SURGE is committed to spreading knowledge and educating students about China U.S. relations not only through the China U.S. Symposium but through a number of different events. Below is a list of our past guest lectures and discussions.
16th US-China Symposium 04/06/2024
SURGE was excited to welcome an array of esteemed scholars and specialists to speak at our 16th annual US-China symposium: Stabilization and Separation.
The event kicked off with a keynote speech from Bhaskar Chakravorti, the Dean of Global Business at The Fletcher School at Tufts University, the founding Executive Director of Fletcher’s Institute for Business in the Global Context and founder and chair of Digital Planet. Dean Chakravorti opened with insightful commentary on the reshaping of the digital landscape partially accelerated by the seemingly overnight arrival of AI, and the significance of U.S. and Chinese competition in the artificial intelligence realm.
The symposium was divided into three panels: socio-cultural, security, and economics, each specializing in a certain aspect of Sino-U.S. relations. The socio-cultural panel included insight from Professor James Holmes from the Naval War College, Professor Pat Giersh from Wellesley College, Professor Robert Barnett from SOAS University of London; and Professor Mark Elliot from Harvard University. Professor Eliot, current vice-provost of International Affairs at Harvard, and a historian specializing in Qing Dynasty China, provided insightful commentary on China’s dramatic shift in its ethnic minority policies, tracing its policies from the premodern China to the current day. Many of the speakers highlighted the importance of historical memory and narrative in modern day China’s political identity.
The security panel included commentary from Professor Hua Han from Tsinghua University; PhD candidate and former marine, Scott McDonald from the Fletcher School; and Professor Michael Beckley from Tufts University. The security panel dedicated particular focus to the Taiwan Strait crisis, analyzing current cross strait relations and offered insight on conditions and steps needed to avoid a disastrous conflict from breaking out between the two great superpowers.
The event closed with the economics panel, inviting commentary from Professor Jun Ma of Northeastern University; Professor Gary Jefferson from Brandeis University; Professor Jonathan Brookfield from the Fletcher School; as well as insight from David Yin, a partner at GSR Ventures, who provided a practitioner’s perspective on U.S. China relations in the economic sphere. China’s great economic liberalization and opening, which had ushered in unprecedented prosperity after its initiation, has now begun to experience pronounced stagnation. The economics panelists were able to provide commentary on how the CCP has attempted to cope with these economic challenges, as well as what these measures mean for the future of the country. Professor Jun Ma pointed out that despite these challenges, it is very likely for China’s economy to experience a rebound in the near future, with Yin’s discussions about continued investment in the country aligning with this perspective as well.
In between discussions, attendees were also able to enjoy performances from the Tufts acapella group, Full Sound, a student acapella group specializing in Asian music. The event closed off with a sushi dinner and attendees were able to connect with speakers and other participants.
Paul Huang on Taiwan’s recent elections 02/04/2024
SURGE had the pleasure of collaborating with ALLIES, the Alliance Leading in Education and the Services, in hosting Paul Huang, a Research Fellow at Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation and a Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies. Huang’s research and reporting centers around Taiwanese politics and cross-strait relations and his presentation “Taiwan’s Post-2024 Election World” revolved around the domestic factors that lead to Lai Ching-te’s victory in the polls and the status of Taiwanese identity, its economy, and its military.
Huang pushed back against the Western journalistic narrative that categorizes the DPP, or the Democratic Progressive Party, (the party of Lai and his predecessor, President Tsai Ing-wen) as the pro-independence party, and the KMT (the Kuomintang) as the pro-reunification party, and counters that both parties are highly aware of the unpopularity of reunification with the Chinese government; maintain similar, and misguided, international policy agendas; and are highly motivated by the push and pull of domestic politics and so-called bread-and-butter issues.
Huang’s talk closed with a detailed and critical analysis of the status of the Taiwanese military, particularly criticizing overreliance of Taiwanese defense on American weapons sales and donations. In the reality of a rapidly modernizing People’s Liberation Army and a United States that remains ambiguous in its resolve to defend Taiwan, Huang believes that the weakness of Taiwanese military organization and strategy is an urgent issue that must be addressed, lest the balance of power in the U.S.-China-Taiwan security triangle falls too much in favor of the CCP.
Professor Emma Teng 11/02/2019
SURGE has the honor of hosting MIT Professor Emma J. Teng’s for our Fall book talk. She will present on and about the topics within her book titled “Eurasian: Mixed Identities in the United States, China, and Hong Kong,” after which a discussion will be held.
In the context of the Gold Rush, the Transcontinental Railroad, and the Asian Exclusion Acts, come join us in learning about and discussing the experiences of those identifying as Asian American in the United States in comparison with the experiences of those of more mainstream identities and the experiences of those who live on the other side of the Pacific in mainland China and Hong Kong.
Professor Michael Beckley Book Talk
“The United States has been the world’s dominant power for more than a century. Now many analysts believe that other countries are rising and the United States is in decline. Is the unipolar moment over? Is America finished as a superpower?”
(Excerpt drawn from: http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/?gcoi=80140107107650)
SURGE is pleased to co-host its faculty advisor, Prof. Michael Beckley with the Tufts International Relations Program, for its second fall speaker event of the semester. Prof. Beckley will be speaking about major themes in his new book, “Unrivaled” that was recently published in September 2018. Come join us for an unrivaled night of learning!
Richard Samuels on Sino-Japanese Relations
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Sino-Japanese Peace and Friendship. On this special occasion, Tufts Sino-U.S. Relations Group Engagement (SURGE) cordially invite you and your organization to our Fall Speaker series to review the Sino-Japanese relationship and its profound implications on the international order.
We are honored to have Professor Richard Samuels as our speaker this fall. Professor Samuels is a Ford International Professor of Political Science and director of the Center for International Studies at MIT. He has been head of the MIT Political Science Department, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Japan of the National Research Council, and chair of the Japan-US Friendship Commission. He has also been elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and was awarded an Imperial decoration by the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese Prime Minister. His articles and studies have been published in a wide range of academic journals. His books on Japanese foreign policy, the 2011 Tohoku catastrophe, and Machiavelli have won him a wide range of prestigious awards.
SURGE 2016 – Sino-US Relations in a Trump Presidency
Tufts SURGE is proud to present its annual fall event. This year, we are pleased to have Robert Ross speak at our event on December 7, 2016, 7pm at the Crane Room, Paige Hall.
Robert Ross is Professor of Political Science at Boston College and Associate, John King Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Harvard University. He has testified before Senate and House committees and the Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee, and advises US government agencies on various policy actions. He has written publications, including: Chinese Security Policy: Structure, Power, and Politics, China’s Ascent: Power, Security, and the Future of International Politics, as well as has articles published in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Politics, The China Quarterly.
Dr. Ross will speak about the legacy of President Obama’s Pivot to Asia, before assessing the implications of Donald’s Trump electoral success on future Sino-US relations.
The Rise of Chinese Soft Power by Wang Guan 11/24/2015
China’s growing influence in the world is indisputable. In recent years it has used political and economic means to project power in East Asia, Central Asia, and even as far as
Africa and Latin America. But how does it employ its soft power- cultural programs, educational exchanges, and new media- to influence other countries? Fletcher China Club, Tufts SURGE and Tufts CSA therefore co-produce The Rise of Chinese Soft Power, with Mr. Wang Guan, Chief Political Correspondent of CCTV America. He will discusses his views on the Rise of China’s Soft Power. The conversation will be honest, open, and “off the record.”
Dialogue with scholars from Peking University: China-Russia Relationship 2/27/2015
In cooperation with EPIIC, SURGE conducted a dialogue with Professor Guihai Guan, Associate Dean, School of International Studies, Peking University about China-Russia relations and how these relations also impact the U.S. In addition to Professor Guihai Guans discussion, two graduate students from Peking University presented their recent research also related to China-Russia relations.
Rise of China – by Professor Michael Beckley 10/28/2014
Professor Beckley (our wonderful SURGE Advisor) will be discussing why, in his view, the “Rise of China” does not necessarily mean a decline in power for the US. He will argue why resolving the question is crucial for US policy makers in order to effectively plan future decisions regarding US stance towards China, whether through economic constraint, or managing the rise of China via maintaining liberal economic policy. His own research has shown a trend discussing why the rise of China does not spell an end to US dominance, and the relatively beneficial outcomes of the current status quo, and he makes suggestions on how to best formulate US policy towards China based on empirical analysis.
Economic Co-Operation Between China and the U.S. – by Kathleen DeBoer 10/7/2014
We will be hearing Kathleen DeBoer, Deputy Head of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development’s Washington Center, discuss the increasingly relevant issue of economic cooperation between the US and China. She will be providing insight both through her work with the OECD and her time living and teaching in Nanjing, China.
Voices Behind China’s One-Child Policy
In the Culture Event hosted in December, SURGE conducted a discussion about the former One-Child Policy in China. We were honored to have Ms. Melissa Ludtke, an award-winning journalist and Yankee Quill Award winner, as our guest speaker. During the event, Ms. Ludtke talked about her book and education series: Touching Home in China, which is a project on the influence of the One-Child Policy, and the experience of her own beloved daughter Maya who was adopted from China. In addition to Ms. Ludtke, Jiahe Chi, a Chinese senior and former member of SURGE, shared his insights on how the policy changed the lifestyle and perspectives of urban and rural populations in China.
Same, Same But Different – Dec. 3rd, 2014
“Same, Same But Different” was held in Olin 11, during open block from 12 to 1pm on Wednesday, December 3rd. Four Chinese and American students who have lived in both China and America shared their experiences dealing with cultural and ideological differences between the two cultures. Their different backgrounds and stories offered insights on various aspects of Eastern and Western cultures, and was inspiring to those who have similar experiences and who are interested in studying abroad.
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