Personal profile
Personal profile
Geoffrey Chun-fung Chen is Senior Associate Professor in the Department of China Studies at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, where he also co-leads the Urban & Culture Research Group at the Research Centre for Culture, Communication, and Society (CCCS). His research focuses on the political and institutional dynamics that influence environmental governance, public sector reform, state-society relations, and the transition to sustainable energy in China.
He is the author of Governing Sustainable Energies in China (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016) and co-author of Nuclear Power in Stagnation (Routledge, 2021). His research has been published in internationally recognised journals including New Political Economy, The Pacific Review, Journal of International Relations and Development, Journal of Chinese Political Science, and The China Quarterly.
He received his PhD from the University of Bath and previously held research fellowships at the University of Duisburg-Essen and the German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA). His teaching at XJTLU covers Chinese political economy, international trade, regional development, and questions of technology, policy, and development in contemporary China.
Experience
Senior Associate Professor, Department of China Studies, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou - 2026 to present
Co-leader, Urban & Culture Research Group, University Research Centre for Culture, Communication, and Society (CCCS), Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou - 2024 to present
Head of Department, Department of China Studies, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou - 2020 to 2023
Associate Professor, Department of China Studies, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou - 2018 to 2025
Assistant Professor, Department of China Studies, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou - 2016 to 2018
Research Fellow, University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg - 2015 to 2016
Research Fellow, German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA), Hamburg - 2014 to 2015
Related documents
Education/Academic qualification
SFHEA, Advance HE - 2025
FHEA, Advance HE - 2018
PhD, University of Bath - 2015
Master, SOAS University of London - 2008
Bachelor, National Chengchi University - 2002
Research areas
- Local/Global Governance
- Sustainability
- Political Economy
Person Types
- Staff
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 4 Quality Education -
SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy -
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth -
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure -
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities -
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production -
SDG 13 Climate Action -
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions -
SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals
Fingerprint
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 3 Finished
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The Strategy for Promoting Suzhou's Semiconductor Industry
He, T. (PI), Chen, G.C.-F. (Team member) & Wang, X. (Team member)
12/05/23 → 15/10/23
Project: Governmental Research Project
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Ecological Security and Green Industrial Policy in China
Chen, G.C.-F. (PI) & Wang, Q. (Team member)
1/01/23 → 31/12/25
Project: Internal Research Project
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China and the Political Economy of Climate Technology Policies
Chen, G.C.-F. (PI)
1/07/18 → 30/06/22
Project: Internal Research Project
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(Re)Centralization and Local Renewable Governance in China: The Case of Zhejiang Province
Chen, G. C. & Lees, C., Oct 2025, Recentralization Around the World. Olmeda, J. C. & Armesto, A. (eds.). Palgrave Macmillan, p. 285-309Research output: Chapter in Book or Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
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Government Supervision and Control Mechanisms for the Carbon Market in China: A Principal-Agent Perspective
Xu, X., Deng, J. & Chen, G. C., Oct 2025, In: The China Quarterly.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Rethinking China’s Clean Energy Transitions: Eco-Security and Authoritarian Sustainability
Chen, G. C., Jun 2024, Handbook on Climate Change and Environmental Governance in China. Zang, X. & Zhang, X. (eds.). Edward Elgar Publishing, p. 86-101Research output: Chapter in Book or Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
3 Citations (Scopus) -
The United States–China Race for Green Transformation: Institutions, Incentives, and Green Industrial Policies
Chen, G. C., Sept 2024, In: Journal of Chinese Political Science. 29, 3, p. 461-482Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
9 Citations (Scopus) -
Greening the Chinese Leviathan: China’s Renewable Energy Governance as a Source of Soft Power
Chen, G.C.-F. & Lees, C., Mar 2022, In: Journal of International Relations and Development. 25, 1, p. 79-106Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access8 Citations (Scopus)
Activities
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Preservation, Production and Reproduction
Brillhart, A. (Organiser), Zhang, X. (Organiser), Tang, B. (Member of programme committee), Schnabel, M. A. (Participant), Han, J. (Chair), Kuang, X. (Chair), Williams, E. (Chair), Chen, G.C.-F. (Chair), Traynor, K. (Chair), Lu, X. (Chair), Bandyopadhyay, S. (Participant), Tao, Y. (Participant), Winter, T. (Participant), Baek, M. J. (Participant), Vichnevetskaia, A. (Participant), Zhu, Y. (Participant), Wu, K. (Participant), Zhang, Y. (Participant), Hu, W. (Participant), Han, Z. (Participant), Zhang, L. (Participant), Li, Y. (Participant), Corti, E. (Participant), Zhu, Y. (Participant), Azadian Qomi, M. (Participant) & Cui, N. (Participant)
29 Aug 2025 → 30 Aug 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Organising an event e.g. a conference, workshop, …
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The U.S.-China Technology Competition Economic Security Nexus and Asia (Part 2)
Chen, G.C.-F. (Participant)
4 Oct 2022Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participating in an event e.g. a conference, workshop, …
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The U.S.-China Technology Competition Economic Security Nexus and Asia (Part 1)
Chen, G.C.-F. (Participant)
16 Aug 2022Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participating in an event e.g. a conference, workshop, …
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Renewables and Resurgence of the Developmental State in China
Chen, G.C.-F. (Speaker)
9 Nov 2021Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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IIAS-Lien 2019 Conference
Chen, G.C.-F. (Participant)
19 Jun 2019Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participating in an event e.g. a conference, workshop, …