Invited by the Institute for Global Cooperation and Understanding, Peking University (iGCU) and the American Studies Center, Peking University, a delegation from the EastWest Institute, a famous American think tank, visited the School of International Studies at 16:30-18:30 on November 19, 2015, and had a symposium with teachers and students. The members of the U.S. delegation included Cameron Munter, President of the EastWest Institute and former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Joel H. Cowan, Director of the EastWest Institute, David Firestein, Deputy Director of the EastWest Institute, James Blaker, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Timothy Stratford, former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative, Robert Wang, former Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in China, and Jonathan D. Pollack, a senior fellow at John L. Thornton China Center of Brookings Institution. Fan Shiming, Secretary-General of the American Studies Center, Peking University, Professor Wang Dong, Executive Director of the Institute for Global Cooperation and Understanding, Dr. Jie Dalei and a dozen of postgraduates and doctoral students from the School of International Studies attended the symposium. The symposium was presided over by Prof. Wang Dong.
The symposium was held at C105 in the form of round-table discussions, covering such traditional topics as China's international status and responsibilities as a major power, such practical issues as youth employment in China, and such hot topics as the meeting of Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou and IS terrorist attacks. The symposium was rich in content and heated in discussion.
Firstly, Ambassador Munter raised the question of China's current role as a developing country or as a global leader. Mr. Fan Shiming said that China is not ready to be a leader. Professor Wang Dong also said that there are huge differences between urban and rural areas in China, with unbalanced development, so it's hard to tell whether China is rich or poor.
The U.S. side expressed great interest in the impact of the recent meeting of Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou on cross-strait relations. Dr. Jie Dalei gave a positive answer that the meeting will have a positive impact on the upcoming Taiwan's elections and cross-strait relations no matter who proposed it. Associate Professor Wang Dong agreed that the meeting will be the foundation for the long-term and stable development of cross-strait relations. The American experts and scholars had active interactions with the students, especially on the youth employment in China. The students also shared their ideas based on their experiences. Both sides agreed that the dialogue between China and the United States should continue to strengthen communication and enhance mutual trust. Finally, the U.S. side expressed its satisfaction with the exchange and hoped to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation with School of International Studies, Peking University.
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