Mercator Institute for China Studies


The Mercator Institute for China Studies is a leading German think tank and the largest European think tank with an exclusive focus on China. The non-profit organization was founded in 2013 by Stiftung Mercator, one of Germany’s largest private foundations. MERICS conducts research and fosters dialogue on the ascent of China as a key global player. The institute’s focus is on political, economic, social, technological and ecological developments in China and their global impacts.

Organization

Based in Berlin, MERICS was founded in 2013 by the Stiftung Mercator, one of Germany’s largest private foundations. MERICS is an independent non-profit organization. Stiftung Mercator is its only shareholder and has committed to provide the institute with 33 million euros in funding for the period from 2013 to the end of 2023.
MERICS employs an international team of researchers. Its founding director is the China expert Sebastian Heilmann, who after five years at the helm of the institute returned to his position as a professor for the political economy of China at the University of Trier. In August 2018, Frank N. Pieke took over the position of director. Since February 2020, the institute is led by Mikko Huotari as director and Bettina Bubnys as Chief Financial Officer. MERICS employs a staff of about 30. Prominent members of MERICS’ advisory board include Thomas Bagger, Director of Foreign Policy in the Office of the Federal President of Germany, Sandra Breka, Member of the Board of Management of the Robert Bosch Foundation, Caio Koch-Weser, Chairman of the Board of the European Climate Foundation, Eberhard Sandschneider, Professor for Chinese Politics at the Free University of Berlin and former Director of the German Council on Foreign Relations, Michael Schaefer, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt and former German ambassador to China.

Function and Research

MERICS conducts interdisciplinary research on major political, economic and social trends in China and their impact on Europe and the global community. The institute advises decision makers in politics, industry and civil society. It also provides information and analysis to the public.
Major research areas include:
- The future of digitization in China – from industrial upgrading and the internet economy to big-data enabled social monitoring
- China’s emergence as a global player in international institutions and regimes, and as a shaper of new multilateral initiatives
- China’s growing presence as an investor in Europe
- China’s political and social development under President Xi Jinping

Publications

Research

MERICS : research and in-depth Analysis.
MERICS : analysis of current trends / policy recommendations.
MERICS : infographics and statistics.

News

MERICS : bi-weekly Newsletter.
MERICS : analysis and commentary by MERICS experts.
MERICS : interviews with MERICS experts and guests.

Cooperations and Events

MERICS is an official partner of the Munich Security Conference and an academic partner of the bi-annual. The institute also has cooperations with the Faculty of East Asian Studies at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum and with the University of Duisburg-Essen. MERICS organizes the annual “Trierer China-Gespräche“ in cooperation with the alumni association of Trier University, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and the Bundesakademie für Sicherheitspolitik. The institute hosts regular events from internal expert roundtables to public panels at its offices in Berlin.