Overcoming Powerlessness: EU Security Governance Towards Neighboring Countries

Dr. Hongfei Gu is an assistant professor at the School of International Relations, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (GDUFS), China. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in Political Science from the University of Lódź in Poland, MA in European Studies from the University of Macau and BA in Journalism from Tianjin Foreign Studies University. Prior joining GDUFS, he served as a research fellow at the Polish Studies Center, Xi’an International Studies University (XISU), and postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of European Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). He was a trainee at the Ośrodek Spraw Azjatyckich (Center for Asian Affairs) in University of Lódź (2016-2017) and research assistant in University of Macau (2014-2015). Specializing in Eastern European Politics and China-EU relations, Dr. Gu has published a number of articles in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes on those topics. His monograph Frustrated Relations?: China with Central and Eastern Europe also published by Springer in 2023. As the winner of a number of research grants from the Ministry of Education (PRC) and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, he has conducted research into European security and defense issues as well as China’s cooperation with the Central and Eastern European countries. Dr. Gu is a regular contributor to Chinese and international media, including China Daily, Global Times, China Radio International etc., and has spoken at dozens of international conferences across countries in Asia and Europe.

Dr. Minjia Bian is an assistant professor at the Marxism School of Shanxi Agricultural University (SXAU), China. She obtained her Ph.D. degree in Diplomacy from China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU), MA in International Relations from China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU) and BA in English Studies from Shanxi Agricultural University (SXAU). Specializing in China-EU relations and security governance of the EU, Dr. Bian has published numbers of articles in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes on those topics in Chinese.