Professor Dr. Sebastian Heilmann

Chair Professor for Government and the Political Economy of China

Main research areas

Geoeconomics: Global economic ruptures due to geopolitical conflicts, with a focus on the US-China-EU triangle / Political and economic system of the People's Republic of China, with a focus on industrial, technology and financial market policies

Profile

Sebastian Heilmann holds the Chair for Government and the Political Economy of China at Trier University. He is one of the internationally most cited scholars of contemporary China from Europe. From 2013 to August 2018, Heilmann was the founding director of the Berlin-based, internationally active Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS). Under his leadership, MERICS developed into one of the most influential European institutions for China research. Heilmann's research and speaking activities focus on geoeconomic dynamics in the US-China-EU triangle as well as China’s economic system and policies. Some of his most important research work resulted from collaborative projects at Harvard University's Fairbank Center, the Harvard-Yenching Institute and Oxford University’s China Centre. Heilmann has many years of experience in advising European policymakers and corporate leaders.