Francesco Sisci

Email:fsisci@gmail.com

Born August 5 1960.  Lives in Beijing

1988, First foreigner ever admitted to the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS, China's top research body) for a PHD in Chinese Classical Philology and Philosophy with a thesis on "Rationalisation of Thought and Political Discourse in Early Mohism" coming from the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)

1994-1995: ANSA correspondent in Beijing
1996-1997: Greater China correspondent for Asia Times
1998-2000: Contributes to Il sole 24 Ore and Corriere della Sera. Exclusive interviews with several top Chinese leaders such as President Jiang Zemin, Prime Minister Zhu Rongji and state councilor Dai Bingguo
Since 1999: Senior consultant for the Italian Ministry of Environment in China. Designed the framework, set the network of local contacts on the Italian-Sino Environmental cooperation, the most important Environmental cooperation with China
2000: Senior correspondent for Singapore's Straits Times
2000-2003: Correspondent for La Stampa
2003-2005: Director of the Italian Institute of Culture in China
Since 2004. Coordinator of the exchange program between the Central Party School and Italy. The program was the first the Party School started with foreign organization and it remains by far the largest cooperation program of the School, China top organization and ideological institution headed by China Vice president of State.
Awarded the honorary Professorship by CASS in 2006 in Classical Chinese Studies
From 2005 to 2010 Asia Editor for La Stampa

Presently: commentator for Il Sole 24ore, Commentator for Asia Times with the column Sinograph. Frequent commentator on International affairs for CCTV and Phoenix TV.

He was the only foreign journalist called to comment live on Chinese TV international the following crucial and very sensitive events:

-- the 61 anniversary of the foundation of the republic, the same day of the end of the Shanghai expo (the Chinese calendar is made of sixty years, than the 61st anniversary is the beginning of the new cycle)
-- the 100 anniversary of the xinhai revolution that toppled the imperial system
-- the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Tibet
-- the last press conference of premier Wen Jiabao when he announced political reforms and Bo's de facto political demise.
Consultant for the Chief Adviser of the Prime Minister of Thailand
Member of the board of GL Capital, PE firm specialized health care in China

Books

La differenza fra la Cina e il mondo, 1994 (on China's reforms and the Tiananmen movement in the 1980s)
La piovra gialla 1994 (On Chinese organized crime)
Another China, serialized on Asia Times and in Chinese "Linwaiyige Zhongguo" 2001 (on the structural changes in China and their global impact)
Made in China, 2005 editore Carocci (Food, sex, women, money, family, Changes in Chinese Society)
Chi ha paura della Cina 2006, Ponte alle Grazie (on the Scare of China in the west)
Santa Sede - Cina, with Father Francesco Strazzari, ed. Dehoniane 2008 (on the recent history of contacts between the Vatican and China)
Cina Tibet, Tibet Cina, ed Utet 2008 (On recent history and cultural problems between China and Tibet)
Contributor to the Italian Encyclopedia Treccani and to the Italian Journal of Geopolitics Limes

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