From June 6 to 7, 2015, the 28th ACPS Annual Conference and International Symposium and China and the Changing World Order: Domestic and Global Dimensions were held in Peking University jointly by the School of International Studies, Peking University and the Association of Chinese Political Studies (ACPS). Professor Jia Qingguo, Dean of the School of International Studies, Peking University, and Executive Director of the Institute for Global Cooperation and Understanding (formerly known as Institute for China-US People-to-People Exchange), Peking University, and Liang Wei, President of Association of Chinese Political Studies and Professor of Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, attended and addressed the opening ceremony. Professor Wang Jisi from the Institute of International and Strategic Studies of Peking University and General Chen Zhou from the Academy of Military Sciences PLA China, were invited to deliver keynote speeches. The opening ceremony was presided over by Fan Shiming, Associate Dean of the School of International Studies, Peking University. More than 70 China experts from 17 countries and regions including the United States, China, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, South Korea, Mexico, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao attended the conference. During the two-day conference, experts and scholars had in-depth discussions on China’s reform, the changing world order and China’s diplomatic adjustment.
In the opening ceremony, Professor Jia Guoqing welcomed the experts and scholars, and introduced the history, faculty and student training of the School of International Studies, Peking University. He pointed out that the School has always been committed to rational discussions on international affairs and diplomatic relations. He emphasized that it is necessary to strengthen exchanges between domestic and foreign scholars, which is conducive to achieving a mutual understanding of intentions and win-win results in international affairs.
In his keynote speech, Professor Wang Jisi pointed out that “One world, one dream” is a distant ideal. In fact, all countries are “dividing the world”, but in different ways. China’s perception of the outside world is quite different from the outside world’s perception of China. China is exerting itself to “promoting a more equitable and rational international order”. There is neither the will nor the realistic possibility of starting all over again. Professor Wang proposed that it is unlikely that China and the United States will collide head-on in the process of “devolution of power”. China and the United States should re-examine their respective “dichotomy of the world”, respect and adapt to each other to achieve harmony and peace.
General Chen Zhou delivered a keynote speech on China’s security and military strategies and pointed out that the overall national security concept proposed by President Xi Jinping has four features: pursuing overall security, development security, people’s security and common security. He stressed that China’s military strategy is an active defense strategy. The White Paper: China’s Military Strategy in 2015 outlined the military strategic guidelines of active defense in the new situation: winning informationized local wars, innovating basic operational doctrines, optimizing the military strategic layout, accelerating the strategic transformation of troops and adhering to the strategic guidance. General Chen also introduced the new changes in China’s naval strategy, and emphasized that the development of the Chinese Navy should follow and serve the national strategy of peaceful development.
The Annual Conference was held in the School of International Studies and the North Pavilion of Peking University, and had 16 topics: “social change and political stability in China”, “national security and territorial disputes”, “China and its neighbors”, “trade and investment”, “the political economy of China-Latin America investment relations”, “nationalism, ethnic minority governance and social unrest”, “China’s and global environmental governance”, “political discourse and content analysis in Chinese studies”, “local governance in China”, “media, history education and politics”, “the constructivist perspective of great power politics”, “bottleneck in the domestic economic reform”, “China in the international political economy”, “China-US relations”, “China’s economic diplomacy” and “Rise of China: opportunities or challenges for other countries?”. Jorge Heine, Ambassador of Chile to China, Professor Brantly Womack from the University of Virginia, Professor John Fuh-sheng Hsieh from the University of South Carolina, Professor Guo Sujian from San Francisco State University, Professor Guo Baogang from Dalton State College, Professor Enrique Dussel Peters from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Professor Zeng Ka from the University of Arkansas, Professor Jean-Marc F. Blanchard from Shanghai Jiaotong University, Professor Li Quan from Wuhan University, Professor Chung-chian Teng from National Chengchi University, and Professor You Ji from the University of Macau, shares their research results and original views.
The Annual Conference was assisted by the American Studies Center, Peking University, Research Center for Global Governance, Peking University, Center for International Security and Peace Studies, Peking University, the editorial office of the Journal of International Studies and S.H.Wong’s transnational enterprise.
The Association of Chinese Political Studies (ACPS), founded in 1986, is the largest academic organization in the United States that studies Chinese politics, with nearly 1,000 members. As a non-profit and non-political entity, ACPS is committed to conducting and supporting academic activities related to Chinese political studies and providing professional guidance and academic exchange opportunities for Chinese political researchers. So far, more than 40 major academic conferences and workshops have been held around the world, more than 30 books have been published, and the Journal of Chinese Political Science, an English journal about Chinese political studies, has been published.
Subscription
