Professor Reinhard Bachmann gives interview to China Daily

Reinhard Bachmann, an expert in the field of trust research, has been interviewed for China Daily on “Expert calls for enhancing trust in China, Europe ties”.

Prof. Bachmann suggested that building system trust through participation in common projects is the key to better relations between China and Europe. He has identified two forms of trust: interpersonal trust and system trust.

The former refers to people trusting each other because they know each other, while the latter means people trust each other because they are members of the same organisations or follow the same set of rules. Bachmann believes that building system trust can complement interpersonal trust development, and suggested that working together on joint projects that tackle common challenges, such as climate change, can help to achieve this.

By doing so, both sides will be in the same organisational structure and follow the same set of rules, which can enhance trust and create value. He emphasised the importance of European countries collaborating on climate change and renewable energy programmes, and called for a common platform to be created to encourage greater cooperation.