Join us for a free one-day workshop for educators at the Japanese American National Museum, hosted by the USC U.S.-China Institute and the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia. This workshop will include a guided tour of the beloved exhibition Common Ground: The Heart of Community, slated to close permanently in January 2025. Following the tour, learn strategies for engaging students in the primary source artifacts, images, and documents found in JANM’s vast collection and discover classroom-ready resources to support teaching and learning about the Japanese American experience.
Talking Points, Oct. 1 - 13, 2010
This issue of the USC US-China Institute's newsletter examines environmental issues, territorial disputes, and, as always includes our comprehensive calendar of China-centered events across North America.
October 1, 2010
Talking Points
October 1 - 13, 2010
Water quality is a pressing issue in China. China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection says that only half of the water in China’s rivers and lakes is safe for drinking. Pollution is so bad that one-quarter of the country’s water is not safe to be used in industry or agriculture.
Even without pollution, China would have a water crisis. There’s simply not enough of it. We got a hint of this when authorities diverted water from surrounding areas to Beijing to ensure the capital had plenty during the 2008 Olympics. Farmers in some places saw their crops die for lack of water. With 20% of the world’s people, China has just 7% of the world’s water. Because even those supplies are not evenly distributed, the country is in the midst of a massive $62 billion water diversion project to bring water from the wetter south to the parched north. In addition to engineering 1,800 miles of canals, plus tunnels, and reservoirs, officials are relocating hundreds of thousands of people to make way for the project.
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| The US averaged almost 10,000 cubic meters of available water per person in 2003-2007, China averaged 2,125 cubic meters. |
Even if this project succeeds, the ultimate source of much of the water filling the Yangzi River is already shrinking and could be greatly diminished within twenty-five years. Global warming is melting the glaciers and snow pack of the Himalayas. More than a billion people in China and India depend on rivers fed by the Himalayan ice and now.
On 4 pm Monday, David Breashears comes to USC to vividly illustrate the shrinking of Himalayan glaciers. Breashears first climbed Mt. Everest in 1983 and has for three decades produced some of the most stunning and influential photographs and films of the Himalayas. He produced the first IMAX film of the region. His most recent film is Storm over Everest (2008). He’s received four Emmys for his cinematography. Breashears is also the author of several books, including an autobiography, High Exposure (1999). In recent years Breashears has been tracking down early photographs of Himalayan glaciers. Comparing these images with ones he’s taken allows viewers to see how climate change threatens the Himalayan supply of water to 20% of the world’s people. We hope you can join us for Breashears’s multimedia presentation.
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| Top: Photo by E.O. Wheeler in 1921 (Royal Geographical Society); Bottom: David Breashears; West Rongbuk Glacier and Mount Everest. |
China and India are both engaged in efforts to maximize dwindling water resources at the “top of the world.” They are engaged in extensive dam building so as to expand clean energy generation. One project in Tibet on the Yalong Zangbo River will divert water that currently flows into India into China’s South – North water diversion project. This is another source of tension in the complex China-India relationship. Recently, Rong Ying, vice president of the China Institute for International Studies, and one of China’s top scholars on India, examined issues between the two Asian giants in a USC presentation. Click here to see video of his presentation at the USC US-China Institute website.
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Over the past seven months, lingering disputes over rights over the seas around China and the activities permitted in these areas have flared up. The South Korean and American government blamed the March sinking of a South Korean naval ship (killing 46 sailors) on North Korea. China said such blame was premature, but the US and South Korea launched naval exercises between Korea and Japan and announced plans to carry out exercises in the Yellow Sea between Korea and China. The Chinese condemned the plans and launched exercises of their own. In September a Chinese fishing vessel collided with (Japanese authorizes say rammed into) a Japanese coast guard ship trying to keep the vessel from fishing in waters near the atolls called Diaoyutai by the Chinese and Senkaku by the Japanese. The captain of the fishing vessel was taken into custody (and recently released) by the Japanese. China’s government rejects Japan’s claim to the atolls and has condemned Japanese handling of the incident. At the same time, while permitting Chinese citizens to engage in some small scale protests, Chinese authorities blocked access to the website of one organization aimed at mobilizing support for “recovering the Diaoyutai” and dispatched large numbers of police to prevent large or widespread protests.
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| This summer a Chinese team planted the national flag on the South China seabed 3,700 meters underwater. |
Meanwhile, tensions have risen in the South China Sea. This vital region is bordered by ten nations and including some of the world’s most important shipping lanes and fisheries. Critically important mineral resources, including oil, are thought to be there in large quantities as well. The Chinese have long laid claim to nearly the entire South China Sea. That claim is contested by many nations and in some instances the conflict has turned violent. This summer the United States entered the fray.
In July, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, "The United States has a national interest in freedom of navigation, open access to Asia`s maritime commons, and respect for international law in the South China Sea.” This comment, made at a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) regional forum held in Hanoi, triggered a vigorous response from Chinese authorities.
Chinese authorities argue that they and other nations in the region can work out their differences on a bilateral, nation to nation basis. They say that the U.S. is intruding into the discussion and attempting to make rights and use of the South China Sea an international issue. As Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi put it, “What will be the consequences to if this issue is turned into an international or multilateral one? It will only make matters worse and the resolution more difficult.”
USCI has produced a short video report on the issues at stake. It includes news footage, maps, and interviews with distinguished Chinese and American specialists. You can see The South China Sea: Troubled Waters at the USCI website and at our YouTube channel.
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Today is the 61st anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The occasion is being marked with receptions and speeches, but nothing on the order of last year’s celebration. Click here to see Talking Points coverage of past anniversaries and click here to see US-China Today's summary of foreign news coverage of the anniversary.
In addition to the “Melting Glaciers” presentation on Monday, upcoming USC events include a talk by Annenberg professor Andrew Lih on corporate social responsibility (Oct. 4), Yu Jie, author of the provocative new book China’s Best Actor: Wen Jiabao (Oct. 7), a behind the scenes look at the 1972 Nixon trip to China featuring the presidential aides who worked with Chinese officials on the logistics and protocol of the visit (Oct. 13), a screening of a new documentary on early 20th century revolutionary Qiu Jin (Oct. 27), and an examination of the environmental costs of China’s rapid development. Jonathan Watts will draw upon his new book When a Billion Chinese Jump: How China Will Save Mankind – Or Destroy It for that talk on Nov. 1.
USCI is proud to be a cosponsor of the 2010 California-China Trade & Investment Conference to be held Oct. 21. Experts from the US Commercial Service and the Chinese Consulate will join with successful businesspeople in providing attendees with proven strategies to export to China. Advance registration is essential. Please click here for more information.
As always, we appreciate hearing from you. Write to us at uschina@usc.edu.
Best wishes,
The USC US-China Institute
china.usc.edu
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Events
USC | California | North America | Exhibitions
10/01/2010: A Reel Look at China, India and Israel
Hamovitch Research Center
Montgomery Ross Fisher Building University Park Campus USC
Los Angeles, CA 90089
Phone: 213-740-1252
Time: 10:00AM - 11:00AM
Clinical Associate Professor Rafael Angulo and Dan Hester, director of international programs, showcase the school’s global immersion programs and how students` use of video documentation highlights social problems and searches for solutions in China, India and Israel.
10/01/2010: Shining a Light on Corruption: The Story of Two Journalists in Taiwan
Annenberg Auditorium
University Park Campus, Los Angeles, CA 90089
Cost: Free
Time: 12:00PM
The USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism presents a panel discussion featuring two pioneering broadcast journalists.
10/03/2010: Hot Summer Days
The Albert and Dana Broccoli Theatre
George Lucas Building, SCA 112 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Cost: Free
Phone: 213.740.2330
Time: 1:00PM
Hot Summer Days, directed by Tony Chan and Wing Shya, will be screened at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
10/04/2010: Documenting Climate Change: David Breashears and the Vanishing Glaciers of the Himalaya
USC Davidson Conference Center
3415 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90089
Time: 4-5:30pm
David Breashears, the photographer behind the Rivers of Ice show will discuss climate change and the glaciers of the Himalayas.
10/04/2010: Corporate Social Responsibility in Cultural Context
Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism Room 207
3650 Watt Way, Los Angeles, CA 90089
Cost: Free
Time: 6:30PM
Visiting Professor Andrew Lih will discuss corporate social responsibility, paying special attention to Google`s operations in China.
10/07/2010: China`s Best Actor: Wen Jiabao
USC Davidson conference center, clubroom, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Cost: Free
Time: 4:00PM - 6:00PM
Chinese dissident and author Yu Jie will present his book, China`s Best Actor: Wen Jiabao, in a talk at the University of Southern California.
10/13/2010: A City of Sadness
The Ray Stark Family Theatre
George Lucas Building, SCA 108 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Cost: Free
Time: 7:00PM
A City of Sadness, directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien, will be screened at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
10/01/2010: Prestigious Goods along the Silk Road? An Archaeological Perspective
Center for Chinese Studies
Address: 11381 Bunche Hall , Los Angeles, CA 90095
Cost: Free
Time: 4pm
A Lecture by Armin Selbitschka, University of Munich
10/04/2010: China Society 75th anniversary meeting: Zhao Feng on “Recent Textiles from the Silk Road”
Golden Dragon Restaurant
960 North Broadway, Chinatown , Los Angeles, CA 90012
Cost: $35. An email confirmation must be sent to China Society treasurer Yvonne Chang.
Time: 6:30PM
Direct from Hangzhou, China, the China Society presents the Deputy Director and Curator of the Chinese National Silk Museum, Dr. Zhao Feng.
10/04/2010: Xiao Bai Fan
RMS Queen Mary
1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach, CA
Time: 6:30PM
The Long Beach Qingdao Association presents a performance by the Xiao Bai Fan children`s dance troupe from Qingdao.
10/05/2010: The Changing Roles of U.S., Australia, China and India in the South Pacific
Asia Society Washington, The Cinnabar Room, Whittemore House
Address: 1526 New Hampshire Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036
Cost: Asia Society members: $15, Asia Society nonmembers: $20, Non-Members + One year Asia Society Membership: $75
Breakfast with The Honorable C. Steven McGann U.S. Ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga and Tuvalu
10/05/2010: Panel Discussion and Book Signing: Dreaming in Chinese by Deborah Fallows
Asia Society
725 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10021
Cost: Free admission. Advance registration required
Time: 6:30PM - 8:30PM
Deborah Fallows discusses her new book, Dreaming in Chinese: Mandarin Lessons in Life, Love, and Language.
10/08/2010: Congresses with Constituents, Constituents without Congresses in China
UC Berkeley
2223 Fulton Street 6th floor , Berkeley, CA 94720
Time: 4:00PM - 6:00PM
Berkeley Hosts a discussion on China`s Congress, featuring Melanie Manion from UW Madison.
10/10/2010: Discussion - Historical and Cultural Preservation in China: Part 1
46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101
Time: 2:00PM - 4:00PM
Pacific Asia Museum hosts a talk in which Elizabeth Lui, accomplished photographer and author of Open Hearts, Open Doors, Professor Hung-Hsiang Chou of UCLA and Dr. Albert Chang discuss current architectural preservation efforts, followed by Q&A.
10/05/2010: Juvenilia Book Talk with Poet Ken Chen
NYU Bookstore
926 Broadway at Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003
Cost: Free
Time: 7:00PM - 9:00PM
The Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU presents a special reading and conversation with poet, 2009 winner of the annual Yale Younger Poets competition, and Asian American Writers’ Workshop Executive Director Ken Chen as he reads from his collection Juvenilia.
10/06/2010: Yellow journalism and Public TV service in Taiwan
Asian Studies Center
301 International Center, East Lansing, MI 48824-1035
Cost: Free
Time: 3:00PM - 4:30PM
Michigan State hosts a talk about the democratization of TV news after the "cold war" between China and Taiwan.
10/07/2010: Chinese in America: Literary Lunchtime with Mae Ngai and Aziz Rana
Asia Society
725 Park Avenue, New York, NY
Cost: $5 students/seniors, $10 nonmembers
Time: 12:30PM - 2:00PM
In New York, Mae Ngai and Aziz Rana will read from their latest books and discuss family lives and legal battles that offer insight into the Chinese-American experience.
10/08/2010: New Actors in Chinese Foreign Policy: Energy Companies and the PLA
CSIS B1 Conference Center
1800 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006
Cost: Please RSVP bbillingsley@csis.org
Time: 9:00AM - 10:30AM
A public talk in Washington, D.C. will focus on newly formed political relationships that now affect the way China addresses foreign policy.
10/08/2010: Buddhism, Daoism, and Chinese Religion Conference
Princeton University
5 Ivy Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540
Cost: Free
Time: 4:30PM
Princeton University hosts a conference on Chinese religion.
Through 10/05/2010: Artwork of Visiting Faculty & Students from Shanghai Normal University
Purple Crit Room
AC300 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330
Cost: Free
California State University at Northridge is hosting a a reception in honor of visiting faculty and students from Shanghai Normal University.
Tibetan Landscapes -- A Philosopher, Poet and Artist`s Spiritual Journey to Tibet
Bamboo Lane Gallery
410 Bamboo Lane, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Bowers Museum
2002 North Main Street, Santa Ana, California 92706
Bowers Museum presents a collection that portrays the evolution of Chinese technology, art and culture.ends 02/06/2011: China Modern: Designing Popular Culture 1910-1970
Pacific Asia Museum
46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101
The Pacific Asia Museum presents an exhibition that demonstrates how political ideologies and cultural values are transmitted via everyday objects in China.
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Featured Articles
October 20, 2024
October 20, 2024
Please join us for the Grad Mixer! Hosted by USC Annenberg Office of International Affairs, Enjoy food, drink and conversation with fellow students across USC Annenberg. Graduate students from any field are welcome to join, so it is a great opportunity to meet fellow students with IR/foreign policy-related research topics and interests.
RSVP link: https://forms.gle/1zer188RE9dCS6Ho6
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Hosted by USC Annenberg Office of International Affairs, enjoy food, drink and conversation with fellow international students.
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Join us for an in-person conversation on Thursday, November 7th at 4pm with author Mike Lampton as he discusses his new book, Living U.S.-China Relations: From Cold War to Cold War. The book examines the history of U.S.-China relations across eight U.S. presidential administrations.