RMB and the Banking System of China

 

Prizes:

 

1st Prize: Laptop

2nd Prize: Smartphone

3rd Prize: Android Tablet

 

 

Eligibility

 

All university students and citizens of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia are welcome to join the contest. The age limit of the participants is 28.

 

If you have any questions feel free to contact us via email chinacontest@ajtk.hu

 

 

Timeline of the Contest

 

The first round

 

Availability of online quiz

31 January 2017- 28 February 2017

 

Announcement of Quiz results

3 March 2017

 

Deadline for handing in the Abstract  

15 March 2017

 

Evaluating the abstratcts and notifying shortlisted candidates of the second round

22 March 2017

 

Time allocated for writing the Research Paper        

23 March 2017- 20 April 2017

 

The second, live round in Budapest

 

Opening Ceremony                        

27 April 2017

 

Contest

28 April, 2017

 

 

 

 

The Organisers

 

The Central and Eastern European Center for Asian Studies

 

CEECAS was established in order facilitate joint projects and networking programs among experts of Asia and especially China in the CEE region and their Asian counterparts. While most researchers in Central Europe have excellent working relations with their Chinese counterparts, their intra-regional cooperation and communication needs further strengthening. Major international projects, like the 16+1 cooperation between the People’s Republic of China and sixteen CEE countries are also demanding stronger cooperation in the region. CEECAS aims to foster joint research programs in the fields of modern political sciences, international relations, security studies, and economics with regard to Asia. The Center would like to become the main regional disseminator of information on international research projects, conferences, and publications on Asian studies. At the same time, CEECAS would also like to act as an interconnector between CEE governments, business circles, and academia.

Founding members and scientific supporters of the Center include the most renowned experts on Asia in the CEE region from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and Slovakia. Their academic records, governmental connections, and educational activities are the main resources for our success.  

Furthermore the Center aspires to be the main source of information and knowledge in the region for the wider public as well. The people of Central and Eastern Europe need much more information on China and Asia both in terms of quantity and quality. We certainly believe that a new balance has to be reached between Western and Eastern media resources, and the Center hopes to play a vital role in this project, especially with regard to the youth of our region. 

 

The Antall József Knowledge Centre

 

The Knowledge Centre was established in 2010 in cooperation with the Corvinus University of Budapest as an independent, non-governmental organisation, where one of our key aims is to support the intellectual development and research activities of students, researchers, and young professionals, in line with the philosophy of József Antall, the first freely elected Prime Minister of Hungary, who served from 1990 to 1993. Besides preserving the Antall tradition and philosophy of education, research, and academic publishing, our institution puts great emphasis on talent management. Academic work is built on university students in BA and MA programmes, as well as PhD students. Through our internship opportunities, numerous enthusiastic students assist the work of the institution and take part in the organisation of our events. Our main mission is to launch programmes which, beyond the theoretical education provided by universities, equip students with wide-ranging practical knowledge via conferences, lecture series, trainings and roundtable conversations. AJKC is gradually expanding its international relations, and seeks cooperation with national and international institutions with a similar profile. AJKC has also developed its Chinese relations and organize conferences related to the country’s economic, foreign and secure policy, sustainable development. Due to the increasing number of our international activities, we established an office in Brussels in 2015 so as to be able to bring our successful and varied programmes to the heart of the European Union.

Our partners

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