The French Centre for Research on Contemporary China (CEFC) is a publicly funded research institute, part of the network of the 27 French research centres abroad supported by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the CNRS.

Who we are and what we do

• The only independent European Research Centre in China entirely devoted to the study of contemporary China.
• A public research institute, the CEFC is jointly funded by the French Foreign Ministry and National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), with a mission to study the political, economic, social, and cultural developments in Greater China.
• Established in 1991, the Centre is based in Hong Kong, with a branch office in Taipei since 1994, as well as individual researchers based in mainland China.
• Statutory researchers are either posted to the CEFC by the CNRS or appointed by the Scientific Board of the French Research Institutes in Asia convened by the Foreign Ministry, but the CEFC also hosts researchers from any European institution. A strong network of researchers who have previously worked in the Centre covers a large spectrum of disciplines within the social sciences and the humanities.
• The Centre actively promotes doctoral research by funding mobility grants and hosting the awardees in the Centre.
• The CEFC regularly organises Research Seminars and International Conferences.
• The CEFC is closely linked with academic and intellectual networks in China thanks to its cooperation agreements with local institutions in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, and the PRC, as well as a network of associate researchers in these institutions.
• You can read our latest activity report here.

Directors

Michel Bonnin (1991-1998)
Jean-Pierre Cabestan (1998-2003)
Gilles Guiheux (2003-2006)
Jean-François Huchet (2006-2011)
Sebastian Veg (2011-2015)
Eric Florence (2015-2019)
Pierre Miège (2019-2023)
Benjamin Taunay (2023-current)