French Centre for Research on Contemporary China (CEFC)

Name

French Centre for Research on Contemporary China (CEFC)

Legal name

Centre d'études français sur la Chine contemporaine (CEFC)

Website

https://cefc.com.hk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hong Kong

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Journal sales and subscriptions: The China Perspectives journal is sold as individual issues and subscriptions, both digital and print, through the CEFC website, academic bookstores (Parenthèses in Hong Kong, Le Phénix in Paris, Bleak House Books in Hong Kong), and the Institut Français in Beijing.
2. Institutional funding and government support: The CEFC is a public research establishment placed under the co-tutorship of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the CNRS. It receives financial support from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the French Embassy in China, and the General Consulate of France in Hong Kong and Macao.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CEFC is a French public research institution that produces and disseminates peer-reviewed scholarly research on contemporary China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau through its quarterly bilingual journal "China Perspectives / Perspectives chinoises" (established 1995). It supplements this core offering with PhD scholarship programs for field research, research seminars and conferences, bimonthly press reviews, and newsletters targeting academic researchers and institutions worldwide.

Product overview

CEFC operates as a research center publishing the bilingual academic journal China Perspectives/Perspectives chinoises, established in 1995. The core product is the quarterly peer-reviewed journal covering contemporary China studies (Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan), supplemented by PhD scholarship programs, research seminars and conferences, newsletter subscriptions, press reviews, and event video recordings. The journal is distributed through international academic databases (JSTOR, EBSCO, ProQuest, OpenEdition) and retail outlets, with the subscription and scholarship programs representing the main supplementary service offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• China Perspectives / Perspectives chinoises: Interdisciplinary academic journal focusing on political, social, economic and cultural evolutions of contemporary China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and overseas Chinese communities

Products and services

• China Perspectives / Perspectives chinoises An interdisciplinary academic journal established in 1995, focusing on political, social, economic, and cultural evolutions of contemporary Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and overseas Chinese communities. Published quarterly in English and French, the journal features peer-reviewed research articles, special thematic dossiers, and book reviews. Indexed in Web of Science, ERIH PLUS, JSTOR, EBSCO, ProQuest, OpenEdition, and other databases.
• China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan PhD Scholarships Doctoral mobility grants awarding €1,200 per month for up to 12 months plus a return plane ticket (up to €1,000) for field research in China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan. Supports PhD students from French universities in social sciences and humanities.
• Research Seminars and Conferences Regular seminars, conferences, and workshops organized at CEFC's Hong Kong and Taipei offices, covering contemporary China studies topics. Events include academic presentations, book launches, and young researchers days.
• Press Reviews Bimonthly press review service covering China news, tracking developments in politics, society, economy, and culture. Archive available from 2007-2018.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for the CEFC Hong Kong headquarters. Provides office space at the Academic Building, Clear Water Bay, and collaborates on events.
• Academia Sinica (Taipei)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for the CEFC Taipei office since 1998. Provides office space and library access. Multiple editorial board members are affiliated with Academia Sinica.
• Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific cooperation partner. Multiple editorial board members are affiliated with CUHK.
• École française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner, co-organizing events such as the 'Journée jeunes chercheurs EFEO x CEFC'.
• Alliance Française de Hong KongmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of events including the roundtable on AI in French language teaching in Chinese worlds (April 2026).
• Institut Français de ChinemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDistributes China Perspectives/Perspectives chinoises journal through L'Arbre du voyageur bookstore in Beijing.
• Université Paris DiderotminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific cooperation partner with editorial board members affiliated.
• INALCO (Paris)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific cooperation partner; multiple editorial board members affiliated.
• Hong Kong Baptist UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organized the conference 'Twenty Years After: Hong Kong's Changes and Future under China's Rule' (September 2017) with CEFC.
• GIS Réseau AsieminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific cooperation partner within the French research network for Asia studies.
• International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS, Leiden)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific cooperation partner in the international Asia studies network.
• France Japon Écoute (MFJ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific cooperation partner.
• Institut de Recherche sur l'Asie Contemporaine (IRASEC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific cooperation partner.
• Ricci Institute for Macau StudiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific cooperation partner focused on Macau studies.
• Association Française d'Études Chinoises (AFEC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific cooperation partner in Chinese studies.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ricci Institute for Macau Studies (University of San Francisco): A Jesuit-sponsored academic institute focused on the history and contemporary reality of Greater China, particularly Macau. Listed as a CEFC partner, the Ricci Institute offers a comparable model of a small, dedicated Greater China research center with a focused geographic and scholarly remit.
• European Institute for Asian Studies (EIAS): Brussels-based European think tank dedicated to research and policy dialogue on Asia, with significant focus on China. Shares CEFC's positioning as a European hub producing independent analysis on contemporary Asia for academic and policy audiences.
• Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies (HKIAPS), CUHK: Chinese University of Hong Kong's institute for Asia-Pacific research, hosting scholars working on contemporary China, Hong Kong, and the region. A natural peer given CEFC's Hong Kong base, CUHK partnership, and overlapping social-science research themes.
• Brookings-China Center: Brookings Institution's dedicated China research program, producing scholarship and policy analysis on contemporary China. Comparable to CEFC as a major, externally-funded research center producing authoritative China-focused publications and events.
• International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS), Leiden: Leiden-based international institute promoting Asian studies across disciplines and regions. Listed as a CEFC scientific cooperation partner, IIAS shares CEFC's role as a network node connecting European scholars with Asian research communities.
• Institut de Recherche sur l'Asie Contemporaine (IRASEC): A French research institute focused on contemporary Asia, operating under CNRS and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a mandate closely paralleling CEFC's. Listed as a CEFC scientific cooperation partner and shares UMIFRE-style institutional architecture.
• Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS): Berlin-based European think tank dedicated to contemporary China analysis, with a research and policy mandate directly comparable to CEFC's scholarly mission. Both institutions serve as European gateways for evidence-based China expertise and compete for the same European policy and media audiences.
• École française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO): A French public research institution dedicated to Asian studies, headquartered in Paris with multiple centers across Asia. EFEO is the closest structural peer to CEFC: same French government affiliation, similar research-center mandate, and an active co-organizing partner of CEFC events such as the 'Journée jeunes chercheurs EFEO x CEFC'.
• Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Harvard University: The premier US-based university center for China studies, supporting interdisciplinary scholarship on contemporary China. Operates as a direct functional peer to CEFC in the global ecosystem of dedicated China research centers, albeit with a much larger faculty and endowment base.
• Stanford Center for Chinese Studies (SCCS): Stanford's dedicated center for Chinese studies, supporting research, publications, and programming on contemporary China. Directly comparable as a single-country dedicated academic research center, though at substantially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CEFC_HK
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/CEFCHongKong
• Facebookfacebook.com/CEFCTaipeiInTaiwanSince1994
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/cefc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about French Centre for Research on Contemporary China (CEFC)