Sebastian Heilmann is the founding president of the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) and professor for the political economy of China at the University of Trier (currently on leave). Heilmann also conducted research at Harvard University’s Fairbank Center, the University of Oxford China Centre, and the Harvard-Yenching Institute. He has published extensively on China’s political system, economic policy making, and international relations.
Heilmann has years of experience providing advice to the German federal government and EU institutions. From 2010 to 2013, he was the principal investigator of a project group funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research examining the industrial and technology policies of the People’s Republic of China. In 2014, he was appointed as one of 15 German representatives to the German-Chinese Dialogue Forum, which fosters non-governmental exchanges and bilateral confidence-building.
Heilmann is a sought-after speaker, commentator and interview partner on Chinese affairs. He served as a commentator for German and international media such as Financial Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, BBC, Der Spiegel, ARD and ZDF and regularly contributes op-ed pieces to German and international publications.
