image: Professor LI Cheng, Founding Director of the Centre on Contemporary China and the World, HKU
Credit: The University of Hong Kong
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is launching a new interdisciplinary think tank, the Centre on Contemporary China and the World (CCCW). Its aim is to foster international collaboration to study China and global governance in a world facing economic turbulence, environmental degradation, technological transformation, and geopolitical challenges.
Professor LI Cheng, an internationally renowned political scientist, and a seasoned think tank scholar, will serve as CCCW’s founding director. Prior to joining HKU, Professor Li served as director of the Brookings Institution’s John L. Thornton China Center, where he remains a nonresident senior fellow. Professor Li is also a director of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, a Distinguished Fellow of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at University of Toronto, a nonresident fellow at Yale University’s Paul Tsai China Center, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
CCCW’s inception arrives at a critical moment amidst escalating geopolitical tensions worldwide. CCCW builds on the robust foundation of HKU’s internationally renowned faculty, diverse student body, and exceptional academic tradition. By assembling a large pool of researchers from around the world—including affiliated HKU faculties, post-doctoral fellows, distinguished visiting fellows, and young global China scholars, CCCW will promote interdisciplinary and international collaboration to address pressing governance challenges.
“Hong Kong, uniquely positioned as a cosmopolitan city, cultural crossroads, and bridge to the Greater Bay Area, is the ideal location for our new global think tank. Hong Kong’s influence on international discourse makes it a crucial enabler of global integrations. At HKU, we’re committed to nurturing meaningful interdisciplinary and international collaborations to facilitate these vital developments.” said Professor Xiang Zhang, President and Vice-chancellor of HKU.
CCCW’s initial research directions encompass five areas: science and technology transformation; climate change and alternative energy; economic and financial reforms; political leadership and generational transition; and geopolitical landscape change, with an emphasis on the Sino-U.S. relationship.
CCCW will be officially launched on December 15 (Friday), at a high-profile conference themed “A Renewed Hub and a New Horizon” (新樞紐、新格局). The launch will include a full day of dynamic programming including keynote speeches, fireside conversations, and panel discussions featuring prominent scholars, diplomats, and practitioners from Hong Kong, mainland China, and around the world. Further details on the programme and speakers will be provided later.
Through publications, public forums, private roundtables, and media commentaries, CCCW scholars will strive to produce comprehensive, original, accessible, high-quality, and creative research. The Centre aims to become a leading voice of reason, a bridge for mutual understanding, and a constructive force for peace across the Pacific and around the world.
Media enquiries
Communication and Public Affairs Office, HKU
Ms Melanie Wan (Tel: 2859 2600 / Email: melwkwan@hku.hk)
Ms Jaymee Ng (Tel: 3910 3612 / Email: ngjaymee@hku.hk)
Mr Kenneth Choi (Tel: 2859 2607 / Email: khkchoi@hku.hk)