Talking Points: October 14 -28, 2009

Talking Points
October 14 - 28, 2009

Our comprehensive calendar of China-related events across North America is below. Information about the USC US-China Institute/USA Pavilion student ambassador program at the Shanghai Expo is available here: http://china.usc.edu/ShowArticle.aspx?articleID=1838.

China’s government has been encouraging Chinese firms to “go out” (zouchuqu 走出去), that is to set up operations and invest abroad. Chinese banks have been urged to support this drive. In recent years there have been headline grabbing acquisitions and near misses. Best known acquisitions include Lenovo’s 2005 purchase of IBM’s personal computer division for $1.75 billion and Sinopec’s recent $7.2 billion purchase of Addax, a Swiss oil company with extensive holdings in Iraq. High profile failed bids include CNOOC’s attempt in 2005 to acquire Unocal, a Southern California-based oil firm, for $18.5 billion and this year’s $19.5 billion effort by Aluminum Corp. of China to buy Australian mining giant Rio Tinto.

Yesterday, Daniel Rosen spoke at the USC US-China Institute about the nature, scale, and

Daniel H. Rosen, at USC on October 15.

importance of these investments. Rosen, a fellow of the Peterson Institute for International Economics and principal of the Rhodium Group, explained that while there has been talk in China of “going out” since the 1990s, Chinese outbound foreign direct investments (OFDI) only became significant this decade and only really began to climb since 2004-2005. Prior to this, it was much easier for firms to simply expand their domestic operations. They could more readily manage this and profits were more certain, especially for export-oriented companies. China’s rapid economic expansion and the rapid growth of Chinese cities caused some planners to worry about access to key mineral and other resources and pushed large state-owned firms to start making foreign acquisitions. Now, though, “going out” is partly driven by a desire to produce closer to markets so as to avoid possible carbon-tariffs in the future. The relative lack of experience managing operations abroad remains a limiting factor for Chinese firms. Rosen noted that Vice Premier Wang Qishan publicly rebuked the aspirations of Hunan-based Sany, a heavy machinery producer, arguing the firm was unprepared to deal with foreign regulators and workers.

While the rise in Chinese OFDI acquisitions was steady and impressive up to the global economic downturn last fall, Rosen emphasized that China’s outbound direct investment is a tiny fraction of world total. On a per capita basis, China’s cumulative outbound investment totaled just $72. America’s is $9,265 and Germany’s is $15,000. And while reaching out, China remains open to foreign investment within China. Roughly $5 is invested by foreigners in China for every $1 that Chinese have invested elsewhere.

The chart above shows relative share of total world foreign direct investment (FDI), 1980-2007. The US share has declined from nearly 40%, but is still greater than any other nation. China's share is less than 1% of the total. On a per capita basis, the UK has the greatest FDI, with more than $28,000.

Our web magazine US-China Today has feature articles about Chinese investments and projects in Africa and Latin America. The articles include interactive maps documenting investments or contracts in particular countries. And on November 13, Deborah Brautigam will speak at USC on her new book The Dragon’s Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa.

Among the many interesting programs over the next two weeks is today’s talk at UCLA by Wan Yanhai, China’s foremost HIV/AIDS activist, and Tuesday’s symposium at the Library of Congress on Ding Cong, one of China’s most influential cartoonist. Carnegie Hall and the Orange County Philharmonic are teaming up for the ongoing “Ancient Paths, Modern Voices” festival. One of the festival events features films produced in Beijing last summer by pairs of USC and Communication University of China students .Please look below and in the calendar section of our website for more details.

File photo of Kuo Hong-chih, pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Finally, Dodger fans were disappointed last night, losing 8-6 to the Phillies in the opening game of the National League Championship Series. But they were not disappointed by the performance of Kuo Hung-chih (郭泓志). The Taiwan-born relief pitcher struck out two Phillies and turned in a scoreless inning. Kuo is the third player from Taiwan to play with the Dodgers.

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Best wishes,
The USC U.S.-China Institute
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USC

10/22/2009: Literary Luncheon
USC, Doheny Memorial Library
Time: 11:30AM - 2:00PM
Contact: Toni Miller
Phone: (213) 740-2328
Lisa See discusses her most recent novel, Shanghai Girls.

10/26/2009: Roundtable Conversation with Mark Edward Lewis
University of Southern California
East Asian Library Seminar Room, Doheny Memorial Library
Cost: Free
Time: 4:00PM
Join Professor Lewis, one of the most interesting and productive scholars of early China in the Euro-American world, for a series of multi-faceted histories of ancient China. 

10/28/2009: Documenting The Global City: Beijing
Regency South Coast Village Theater
Costa Mesa, CA
Time: 8:oopm
USC School of Cinematic Arts' Mark Jonathan Harris and students from USC present and comment on their work following the sample screenings. 

California  

10/15/2009: Red Cliff (Chi Bi)
Regency South Coast Village Theater, Costa Mesa, CA
Cost: $10
Time: 8:00PM - 10:00PM
Screening followed by Q & A with director John Woo.

10/16/2009: Intellectuals, Professions, and Knowledge Production in Twentieth-Century China
UC Berkeley
IEAS Conference Room, 2223 Fulton Street, 6th Floor, Berkeley, CA
Time: 9:00AM - 5:00PM
UC Berkeley presents a conference on the transformation of China's literati into modern professionals and intellectuals in the twentieth-century. 

10/16/2009: HIV/AIDS NGOs in China and Their Relationship with the Government
10383 Bunche Hall
UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1487
Time: 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
UCLA's Center for Chinese Studies presents a talk by Wan Yanhai. 

10/16/2009: Quanzhou Marionette Theater
Orange County Performing Arts Center’s Samueli Theater
Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Irvine, CA
Time: 8:00PM
Music, song and puppetry unite as the talented puppeteers and musicians of the Quanzhou Marionette Theater perform selections from Chinese folk tales.

10/17/2009: Festival of the Autumn Moon
California Club
538 South Flower Street Los Angeles, CA
This year, the festival celebrates the arts of China with Special Guest, Consul General Zhang Yun of the People’s Republic of China. 

10/17/2009: Ping Pong Diplomacy: The Rematch
South Coast Plaza, Crate and Barrel/Macy’s Home Store Wing, Level 1, Costa Mesa, CA
Saturday, October 17, 2009 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday, October 18, 2009 from noon to 4 p.m.
South Coast Plaza in collaboration with the Richard Nixon Foundation will host a series of ping pong exhibition matches featuring collegiate athletes, Olympians and youth participants.

10/18/2009: Chinese Cultural Showcase
South Coast Plaza, Carousel Court, Level 1, Costa Mesa, CA
Sunday, October 18, 2009 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Saturday, October 24, 2009 from 2 to 4 p.m.
The South Coast Chinese Cultural Association and Irvine Chinese School present traditional ribbon dance, performances on ancient instruments, and demonstrations of Tai Chi and Kung Fu techniques. 

10/22/2009: The Instant City and the Postspatial Turn in Chinese Cinema
UC Berkeley
IEAS Conference Room, 2223 Fulton Street, 6th Floor, Berkeley, CA
Cost: Free
Time: 4:00PM - 6:00PM
UC Berkeley presents a talk by Yomi Braester on the trope of a city constructed in the blink of the eye in recent Chinese films. 

10/24/2009: Tea and Chinese Cultural Aesthetics
Lenart Auditorium, UCLA Fowler Museum , Los Angeles, CA
Cost: Free
Time: 3:00PM - 4:00PM
Pei-kai Cheng will examine how aesthetic appreciation and choice of wares for tea ceremony influenced the development of Chinese porcelain-making technology.  

10/27/2009: Musical Journeys Through China with Wu Man
Orange County Performing Arts Center’s Samueli Theater, at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Irvine, CA
Time: 8:00PM
World renowned pipa virtuoso and founding member of Yo-Yo Ma’s cross-cultural Silk Road Ensemble, Wu Man returns to Orange County with Musical Journeys through China.

10/28/2009: China on the World Stage: Ready for Prime Time?
UC Berkeley
Address: 3401 Dwinelle Hall, Berkeley, CA
Cost: Free
Time: 12:00PM - 1:00PM
UC Berkeley presents a talk by Thomas Fingar on China's role in the world stage.

North America

10/15/2009: Representations and Uses of Yue Identity Along the Southern Frontier of the Han, ~200- 111 BCE
University of Pennsylvania
Stiteler B21
Cost: Free
Time: 4:30PM
The Center for East Asian Studies presents a talk by Erica Brindley on the Yue identity during ancient China.  
 
10/20/2009: Chinese cartoonist and caricaturist Ding Cong
Conference: 8: 30 a.m. - Noon
Whittall Pavilion, Thomas Jefferson Bldg. Library of Congress,
Washington, DC
Exhibition: 1:45 p.m.  4: 30 p.m.
Mason Art Gallery, School of Visual and Performing Arts, George Mason
University, Fairfax, VA
The Library of Congress and George Mason University are sponsoring a one day symposium and exhibition showing Ding Congs life and work. 

10/21/2009: Quanzhou Marionette Theater
Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall
Address: 881 Seventh Avenue , New York, NY 10019-3210
Cost: $30 - $42
Time: 7:30PM
Music, song and puppetry unite as the talented puppeteers and musicians of the Quanzhou Marionette Theater perform selections from Chinese folk tales. 

10/22/2009: Qin And Chinese Calligraphy
China Institute
125 East 65th Street, New York, NY 10065
Cost: $10 China Institute member / $15 non-member
Phone: 212-744-8181 
Time: 6:30PM
In this lecture-demonstration, Mingmei Yip explores the ancient Chinese philosophy of nurturing life and longevity by harnessing breath, energy, and qi
(chi) through qin-playing and calligraphic brush strokes.

10/23/2009: Taste of China with Wu Man
Zankel Hall, New York, NY
Time: 7:30PM
World renowned pipa virtuoso and founding member of Yo-Yo Ma’s cross-cultural Silk Road Ensemble, Wu Man performs at Carnegie Hall. 

10/24/2009: Ba Da Chui, Percussion Quartet hosted by Wu Man
The Performance Project @ University Settlement , New York, NY
Time: 3:00PM
This native Chinese percussion quartet, whose name means “eight great hammers,” promises a feast of sound.  
 
10/24/2009: Shen Wei Dance Arts at 10
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
1071 Fifth Avenue (at 89th Street), New York, NY
Time: 7:30PM
Shen Wei Dance Arts launches its 10th-anniversary season with a program that explores Shen Wei’s creative process through performance and a discussion with the artist.
 
10/25/2009: Neighborhood Concert: Ensemble ACJW
Flushing Town Hall, New York, NY
Time: 2:00pm
Featuring musicians of The Academy — a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education.  
 
10/25/2009: Neighborhood Concert: Zhang Family Band
Henry Street Settlement, New York, NY
Time: 3:00PM
This native Chinese ensemble performs traditional music used in village rituals, including temple fairs, weddings, funerals, and seasonal festivities.  

10/25/2009: Chinese Teahouse
Asia Society
725 Park Avenue New York, NY 10021
Cost: $25 and $30
Phone: 212-517-ASIA
Time: 7:00PM
A traditional Chinese teahouse presents the culture of music and tea together.

10/26/2009: Juilliard Orchestra
Alice Tully Hall
1941 Broadway New York, NY 10023
Time: 7:30PM
This all–Tan Dun concert under the composer’s leadership features the distinguished soloist Cho-Liang Lin performing a world premiere. 

10/27/2009: Lang Lang and Friends
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall, New York , NY
Time: 8:00PM
Carnegie Hall presents pianist Lang Lang and other Chinese musicians.

Exhibitions 

09/17/2009 - 10/22/2009: China's Great Wall: The Forgotten Story
3A Gallery
Address: 101 South Park, San Francisco, CA 94107
Phone: 415.543.3347
The Forgotten Story is a series of historically-based photographs of the Great Wall of China. It is a collaboration between Jonathan Ball, a California based photographer, and David Spindler, one of the world's foremost experts on Great Wall history.

08/16/2009 - 11/29/2009: Steeped in History: The Art of Tea
Fowler Museum
Cost: Free
The Fowler Museum at UCLA presents an exhibition on the history of tea in Asia, Europe, and America through art. 

09/18/2009 - 01/09/2010: Imagining China: The View from Europe, 1550-1700
Folger Great Hall
201 East Capitol Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003
Cost: Free
Phone: (202) 544-7077
Celebrate the opening of the latest exhibition at Folger Shakespeare Library.

 
09/17/2009 - 01/17/2010: Calligraffiti: Writing in Contemporary Chinese and Latino Art
Pacific Asia Museum
46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, California 91101
Phone: (626) 449-2742
Calligraffiti: Writing in Contemporary Chinese and Latino Art addresses issues of power, culture, and universality. 

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
1400 East Prospect Street , Volunteer Park , Seattle, WA 98112–3303
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. 

02/12/2009 - 02/12/2010: Art of Adornment: Tribal Beauty
Bowers Museum
2002 N. Main, Santa Ana, CA
Cost: $5
An exhibit featuring body adornments from indigenous peoples around the world 

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