Chinese scholars warned of challenge of ‘translating academic research into policy’

Chinese academic courses designed to deepen understanding of different countries or regions face a challenge in better informing policy and moving beyond frameworks developed in the West, a conference in Beijing has heard.Speakers said that as the country’s international engagement deepened, it needed a better understanding of the nations it engaged with, including their political systems, histories and strategic priorities.The discipline – known in China as “area studies” – draws on disciplines including history, politics, economics and sociology to examine individual countries and regions.