2nd Annual Workshop for Young Academic Elites
On November 10th-16th 2015, the 2nd Annual Workshop for Young Academic Elites was held at the East China Normal University. Elena Sidorova, 4th-year student of the Faculty of Economics at HSE Nizhny Novgorod took part in the event.
Participants from the following universities took part in the event: the George Washington University (USA), HSE (Russia), RANEPA(Russia), University of Washington (USA), Moscow State University (Russia), MGIMO (Russia), Manipal University (India), Tongji University (China), East China Normal University (China), University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany), Fudan University (China) as well as many others.
The list of invited speakers included Timofey Bordachev, Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies, Associate Professor at the School of International Affairs, Deputy chief editor of the Journal ‘Russia in Global Affairs’, Director of Studies at the Council of Foreign and Defense Policy; Evgeny Tomikhin, Minister Counselor of the Russian Embassy in the People's Republic of China; Stephen Aris Senior Researcher at the Center for Security Studies, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology; A. Salibekova Center for International and Regional Studies, L. N. Gumilev Eurasian National University; Bei Wenli Deputy Dean of the School of Advanced International and Area Studies at East China Normal University and many others.
The programme of the event featured a wide range of topics dedicated to Russian and Chinese relations, including the integration of countries from the Asian region, Chinese and South Asia relations, the development of Central Asia, regional security policies in Eurasia, the strategic development of China, and others. Participants also took part in masterclasses, learnt about education in China, and communicated with Chinese students.
They also participated in a cultural programme that included a night cruise on the Huangpu river, with incredible views of the skyscrapers of Shanghai. The participants also had some free time for sightseeing in Shanghai - the most populous city in the country and one of the largest cities in the world. Shanghai is also one of the largest economic and financial centres in the world.
‘During the workshop I had the opportunity to study the topic of Eurasian integration in detail. It was an honor for me to talk with Professor Timofey Bordachev and Professor Bei Wenli, renowned experts in this area. During our stay we visited such places of interest as the business center of Pudong and the Bund. I was also impressed with the Shanghai circus, where the acrobats do unbelievable tricks without safety nets, and the Shanghai Aquarium with loads of incredible creatures from the undersea world. We visited the French quarter - a historical monument of the consequences of the opium wars in China. The infrastructure of Shanghai is striking, the level of development here is very high and the economic opportunities seem limitless. Chinese students are very hospitable; they introduced us to different kinds of local food and invited us for dinner at the Uyghur restaurant. I would like to thank ECNU and HSE for supporting these Russian-Chinese partnerships and encouraging Russian students to take part in such international events,’ said Elena.