University of Montana Conference to Explore U.S. Relationship with China 9/19-20
| September 13, 2007 |  View for printing |
The implications of China’s rapid rise to world power status are the focus of this year’s annual Mansfield Conference on Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 19 and 20, at The University of Montana.
Leading experts from the U.S. and China, led by former Assistant U.S. Secretary of State James Kelly, will address China’s domestic politics, economy, trade and foreign relations.
Kelly will deliver the keynote address, "Is There a China Threat?" Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the University Center North Ballroom. A senior diplomat, Kelly served as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2001 to 2005 and is now president of EAP Associates in Honolulu.
Three panels will be held in the University Center Theater Thursday, beginning at 9 a.m. They will focus on China’s political system, which faces immense internal challenges; China’s economy, which dominates global manufacturing and has significantly impacted the U.S. economy; and China’s foreign and security relations, highlighted by the country’s emergence as a dominant power of Asia.
Leading American and Chinese analysts from the worlds of academia, government and think tanks will address the issues. "This is a unique opportunity for Montanans to learn from and interact with a stellar team of China analysts on issues of vital importance to all Americans," said Terry Weidner, director of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center.
"China’s rise is a complicated topic that tends to be viewed very selectively by the U.S. media; we’re pleased to have such a stellar cast addressing the issue in a more comprehensive way," he said.
China’s rapid development has created ripples that reach to Missoula – for example, rapidly rising U.S. construction costs are associated with growing Chinese purchases of key construction materials.
The core questions to be addressed at the conference are whether a rising China poses a potentially dangerous challenge to the world, to its Asian neighbors, and to the United States, or whether China is taking its place as a responsible partner in addressing key global issues such as security, global warming and trade equity.
The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will focus the eyes of the world on China, and U.S. relations with China are likely to be a key foreign policy issue in the 2008 presidential and congressional elections.
The conference is co-sponsored by the Mansfield Center at UM and the Mansfield Foundation in Washington, D.C., with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
The entire conference is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Mansfield Center at 406-243-2298 or visit http://www.umt.edu/mansfield.
http://news.umt.edu/index.asp?sec=1& ... 07&npa=1801
No reader comments so far. Be the first to comment by clicking the button below.
Reprinted under the Fair Use doctrine of international copyright law. Full copyright retained by the original publication. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
