21st Century China Center Spring 2019 Newsletter

Greetings!

We’re off to a great start to the Year of the Pig. The center held a successful conference on China’s Financial Opening in February, and hosted a slate of fascinating public talks including the Sokwanlok Lecture by Joe Tsai. The U.S.-China Policy Taskforce, co-organized by the center and the Asia Society’s Center on US-China Relations, launched the second report on a critical review of America’s policy towards China with recommendations for the Trump administration. (Read online: Course Correction: Toward an Effective and Sustainable China Policy). Interested parties can register to attend the report’s West Coast launch on April 1 in Los Angeles.

One of the key words in our report is “smart competition,” an approach by building on American strengths, international coalitions and institutions to compete effectively with China while maintaining as much cooperation as possible in areas of common interest. The weeks and months ahead will test both countries as trade negotiations reach a crossroads, as America enters into a political season that highlights the threat of China, real or perceived, and as China continues to grapple with a slowing economy and key anniversaries of political significance.

The center will continue to promote research and discourse towards a critical understanding and strong cooperation to buoy the U.S.-China relations in these turbulent times. We have planned one anniversary event about the 1989 protest, inviting former CNN correspondent Mike Chinoy to speak on campus on April 10. Also, in early April, we will co-host a conference with IGCC on a timely topic, China’s Industrial Policy, that will address another GPS theme of “navigating an evolving political economy.” In May, the center is actively assisting the Fudan-UC Center in planning the young scholars’ conference in Shanghai on May 23-24.

This year, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the School of Global Policy and Strategy and invite you to join the weekend of special events on April 26-27. Throughout the Spring term, we look forward to China-related conversations that illuminate the anniversary themes of “crafting 21st Century policy” and “fusing technology and policy” by hosting speakers such as Barbara Finamore of the Natural Resources Defense Council, Political Scientist Diana Fu from the University of Toronto, and Danny Russel, former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, for the annual Ellsworth Lecture.

Please stay tuned to event updates and follow us on Facebook , Twitter and check out GPS students’ writings on China in the re-launched China Focus blog , and we invite you to join GPS in celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

Warmest regards,

Susan Shirk, Chair, 21st Century China Center; and

Lei Guang, Director, 21st Century China Center

Featured News

Course Correction

In partnership with the Asia Society, the second Task Force Report provides a comprehensive critical review of U.S. policy toward China with recommendations for the Trump administration.

U.S.-China Symbiosis

Alibaba’s Joe Tsai speaks with Susan Shirk in a wide-ranging conversation about current trade disputes, security concerns, technological competition, and the innovation and collaboration capacity for U.S. and China.

Susan Shirk meeting with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi

Susan Shirk spent the month of March in China teaching and talking about the new Task Force report at the China Development Forum and in meetings with Chinese officials, including Mr. Wang Yi, State Councilor and Foreign Minister, and Mr. Dai Bingguo, former State Councilor and the head of foreign affairs department in the Chinese communist party.

Future Leaders Summer Program for high school students

This unique program is designed for high school students to develop problem-solving and diplomacy skills in global affairs, especially as they pertain to the roles of China, the U.S. and Pacific region countries.

Upcoming Events

Report Launch | Course Correction: Toward an Effective and Sustainable China Policy

April 1, 2019 | Register

Join a panel discussion in Los Angeles on the recent Asia Society-UC San Diego report "Course Correction: Toward an Effective and Sustainable China Policy," featuring Susan Shirk, Barry Naughton, Orville Schell and David Lane.

Will China Save The Planet?

April 8, 2019 | Register

Leading China environmental expert Barbara Finamore explains the fundamental economic and political challenges and incentives for China to transition into a low-carbon energy future.

Reporting on Tiananmen: 30 Years Later

April 10, 2019 | Register

On this 30th year since the Tiananmen Square protests and crackdown, join us for a screening of an episode of the "Assignment: China" series on American media coverage of China, with reflections by Mike Chinoy, former CNN Beijing Bureau Chief.

GPS 30th Anniversary Weekend

April 26-27, 2019 | Register

GPS will celebrate the accomplishments of the School through this special weekend designed to spark conversations centered around one of these three themes: Crafting 21st Century Policy, Fusing Technology and Policy and Navigating an Evolving Political Economy.

China Tripping: Encountering the Everyday in the People's Republic

May 1, 2019 | Register

Covering nearly a half-century, China Tripping is the first anthology of reflections by influential experts on their cultural and social encounters in the People’s Republic, which opens a vivid window on a rapidly evolving China and on the zigzag learning curve of the China trippers themselves.

Mobilizing Without the Masses in China

May 9, 2019 | Register

When advocacy organizations are forbidden from rallying people to take to the streets, what do they do? When activists are detained for coordinating protests, are their hands ultimately tied? Diana Fu from the University of Toronto reveals how state repression is deployed on the ground and to what effect on mobilization.

2019 Global Young Scholars Conference

May 23-24, 2019 | Details | Hosted at Fudan University

Fudan Development Institute (FDDI) and Fudan-UC Center on Contemporary China invite young social science scholars from around the world to exchange ideas and share research findings, and build new synergies and develop future collaborative projects.

Robert F. Ellsworth Memorial Lecture

June 3, 2019 at 5 p.m. | Save the date

The center welcomes Daniel Russel, former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and vice president for International Security and Diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute, for the seventh annual Robert F. Ellsworth Memorial Lecture.

Profiles of China Scholars and Speakers

Barbara Finamore is a Senior Attorney and Asia Senior Strategic Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). She has over three decades of experience in environmental law and energy policy, with a focus on China for twenty-five years. In 1996, she founded NRDC’s China Program, the first clean energy program to be launched by an international NGO.

Daniel Russel is Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI). Previously he served as a Diplomat in Residence and Senior Fellow with ASPI for a one year term. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service at the U.S. Department of State, he most recently served as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

Quick Links

China Focus

China Focus is an online magazine dedicated to providing depth and context for understanding China and U.S.-China relations. It is run by GPS students with the support of the center.

China Research Workshops

This interdisciplinary workshop series features new academic research by UC San Diego scholars and visiting researchers.

China 21 Podcast

Listen to our latest episodes, and subscribe for updates on iTunes and Google Play.

Support

Starting with their angel investment in 2012, our founders have remained supporting pillars of the center. Beginning in 2016, a new group of members, called the 21st Century China Center Leadership Circle, joined the founders in generously supporting the center activities. The center also receives support from many foundations and institutional partners, and it welcomes tax-deductible donations from the alumni, community members, and others who want to support our work on China and U.S.-China relations.

21st Century China Center

School of Global Policy and Strategy

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Questions? Contact 21china@ucsd.edu