Spotlight on … New Research Fellow Julia Gurol-Haller

What is the focus of your research and what are you most looking forward to in this position at the GIGA? My research focuses on China as a global actor, with particular emphasis on Chinese foreign policy, infrastructure politics in the Global South, visions of world order and narratives in the CCP’s external communication. I could not think of a better place to do this research than at GIGA. What I look forward to most at my position at the GIGA is to engage in inter-regional collaborations on China’s global role, to have my theoretical and empirical perspectives constructively challenged by all the brilliant minds at GIGA, and to broaden my horizons through policy advising and research transfer.

What difficulties do you expect to encounter during your research? These would definitely be data restrictions, difficulties of access during field research and sensitivity concerns. Working in, with and in authoritarian contexts has become increasingly tricky. Chinese official sources are often highly curated and opaque, and fieldwork may be constrained by political sensitivities or logistical limitations. Navigating these challenges requires a lot of time and careful planning, a commitment to ethical research practices, and creative triangulation across diverse sources, regions, and disciplinary approaches. But: nothing is impossible! What would you like the impact of your research to be? I hope my research contributes to a more granular and context-sensitive understanding of China as a global actor - one that moves beyond binary frameworks of competition or cooperation. That goes for academic as well as policy discussions. I also want to communicate my findings to the wider public. Especially in the current geopolitical context and amidst global power shifts, there seems to be a lot of interest in understanding how China acts on the international stage, what its motives are and what that means for Germany and the EU. If I can manage to convey even small parts of my research on these topics to people beyond the academic and policy bubbles, that would be a blast! Qualitative or quantitative? Qualitative –most preferably in the field. Big conference or small workshop? Small workshop with in-depth discussions and the potential to really get to know people. Paperback book or eBook? Paperback without a doubt. I like it the analogue way.