China Focus is thrilled to announce the 2025 China Focus Essay Contest. This year’s contest is organized by China Focus and is jointly sponsored by the Fudan-UC Center on Contemporary China, the 1990 Institute, the Carter Center, and the 21st Century China Center. 

We will accept both Chinese and English submissions. The contest offers two topics and awards two top prizes of $1,000 and four runner-up prizes of $ 500 each.

Award winners will grant China Focus and co-sponsors the right to publish their essays on their respective platforms or in their publications. Winners may also be contacted with additional award opportunities to transform their essays into teaching materials and also to discuss their work with a panel during the summer. More information can be found in the announcement China Focus is thrilled to announce the 2025 China Focus Essay Contest! on the China Focus official website:

https://chinafocus.ucsd.edu/

2025“中国焦点”年度征文比赛正式开启。本届征文比赛由“中国焦点”（China Focus）倡议和组织，复旦-加大当代中国研究中心、1990学社（The 1990 Institute）、卡特中心（The Carter Center）和加州大学圣地亚哥分校21世纪中国研究中心(21st Century China Center)协办。本届比赛共有两个主题，邀请就读于全球高校、尤其是中美两国高校的本科生、研究生 (包括毕业不到一年的学生) 任选其中一个主题，针对中美两国共同面对的一些挑战表述自己的观点和看法。

比赛共将选出六篇优胜论文，两个冠名一等奖，奖金额各1,000美金；和四个二等奖，奖金额各500美金。

有奖征文评委会将同时接受收中文及英文稿件。大赛组织方将在各自平台或出版物上发表获奖论文。届时，获奖者也将有机会获得额外奖励，与大赛组织方专家合作将获奖文章改编成教学材料，并在暑假期间应邀并远程讨论获奖论文。更多信息请通过下方链接参考“中国焦点”官网的征文通知“2025″中国焦点”作文大赛!”：

https://chinafocus.ucsd.edu/

Topic 1: 

The dynamics of US-China relations are set to undergo significant changes under the new Trump administration. As the US redefines its foreign policy, China is expected to continue to assert its power on the global stage, especially in the Global South. Write an essay that, backed by well-chosen evidence and detailed analysis, explains how the new US administration may respond to China’s growing influence in country or region X (select one country or region you want to investigate) and why?

Topic 2:

“Made in China 2025” was an ambitious initiative launched by China to transform its manufacturing sector into a global leader in advanced technology and innovation. Its plan was to focus on improving industries such as robotics, aerospace, information technology, and green technologies, aiming to reduce dependence on foreign technology and foster homegrown technological advancements. Now is the year 2025. Has China achieved what it set out to do in its plan “Made in China 2025”? Pick one or two areas mentioned in the plan and evaluate where China has succeeded, and where China has fallen short of its original plan. What are the implications for China’s technological future? Competitive essays will utilize well-chosen evidence and detailed analysis.

题目一：

在特朗普第二任政府期间，中美关系预计将发生重大变化。随着美国调整其外交政策，中国将会继续在全球舞台上，尤其在发展中国家展现其影响力。请撰写一篇论文，通过翔实的证据和详细分析，探讨美国新一届政府将会如何应对中国日益增长的影响力，并分析原因。撰文时请避免泛泛而谈，选择一个国家或某个地区进行阐述。

题目二：

“中国制造2025”是中国推出的一项雄心勃勃的计划，旨在将其制造业转型为全球先进技术和创新的领导者。该计划重点发展机器人、航空航天、信息技术和绿色技术等行业，目标是减少对外国技术的依赖，并推动本土技术的进步。今年是2025年，中国是否实现了“中国制造2025”所设定的目标？请选择该计划中的一个或两个领域，评估中国在哪些方面取得了成功，在哪些方面未能达到预期，并分析其对中国未来技术的影响。优秀论文既具有翔实的证据也有详细的分析。

The contest is open to undergraduate, graduate students, and recent graduates. Each entry must be the original work of students enrolled during the 2024-25 academic year, as well as those who graduated in or after May 2024 but have not yet reached one-year post-graduation. We especially welcome submissions by students from U.S. and Chinese universities. Collaborative projects are encouraged, but prize money must be split among collaborators. 

Entries can be in either English or Chinese. Essays should be written in op-ed style, with references provided as appropriate but no need for detailed footnotes, with a length of up to 2,500 words in English and 3,000 in Chinese.

Each entry will be reviewed by a panel of judges drawn from the China Focus board of advisers, experts in U.S.-China relations, and others with relevant expertise.

参赛者须于2024至2025学年度在高校注册或有学籍（包括自2024年5月毕业，毕业时间不足一年的非应届生）的学生。比赛对本科生、研究生以及博士生开放。如果征文稿由多位作者共同撰写，则奖金须平分。

稿件必须为参赛者原创，中、英文皆可。征文长度不超过英文2,500字，中文3,000字。文体属非学术论文，但必须有理有据，酌情提供参考文献，但无需详细脚注。形式可以参照长篇时事评论、专栏评论或往届获奖征文。

有奖征文评委会由“中国焦点”顾问团队，包括21世纪中国研究中心教授以及其他中美关系专家担任。