Jasper Roctus
Biography
Having caught the “research bug” during his BA and MA in Sinology at Ghent University, Jasper Roctus went on to pursue a PhD on Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925), the enigmatic founding father of the Republic of China. Supported by a BOF (UGent Special Research Fund) grant, his doctoral mandate began in November 2020. A year later, Jasper successfully obtained an FWO Fundamental PhD Fellowship, which he held from November 2021 to October 2025. In September 2025, he earned his PhD in Oriental Languages and Cultures (Sinology) with a dissertation titled Narrating a Christian Leninist Anti-Marxist Democratic Developmental Nationalist: Sun Yat-sen as Father of the Nation and Great Revolutionary Forerunner.
Within the Egmont Institute, Jasper’s work focuses on the Taiwan issue, cross-Strait relations, the Chinese party-state, Vietnamese politics, and the European Union’s (desired) approach to related issues.
Publications
- BRICS+: an Odd Family of (un)Likely Frenemies Security Policy Briefs
- Bridging Taiwan’s Blue-Green Divide: The Twentieth Anniversary of the 2005 Chen-Soong Meeting External publications
- Vietnam’s Bamboo Diplomacy: Between Beijing’s Persistent Shadow and Growing Western Ties Commentaries
- Figures on the Billiard Table: EU-China Dynamics in the Wake of the 2024 European Elections Security Policy Briefs
- Lai Ching-te Inaugurated in Taiwan: Managing Legislative Turmoil and Cross-Strait Status Quo Commentaries
- China, the West, and the Rest: Who is Enjoying the Shadow of Whom? Security Policy Briefs
- The 2024 Taiwanese General Elections: fierce moderate Lai prevails while fluid kingmaker Ko rises External publications
- As Two Go Blue, Will Green be the Tertius Gaudens of Taiwan’s 2024 Elections? External publications
- The EU and Taiwan: Normalizing the Status Quo Security Policy Briefs
- ‘Remonstrating,’ or the Art of Forging Relations External publications
- China’s 14th National People’s Congress: No Ordinary Cups of Tea Security Policy Briefs
- Between Taiwanese Elections: The KMT’s Quest for True Blue Commentaries
- Outspokenly Unspoken: The Chinese People’s ‘White Paper Revolution’ Security Policy Briefs
- Local Elections in Taiwan: The DPP’s China Card Backfires Commentaries
- Xi Jinping Seeks Stability: The 20th National Congress of the CCP Security Policy Briefs
- Putin Is Creating the Multipolar World He (Thought He) Wanted Security Policy Briefs
- Remolding China’s ‘empty’ Belt and Road Initiative – An opportunity for the EU Security Policy Briefs