President Obama’s recent meetings with General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized cooperation. The meetings took place, however, after 18 months that had seen a steady deterioration in trust between the U.S. and China, a period in which China declared with growing adamancy that American values, as transmitted by U.S. culture and media posed a threat to China. China, meanwhile, continues invest heavily in building its own soft power in the United States and around the world.
The Kissinger Institute and the Counsellors’ Office of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China invite you to participate in a joint symposium on how national traditions and values yield (or fail to yield) creative cultures, innovative institutions, and soft power, and what governments can do to foster or stymie such dynamism.
This invitation is not transferable without consultation. Space is limited and attendance may be capped, so please RSVP early.
9:00am Welcome and Issue Overview
9:10am Opening Remarks
9:20am Panel I: Traditional Values/Modern Challenges
10:30am Panel II: Innovation and Popular Culture
1:30pm Panel III: Shaping National Cultures: Who Has a Voice?
2:30pm Panel IV: Particularity, Universality, and Soft Power
3:45pm Panel V: Looking Forward: Chinese and U.S. Governance after the Fourth Plenum and 2014 Elections
5:00pm Symposium concludes