Jinghan (Michael) Zeng
@jinghanzeng.bsky.social
Professor at City University of Hong Kong Author - Memoirs of a Confucius Institute Director (2025), AI with Chinese Characteristics (2022), Slogan Politics (2020) & Chinese Communist Party (2015) Profile: https://scholars.cityu.edu.hk/en/persons/jingzeng
Confucius Institutes are often seen simply as instruments of Beijing. My new Open Access article in Critical Asian Studies shows why that is too simplistic: Chinese partner universities have their own interests, agency, and priorities. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Not for Soft Power: Chinese Universities Behind Confucius Institutes
Published in Critical Asian Studies (Ahead of Print, 2026)
tandfonline.com
Delighted to share my perspective on Hong Kong's role in Belt and Road cultural exchange with South China Morning Post SCMP. Physical road may connect places on a map, but it's a deeper human infrastructure that ensures people, ideas, and institutions keep using it. www.scmp.com/special-repo...
Hong Kong’s push for human infrastructure beyond ports and railways
Beyond physical trade routes, the city’s museums, universities and orchestras are cultivating the personal relationships needed to sustain international cooperation.
scmp.com
Delighted to share my new book, Memoirs of a Confucius Institute Director, Volume 2: Global China Shaped by Local Realities. link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
Memoirs of a Confucius Institute Director, Volume 2
This open access book offering an insider account of Confucius Institutes, showing how local contexts shape operations and global China engagement
link.springer.com
My take on Jason Arday: a direct reflection of my own experience as one of the UK's youngest professors. www.scmp.com/opinion/worl...
Opinion | Why the Jason Arday case resonates with me
While stories emphasising the personal background of academics can inspire, they can also turn those scholars into a symbol too early.
scmp.com
Delighted to share that my new book, Memoirs of a Confucius Institute Director, Volume 2: Global China Shaped by Local Realities, is now available for pre-order. Forthcoming from Springer Nature. Pre-order here: link.springer.com/book/9789819...
Memoirs of a Confucius Institute Director, Volume 2
This open access book offering an insider account of Confucius Institutes, showing how local contexts shape operations and global China engagement
link.springer.com
Delighted to share our new paper: Scientific Collaboration in the Age of AI Geopolitics: Governing Openness Under Strategic Competition. The paper is open access onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Politics & Policy | PSO Policy Research Journal | Wiley Online Library
Artificial intelligence (AI) is intensifying geopolitical competition while deepening scientific interdependence. Amid the global AI race, governments increasingly restrict technological exchange to ...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Delighted to share our new paper: Scientific Collaboration in the Age of AI Geopolitics: Governing Openness Under Strategic Competition. The paper is open access onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Politics & Policy | PSO Policy Research Journal | Wiley Online Library
Artificial intelligence (AI) is intensifying geopolitical competition while deepening scientific interdependence. Amid the global AI race, governments increasingly restrict technological exchange to ...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Hong Kong isn’t just one thing. My new op-ed at South China Morning Post makes the case for four pillars: finance, education, tech, and—above all—global governance. A multi-dimensional future starts with a multi-dimensional identity. www.scmp.com/opinion/hong...
Opinion | 4 ways Hong Kong can shape its future – and the world’s
By focusing on its foundational and emerging strengths, as well as its global potential, the city can adapt to a world in flux.
scmp.com
Look forward to returning to Lancaster to discuss my Memoirs. www.lancaster.ac.uk/events/memoi...
Memoirs of a Confucius Institute Director, Volume 1: Challenges, Controversies, and Realities, Friday 10 July, 3:00pm - Lancaster University
Jinghan Zeng (City University of Hong Kong) introduces his book on Confucius Institutes, with Andrea Ghiselli (Exeter University) serving as discussant.
lancaster.ac.uk
With the resignation of British prime minister Keir Starmer once again highlighting the volatility of British politics, my latest op-ed in FTChinese argues that China should adopt a more transactional approach towards whoever occupies 10 Downing Street next. www.ftchinese.com/story/001110...
政局动荡的诅咒再次笼罩伦敦：中国应以交易思维重构对英关系
曾敬涵：面对一个政治周期不断缩短的英国，中国需要更成熟的风险管理，构建能够穿越领导人更替周期的利益安排。
ftchinese.com
As the country’s most international city, Hong Kong possesses tremendous potential to evolve into a premier global hub for international organizations. www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
What is Hong Kong’s role under China’s new vision for better global governance?
City can be important ‘convenor and superconnector’ and set standards under China’s vision for more equitable global governance, analysts say.
scmp.com
📢 Hiring! My home department of Public and International Affairs is recruiting at all levels—from Assistant to Chair Professor—in: • Comparative politics • International relations • Political economy & governance • Philosophy • Urban studies
My latest article, “Rethinking Confucius Institutes as Chinese Organizations: A Local Director’s Observations,” has now been published in The China Review. Open access muse.jhu.edu/article/990943
My latest article, “Rethinking Confucius Institutes as Chinese Organizations: A Local Director’s Observations,” has now been published in The China Review. Open access muse.jhu.edu/article/990943
It was a pleasure speaking to RTHK about Trump’s visit to China news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/news...
‘Managing competition and differences key to China-US ties’ | China Perspectives(2026-05-18) - RTHK
President Xi Jinping has unveiled a vision of building a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability during last wee...
news.rthk.hk
Delighted to share my new open-access article: “ChatGPT as a Security Threat: US–China Security Dilemma in the Generative AI Race.” Read here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com
Delighted to share my new open-access article: “ChatGPT as a Security Threat: US–China Security Dilemma in the Generative AI Race.” Read here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com
In my latest op-ed for @scmpnews.bsky.social, I argue that Hong Kong should pursue a clear strategy to position itself as a global hub for international relations and global governance. Now is the time to define its role on the world stage. www.scmp.com/opinion/hong...
Opinion | It’s time to unlock Hong Kong’s international relations potential
Globally connected and intellectually vibrant, the city can offer cutting-edge research and lead diplomatic debates of global importance.
scmp.com
Thrilled to share my latest article, “China’s Confucius Institutes without headquarters: an insider’s perspective” 🎉 @thirdworldq.bsky.social It explores how the dissolution of Confucius Institute Headquarters and the transition towards a new model. open access 🔗 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
China’s Confucius Institutes without headquarters: an insider’s perspective
As the incubator of all Confucius Institutes, the Confucius Institute Headquarters (CIH) was once among the most influential cultural and language organisations in the world. Yet the impact of its ...
tandfonline.com
I’m looking forward to giving a book talk at The University of Hong Kong, where I will reflect on my six years experience as a Confucius Institute Director during a period of significant geopolitical challenges. Book link link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
Delighted to share my thoughts in response to the question, "Why is Britain educating China's scientists?" in Times www.ftchinese.com/story/001109...
当英国媒体问“为什么要培养中国科学家”时，它真正忽略了什么？
曾敬涵：英国高等教育的吸引力在于开放、多元与思想自由。如果将国际学生视为威胁，在恐慌叙事中不断内卷，最终受损的是英国大学自身。
ftchinese.com
Delighted to share my reflections on serving as a Confucius Institute Director on the Sinopinion podcast hosted by the Tsinghua University Center for International Security and Strategy. The podcast can be accessed here podcasts.apple.com/hk/podcast/a...
An Insider’s View on Confucius Institute
Podcast Episode · Sinopinion · 26 February · 52m
podcasts.apple.com
Delighted to deliver my book talk,“Untold Realities of Confucius Institutes,” online at @camgeopolitics.bsky.social generously hosted by @wjhurst.bsky.social The full video of this talk is now available on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9mY...
Untold Realities of Confucius Institutes: A Director’s Memoirs
YouTube video by Centre for Geopolitics
youtube.com
📢 The Traditional Chinese edition of my Memoirs of a Confucius Institute Director is now out. This edition is updated and expanded from the English version and specifically tailored for readers in Asia, especially Hong Kong. 🔗 Book link: www.cityu.edu.hk/upress/contr...
Delighted to join this programme to discuss Keir Starmer’s visit to China and its implications for UK–China relations. Timely conversations like this are essential as both sides explore pathways toward a more stable and constructive relationship. youtu.be/rvoeZB5Rhpc
A New Chapter? What Starmer's China Visit Means for China-UK Relations
YouTube video by CGTN Europe
youtu.be
Delighted to speak at this programme during the British Prime Minister’s visit to China, and to share my personal story of leading a UK–China cooperation project over the past six years. www.gingerriver.com/p/jinghan-ze...
Jinghan Zeng on the controversy and reality of Confucius Institutes and China–UK relations
Listen now | Ep. 22 - Memoirs of a Confucius Institute Director
gingerriver.com