Last modified: Wednesday, October 24, 2012
IU participating in national China Town Hall featuring U.S. Ambassador Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 24, 2012
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University Bloomington's Research Center for Chinese Politics and Business and East Asian Studies Center are participating in a national town hall event that focuses on U.S.-Chinese relations, beginning at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29.
Local speakers will include Scott Kennedy, associate professor of East Asian languages and cultures in the College of Arts and Sciences and director of the research center, and Shuang Zhao, a Ph.D. student in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs and political science.
Gary Locke, U.S. ambassador to the People's Republic of China, will speak from 8 to 8:45 p.m. via webcast. The event is free and open to the public.
About 50 cities across the United States are participating in "China Town Hall: Local Connections, National Reflections." This is the sixth year for the event.
"China's rapid development and Sino-American relations have a direct impact on the lives of just about everyone in the United States, which is reflected in the growing attention China has received in the U.S. presidential campaign," Kennedy said. "'China Town Hall: Local Connections, National Reflections' is a national day of programming designed to provide Americans across the United States and beyond the opportunity to discuss these issues with leading experts."
The first speaker, Zhao, will speak on the topic, "China-U.S. Relations: Opportunities and Challenges." She is conducting research on China's market economy status and U.S. sulfur dioxide regulation. She has a master's degree from the University of Texas and has worked with the Institute for Sustainable Communities.
Kennedy will follow at 7:15 p.m. with the presentation, "U.S.-China Relations: Viewed From an American in Beijing." He is author of "The Business of Lobbying in China" (2005) and editor of "China Cross Talk: The American Debate Over China Policy Since Normalization" (2003) and "Beyond the Middle Kingdom: Comparative Perspectives on China's Capitalist Transformation" (2011).
After Locke's remarks, there will be further discussion until 9:30 p.m.
The event also is co-sponsored by the National Committee on United States-China Relations, the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, the IU Chinese Flagship Center, the Center for Chinese Language Pedagogy and Chinese American Talks.