Peking University, March 25, 2025: Revealing the subtle semblance of Europe’s history in the development in China and beyond, Lorenzo Marsili, director of the Berggruen Institute Europe Center, gave a speech on March 24 at a seminar titled “Europe’s Future and China’s Past”, hosted by Zhang Yongle, Deputy Director of the Institute of Area Studies.


Marsili said that the world is currently witnessing a decline of U.S. hegemony and is entering an era of “geopolitical enlightenment”, in which multipolarity will prevail and reliance on Western religion, philosophy, and technology will diminish. However, he cautioned that despite this shift, geopolitical tensions persist, evoking a sense of déjà vu and fears of historical repetition, which might see the world develop into a pattern that resembles the crowded and conflict-prone Europe in the 19th century.

“The period of ‘singular eccentricity’, extending over the last 300 years was rapidly closing, and I don’t think we will go back to a time where one party can have an all-encompassing control of the world.”


 
He emphasized the importance of looking beyond recent history to periods of coexistence among great civilizations, such as the Han Dynasty and ancient Rome, in order to seek wisdom on how to navigate today’s challenges. “The world looks like Europe 200 years ago in a specific geographical era where great powers had to balance themselves,” he observed, before noting that traditional Western methods of influence, such as colonization, are no longer viable, and we need to learn from our ancestors how to cohabit peacefully and also independently. 

When addressing a question about how Europe and China can better cooperate on common interests, Marsili suggested that rather than dwelling on present differences, China and Europe should focus on shared future goals. “One area where the world has to thank China is for making green energy so cheap, which is a huge contribution to combating climate change,” he commented on a potential area of cooperation, before adding that both China and Europe have an interest in seeing developing countries transition to green energy, which can not only boost China-Europe relations, but also contribute to common good of the world.
 


Lorenzo Marsili is an Italian philosopher, author and columnist, who is also a founding director of several think tanks including European Alternatives, Fondazione Rizoma, and the Berggruen Institute Europe Center. Marsili is a staunch advocate of transnationalism and of the construction of a new cultural and political vision beyond the nation state. He has called for a "European republic of equals" where every citizen can enjoy the same social protections for the same tax payment.

Written by: Aden Tan
Edited by: Chen Shizhuo