Talking Points: January 14-28, 2009

Talking Points
January 14 - 28, 2009

Secretary of State-Designate Hillary Clinton testified before the Senate Foreign Relations this week. In 1995, she delivered a highly-anticipated  speech in Beijing at the United Nations Conference on Women. In it she emphasized that governments and peoples must listen not just to those like herself who were official delegates to the conference, but also to the many individuals and non-governmental organizations whose meetings on women were confined to an area some 50 km away from the UN conference. She said,

“If there is one message that echoes forth from this conference, it is that human rights are women's rights - and women's rights are human rights. Let us not forget that among those rights are the right to speak freely - and the right to be heard.

“Women must enjoy the right to participate fully in the social and political lives of their countries if we want freedom and democracy to thrive and endure. It is indefensible that many women in nongovernmental organizations who wished to participate in this conference have not been able to attend - or have been prohibited from fully taking part.”

When she was battling Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination last year, Clinton sought to mobilize primary voters by advocating a hard line on China. In April 2008, she told a Pittsburgh audience, "China should be a trade partner, not a trade master.” In May Clinton told a North Carolina audience, "We do have to get tough on China.... It is long past time for us to blow the whistle.” She continued,

"This country manipulates its currency to our disadvantage, they engage in broad-based intellectual property theft, industrial espionage, they do not follow the rules they agreed to follow when they joined the WTO. What do we get in return from them? Well, we get tainted pet food, we get lead-laced toys, we get polluted pharmaceuticals."

Everyone understands that rhetoric heats up during a tough campaign. As Secretary of State, it will be Clinton’s task to effectively articulate and execute President Obama’s policies. Obama’s comments regarding China were more moderate than Clinton’s. In her prepared comments at yesterday’s hearing, Clinton said,

“The President-Elect and I believe that foreign policy must be based on a marriage of principles and pragmatism, not rigid ideology. On facts and evidence, not emotion or prejudice. Our security, our vitality, and our ability to lead in today’s world oblige us to recognize the overwhelming fact of our interdependence.”

And later, she said,

"China is a critically important actor in a changing global landscape. We want a positive and cooperative relationship with China, one where we deepen and strengthen our ties on a number of issues, and candidly address differences where they persist.

“But this is not a one-way effort – much of what we will do depends on the choices China makes about its future at home and abroad.”

Clinton will be confirmed as Secretary and as her comments yesterday suggest, the administration will seek to work with China to address issues of mutual concern such as nuclear weapons proliferation, climate change, and product safety, but will also be attentive to the Chinese government’s trade policies and human rights practices.

The USC U.S.-China Institute’s documentary on “the challenge of China” has segments devoted to trade, human rights, and Obama’s positions toward China (it's also on YouTube). Our website also features a video presentation by Tom Christensen, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, on “Shaping China's Choices:  Lessons for the Next U.S. Administration."

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On 8/8/08, the largest worldwide television audience ever watched as the Olympics opened in Beijing. The Chinese government spent an estimated $43 billion and millions of people were mobilized to prepare for the event. What was the impact of all that money and effort? How did the run-up to the Games and the event affect China’s international standing? Within China, were the stresses and strains associated with staging the Games more than matched by the pride and sense of accomplishment the event generated? What is the economic legacy of the Games? And, what role did foreign and domestic media play in all this? These are some of the questions to be explored at a major conference to be held at USC on January 30. Space at the conference is limited and advance registration is required. Click here for additional information.

Please share Talking Points with others and encourage them to subscribe at: china.usc.edu/subscribe.aspx. We appreciate your comments. Please write to us at uschina@usc.edu.

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

California: 

01/14/2009 - 01/15/2009: Three Approaches in Contemporary Classical Studies
UCLA Royce 243, Los Angeles, CA
and
UCLA Bunche 11377, Los Angeles, CA
Cost: Free
Time: 4:30PM - 6:00PM
Kuo-liang Yeh (Dean of National Taiwan University) will deliver three talks on contemporary Classical Studies. 

01/16/2009: The Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on the US-Asian Economic Outlook
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco 101 Market Street San Francisco, California
Cost: $45 per person (includes lunch)
Time: 12:00PM - 2:00PM
The Asia Society presents a panel discussion on the ongoing financial crisis and implications for the global economy, particularly the Asia-Pacific region. 

01/16/2009: Mixed Asian Artists: From Isamu Noguchi to Kip Fulbeck
Northern California de Young Museum
Piazzoni Murals Room, Golden Gate Park
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
Cost: Free to museum members, $10 nonmembers Buy Tickets Online
Phone: 415-750-3600
Time: 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Asia Society presents a panel discussion on Mixed Asian Artists.  
 
01/20/2009: The Future of Democracy in Northeast Asia
Northern California World Affairs Council
312 Sutter Street, Suite 200
San Francisco
Time: 6:00 - 7:30 pm
Cost: $5 members, students; $10 nonmembers   Buy Tickets Online
Phone:415-421-8707
The program brings together some of the world's leading experts to discuss the future of democracy in Northeast Asia.
 
01/22/2009: Chinese Competition Policy: The Antimonopoly Law & China's Financial Sector
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco 101 Market Street, San Francisco, CA
Cost: $45 per person (includes lunch)
Time: 12:00PM - 2:00PM
The Asia Society presents a talk with Nate Bush, O'Melveny & Myers LLP on China's antimonopoly Law & China's financial sector. 
 
01/22/2009: Commentary-writing in Chinese Buddhism
UC Berkeley
IEAS Conference Room, 2223 Fulton Street, 6th Floor, Berkeley, California
Cost: Free
Time: 5:00PM - 6:30PM
Imre Hamar (University of Virginia) will explore the significance of commentaries is holy scriptures and ancient written texts.
 
01/26/2009: Xianbei, Fuyu, or Puyo: The Laoheshen Cemetery in Jilin, China, and Its Ethnicity and Women
UCLA 11377 Bunche Hall, Los Angeles, CA
Cost: Free
Time: 4:30PM - 6:00PM
UCLA presents a talk by Pak Yingjin (Chungnam University) 
 
01/28/2009: Chinese Posters: Art from the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
IEAS Conference Room
Address: 2223 Fulton Street, 6th Floor, Berkeley, CA
Cost: Free
Phone: (510) 643-6321
Time: 5:00PM - 6:30PM
A presentation of Chinese posters by Lincoln Cushing, Archivist, art historian, former UC librarian and Ann Tompkins, Co-author, with Lincoln Cushing, of "Chinese Posters: Art from the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution" 

North America: 

01/16/2009: Meltdown: The Impact of Climate Change on the Tibetan Plateau (with live video webcast)
Asia Society and Museum
Auditorium and 8th floor, 725 Park Avenue, New York, New York
Phone: 212-517-ASIA
Time: 8:00AM - 6:00PM
Asia Society presents a one-day conference on the impact of rising global temperature on the Tibetan plateau.
 
01/17/2009: Asia Society Presidential Inaugural Reception
The St. Regis, Astor Ballroom
16 & K Street NW, Washington, D.C.
Time: 5:30 - 7:30 pm
Cost: Tickets: Asia Society members (Individual) $100, Couple $175. Non-members (individual) $150; (couple) $275; VIP $250 (includes an invitation to the VIP reception).
Phone: 202-833-ASIA
Asia Society's Presidential Inaugural Reception will honor the spirit of cooperation between the United States and Asia.
 
01/20/2009: Xinli: Contemporary Literature in China
Time:  6:30 - 8:00 pm
Asia Society and Museum, 8th Floor
725 Park Avenue, New York
Free admission. Advance registration is recommended, as space is limited.
Phone:  212-517-ASIA
The program brings together some of the world's leading experts to discuss the future of democracy in Northeast Asia.

Exhibitions: 

08/23/2008 - 02/22/2009: Guests of the Hills: Travelers and Recluses in Chinese Landscape Painting
Freer Gallery of Art/ Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Smithsonian Institution P.O. Box 37012, MRC 707, Washington DC 20013-7012
Phone: 202.633.1000
Freer Gallery of Art presents an exhibition on the depictions of recluses and recreational travelers in Chinese landscape painting.

11/03/2008 - 11/03/2009: Ancient Arts of China: A 5000 Year Legacy
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.  

11/14/2008 - 11/14/2009: Chinese Art: A Seattle Perspective
Seatle Asian Art Museum
Address: 1400 East Prospect Street , Volunteer Park , Seattle, WA 98112–3303
Phone: 206.654.3100
The Seattle Asian Art Museum presents an opportunity to see a collection with representative works from each dynastic period.

11/15/2008 - 11/15/2009: Masters of Adornment: The Miao People of China
Bowers Museum
2002 North Main Street, Santa Ana, California 92706
The Bowers Museum presents a collection of exquisite textiles and silver jewelry that highlights the beauty and wealth of the Miao peoples of southwest China.

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