Marina Rudyak

Marina Rudyak is an assistant professor for chinese studies at Heidelberg University. Her research focuses on Global China, China’s international development cooperation, China’s international discourse power, and China’s relations with Africa, Russia, and Central Asia. She is the co-founder of the Decoding China Dictionary, a project which analyses how key concepts of international relations and international cooperation are understood differently in the Chinese official discourse. Prior to joining academia, she was an aid professional with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), working on economic cooperation projects in Beijing. She studied Modern and Classical Chinese Studies and Public Law in Heidelberg and Shanghai, and holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Chinese studies from Heidelberg University.

While at the Paul Tsai China Center, Rudyak’s research will explore China’s development-oriented strategic narratives vis-à-vis the Global South, their implications for global governance, U.S. debates surrounding these dynamics, and the broader consequences for transatlantic approaches to China.