Professor Gu Xuewu was born in China in 1957. He studied in Wuhan and Cologne, obtained a doctorate in Bonn and was tenured in Freiburg. Since 2009 he has occupied the Chair for International Relations and has served as Director of the Center for Global Studies at the Friedrich-Wilhelm University in Bonn. From 2002 to 2009, he held the positions of Chair for East-Asian Politics and Director of the East-Asian Politics Unit at the Ruhr University in Bochum. Dr Gu is a leading international expert in the fields of economics, energy, politics and culture in China. The only full professor in Germany of Chinese origin to date, he has shaped public perception of China through numerous publications as well as scholarly and media appearances. His research focuses on the global power shift, energy safety as well as Chinese economic and financial policies.