A Conversation between Professor Yuan Ming and Madeleine Albright, Former United States Secretary of State

On the afternoon of June 8^th, 2013, co-sponsored by Peking University and Wellesley College, and themed “Global Political Challenge: Women Leading Change”, the Women’s Leadership Conference was held at the Tan Siu Lin Centre for International Studies of Peking University. Professor Yuan Ming, Director of the Centre for American Studies of Peking University and Executive Deputy Director of the Institute of International and Strategic Studies, Peking University, was invited to attend the conference, where she had a conversation with Madeleine Albright, former United States Secretary of State.

As representatives of outstanding women in the world, Professor Yuan Ming and Ms. Albright shared their growth and career experiences with the participants. According to Professor Yuan Ming, multi-perspective international education helps students to better understand the world. Madeleine Albright also said that young people should receive multi-disciplinary education combining both arts and sciences, which is a significant aspect of the cooperative project, as this will enable students from different countries, cultures and disciplines to explore topics together and achieve another kind of gain. Professor Yuan Ming raised some questions regarding the challenges facing women worldwide: What is women’s leadership? What kind of environment and conditions are required to support women’s leadership? Madeleine Albright responded that the promotion of women’s status and the development of women’s leadership are huge challenges which require countries to be honest with each other. This is not only related to China and the United States, but also to global cooperation. Finally, Madeleine Albright and Professor Yuan Ming exchanged views on the current situation and prospects of China-US relations, and discussed the current important topics of the China-US summit, China-US economic & trade and strategic relations, and the “rebalance” strategy of the United States.

Ms. Albright’s visit marked the official launch of the “Women, World, and Partners” Project between Peking University and Wellesley College.