Event

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Whither China-U.S. Relations?

Xiao Ren, Professor of International Politics, Fudan University;

Roger Cliff, Research Professor of Indo-Pacific Affairs, Army War College

12:30pm - 1:30pm | CSCC Conference Room, 133 S. 36th St, Room 418
Ren
roger

Over the four years of 2016-2020, the U.S. Trump administration took on China and came up with a number of tough actions vis-a-vis China, out of a mentality of competing with and clamping down on the latter. Quite a few of the elements remained during President Biden's first year. That has caused complex results to American interests per se. Will the two major powers inevitably clash as some observers predict? Can the two avoid a mutually detrimental collision course in the future? What can and should they do better than the previous four (or five) years? Those are the key questions that need to be seriously addressed. No doubt, how Chinese and American leaders manage the various bilateral, regional and global issues will impact America, China and all humanity to a great extent. Building on my research thus far, this talk will try to explore possible ideas and ways for China and the United States to better manage their competition in the future.

Dr. REN Xiao is currently a professor of international politics at the Institute of International Studies (IIS), Fudan University, Shanghai, China, and Director of the Center for the Study of Chinese Foreign Policy. Previously he was Senior Fellow and Director of the Asia Pacific Studies Department, Shanghai Institute for International Studies (SIIS). Dr. Ren studied in the University of Essex in England (1990-91) and held research or visiting positions at the University of Turku, Finland, Nagoya University, Japan, and The George Washington University in Washington, DC, USA. His work has appeared in journals such as Global Policy, The Pacific Review, Asia Policy, Third World Quarterly, Journal of Contemporary China, East Asia: An International Quarterly etc. His other publications include Human Security and Cross-Border Cooperation in East Asia (co-editor, Palgrave Macmillan, 2018), New Frontiers in China’s Foreign Relations (co-editor, Lexington Books, 2011) and China’s Foreign Aid: Theory and Practice (2017, available in Chinese). Dr. Ren serves on the editorial boards of several international academic journals including Globalizations, Journal of Global Policy and Governance, East Asia: An International Quarterly, and East Asian Policy. Dr. Ren worked at the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo from 2010 to 2012. He received his Ph.D. in political science from Fudan University in 1992. (Email: renxiao2006@fudan.edu.cn)

Roger Cliff is research professor of Indo-Pacific Affairs in the Strategic Studies Institute at the US Army War College. His research focuses on China’s military strategy and capabilities and their implications for US strategy and policy. He has previously worked for the Center for Naval Analyses, the Atlantic Council, the Project 2049 Institute, the RAND Corporation, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He holds a PhD in international relations from Princeton University, a Master of Arts degree in Chinese studies from the University of California, San Diego, and a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Harvey Mudd College. He is fluent in spoken and written Mandarin Chinese. Dr. Cliff’s comments will represent his personal opinions and will not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

This event will be held on-site in the CSCC conference room, but with a Zoom option.

To attend in person: Please use this link to RSVP for this event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/whither-china-us-relations-tickets-262696049957

You must be a Penn Card holder. Please indicate in the RSVP link that you plan to attend in person. Under the university’s current COVID-19 protocols, we must limit on-site attendance at our events to Penn card holders and, to comply with contact-tracing requirements, we must have a record of who attends our in-person events. Therefore, we are asking that you RSVP is you plan to attend in person. If you do not RSVP and still wish to attend, you are still welcome to show up, but will need to sign in on arrival. Although social distancing is not required under current university rules, we will be limiting the number of people in our conference room to somewhat less than our past highest turnout events.

To participate by Zoom: We understand that some of you will be unable or uncomfortable attending in person, but wish to participate. We will send you a Zoom link if you register: https://upenn.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tde6trzgjH9Y4didmv88G2O_P8SlxLz5N