Political Reconciliation - Foundation Office China
Event Reports
The Hong Kong Baptist University and the KAS foreign office in Beijing held on the 5th-6th of June 2014 in collaboration with the Department for Government and International Studies, a global social science conference about “Political reconciliation, a comparative perspective” dealing with political resolutions in Asia and Europe, placing special emphasis on China and Germany. The thematic focus of the conference was placed on both the theoretical background of comparative analysis, as well as on particular past and current conflict reconciliations. Numerous prominent international experts, some of which were from China and Germany, enriched the discussion by sharing their topic-related research. Their inspiring contributions created a platform for animated debate and the exchange of ideas.
Despite the presence of international institutions like the United Nations or political alliances, numerous historically-based conflicts continue to smolder throughout world conflicts. Well-known political and social scientists are, therefore, concerning themselves with the question of how political rapprochement could be achieved through reconciliation.
The conference "Political reconciliation - a comparative perspective" in Hong Kong, launched by the Department for Government and International Studies together with the Hong Kong Baptist University, in close collaboration with the KAS foreign office Beijing thus dedicated itself to the discussion of the above-related topic. By basing themselves off of past and present conflict study theories, and through the comparison of both successful and futile conflict resolutions, international experts reviewed and discussed solutions to current tensions. Given the setting, exclusive focus was dedicated to Sino-Japanese tensions and territorial disputes in East Asia.
On the first day of the conference, the global professionals presented their theoretical concepts of political reconciliation and analyzed each possibility and limitation in light of its own context. The lectures were based on the overarching theme: political reconciliation in changing societies and transnational legal platforms. On the second day, concrete past and present conflict resolution issues were analyzed with, inter alia, European examples. The contributions of renowned experts in political reconciliation and the past coping strategies of East Asian states gave impetus to fruitful debates and in-depth analysis. Furthermore, a comparison between German-Polish and Polish-Russian relations was drawn.
The results of each discussion were individually analyzed in a subsequent session. A summary of the different resolutions will be made available in the soon-to-be-issued publication of the event.
