You are here

Talking Points, December 12 - 26, 2007

The USC U.S.-China Institute's weekly email newsletter
December 11, 2007
Print
USC U.S.-China Institute
Talking Points
December 12 - 26, 2007
"History has repeatedly shown it is dialogue and consultation, not confrontation and finger pointing, that has enabled the China-U.S. business relations to grow…. We oppose attempts to politicize trade issues…. I am particularly concerned about the 50 protectionist China-related bills introduced in the U.S. Congress… Secretary Paulson and other American colleagues, I need to be quite candid about this: If these bills are adopted, they will severely undermine US business ties with China.”
            -- PRC Vice Premier Wu Yi, Dec. 12, 2007
 
“Whereas trade was once largely a source of stability in U.S.-China relations, it has recently become a source of tension, and not only because of safety concerns. Worries about the effects of foreign competition - through trade or through foreign investment - have led to a rise in economic nationalism and protectionist sentiments in both our nations.” 
 
Today top American and Chinese officials met in China for the third round of talks in the two-year old “Strategic Economic Dialogue.” In the run-up to the meeting officials in both countries outlined areas of contention and cooperation. Contentious areas include currency valuations, allegations of discriminatory inspection regimes, and concerns about enforcement of product safety standards. Cooperation is growing, however, in the third of these areas. Yesterday officials announced that U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspectors will be allowed into China to monitor exports to the U.S. In return, the U.S. has pledged to make it easier for Chinese tour groups to visit America. A number of other agreements were signed regarding cooperation in areas including health and the environment.
 
Documents from this and previous rounds in the dialogue are available in the resources section of our website. These issues and more are the subject of news reports and feature articles available in our US-China Today web magazine.
 
The political climate in which these talks are taking place is interesting. The U.S. is in the midst of a heated presidential campaign and the Chinese Communist Party has just ended its 17th National Party Congress. An influential Chinese American group, the Committee of 100, has just released a survey conducted in August and September in China and America. The full report is extensive and nuanced, but one important point stands out:
Chinese Communist Party members (74%) have a more favorable impression of the U.S. than do non-Party members (60%), while in the U.S. staff working for members of Congress generally hold a lower opinion of China (35% favorable) compared to the general American public (52% favorable) and business leaders (54% favorable).
With the end of the year near, the number of talks and conferences falls off dramatically. There are, however, many exhibitions that may interest you. You can read about these below and in the exhibitions section of our web calendar. You may also wish to visit the news and features sections to see videos and read reports on events you may have missed.
 
USC faculty and graduate student researchers are reminded that they are eligible to apply for USCI research support. Please visit the announcements section of our website (http://china.usc.edu) to see the calls for proposals and to download applications. We are also now inviting applications for California graduates of our National Consortium for Teaching about Asia program to apply to join us on our summer 2008 study tour to East Asia. Details and the application are in the K-12 Curriculum section of the website.

As always, we’re grateful when you forward Talking Points to friends and colleagues. And of course we welcome your tax deductible contribution to support the institute. You can donate online at https://giveto.usc.edu/pledge.asp (please be sure to note that you want to support the U.S.-China Institute). 

Best wishes,
The USC U.S.-China Institute
http://china.usc.edu

 

 

 USC Events

12/10/2007 - 12/15/2007: International Forum on Disability and Development: Caring, Participation and Action
Peking University Institute of Population Research
Beijing, China
Cost: U.S.$350-U.S.$550
The issues faced by people with disabilities and their needs are integral to the process of building a harmonious society, as well as the improvement of human rights in China. Experts gather in Beijing for learning and discussion.

California Events   

12/12/2007: Commerce & Classics: Sino-Japanese Exchanges in the Eighteenth Century
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
11377 Bunche Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095
Cost: Free
Time: 4:00PM - 5:30PM
Benjamin Elman gives a talk on the intellectual impact of late imperial Chinese classicism, medicine and science in Tokugawa Japan by way of reconsidering early modern Sino-Japanese cultural history, 1700-1850. 

North America: .

12/17/2007: Can Democracy Survive Globalization? Lessons From Taiwan
The George Washington University
Jack Morton Auditorium
805 21st St., NW
Time: 9:00AM - 4:15PM
Cost: Free
The Sigur Center for Asian Studies hosts a conference on the challenges of democracy.

Exhibitions:

09/17/2007 - 12/21/2007: Forces: Paintings & Calligraphy 
IEAS Conference Room
2223 Fulton Street, 6th Floor, Berkeley, CA 94720-2318
Cost: Free
The UCB Center for Chinese Studies presents an exhibition by Lampo Leong.

09/06/2007 - 01/20/2008: Zhang Huan: Altered States
2nd Floor Starr & Ross Galleries
Asia Society and Museum
725 Park Ave, New York, NY
Phone: 212-517-ASIA
This exhibition is the first ever museum retrospective of Zhang Huan, encompassing major works produced over the past 15 years in Beijing, New York, and Shanghai.

 

10/12/2007 - 01/27/2008: Rank and Style - Power Dressing in Imperial China
Pacific Asia Museum
Address: 46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101
Time: 10:00AM - 6:00PM
Cost: $7 for adults, $5 for students/seniors
Phone: (626) 449-2742
For the first time in the United States, the Pacific Asia Museum presents selections from the Chris Hall Collection of Hong Kong, October 12, 2007 - January 27, 2008.

10/04/2007 - 02/08/2008: From the Abundant Pharmacy: Traditional Chinese Medicine in LA's Chinatown
The California Endowment’s Center for Healthy Communities: Big Sur Education Gallery
1000 N. Alameda Street , Los Angeles, CA 90012
Cost: Free
Time: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM; Monday thru Friday
The exhibition features historical and contemporary photographs and videos of selected stores and herbalists.


11/06/2007 - 02/10/2008: China on Paper: European and Chinese Works from the Late Sixteenth to the Early Nineteenth Century
Research Institute Exhibition Gallery, Getty Center, Los Angeles, CA
Cost: Free
Illustrated books, prints, and maps from the special collections of the Research Library tell the fascinating story of mutual interest and collaborative works produced by Chinese and Europeans from the late sixteenth to the early nineteenth century.

11/10/2007 - 02/17/2008: Everyday Luxury: Chinese Silks of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)
Santa Barbara Museum of Art
1130 State Street , Santa Barbara, CA 93101
The exhibition features a collection of Chinese costumes and textiles from the last three hundred years. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please invite others to subscribe to USCI’s free email newsletter for regular updates on events and programs. We will not share names or email addresses with any other entity. Sign Up.

We provide information about China-related events as a community service. If you would like your event considered for inclusion in the USCI calendar, please click here to submit event details.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

USC U.S. – China Institute
3535 S. Figueroa St.
FIG 202
Los Angeles, CA 90089-1262
Tel: 213-821-4382
Fax: 213-821-2382
You have received this e-mail because you have subscribed to receive updates from USCI. If you feel this message has reached you in error or you no longer wish to receive our updates, please click, unsubscribe, and enter "Remove" in the subject line.  

Tags:

Print