China Studies Centre (CSC)

What is the global significance of studying China today? At the China Studies Centre, we take the bold view that local knowledge and expertise on China is profoundly relevant to serious engagement with the increasingly connected issues of our time. Our goal is to learn how China is dealing with issues that are of global relevance. 

The China Studies Centre is an initiative funded by the University, established in 2011, with today over 300 academic members, in addition to student members and associates, active across 19 disciplines. We propose that social sciences, humanities and natural sciences can collaborate to build a locally informed and multidisciplinary perspective on the lessons and challenges of the Chinese experience. This requires a deeper look at the specific historical, cultural and social contexts and an open, inquisitive attitude toward the scientific knowledge that China is producing. Such an approach is becoming essential in global engagement with the challenges of urbanisation, including adaptation to climate change, equitable access to health services, or the opportunities and ethics of new technologies. To facilitate this broader conversation, the China Studies Centre aims to:  

• Stimulate multidisciplinary enquiry relative to China
• Help to identify and address key contemporary issues as they develop in China
• Support University students and staff whose academic activity furthers our understanding of China and the Sinophone world (including Taiwan, Hong Kong, overseas Chinese)
• Be a gateway to comprehensive knowledge about China for government, business and civil society organisations
• Improve the quality of public debate about China and increase outreach to Australian and Chinese societies.