Chicago Society’s China conference draws worldwide attention

Update: Chicago Society’s China conference received the University of Chicago’s “Best Event” award for the best student-organized event of the 2005–06 academic year on May 16.

Download conference video and transcripts by visiting the conference web site.

May 2006—The “China and the Future of the World” conference, held on April 28th and 29th, brought together top United States policymakers with experts from China and the United States in discussion on China’s future. The keynote speakers were:

• Wang Guangya, Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations
• Christopher R. Hill, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
• Peter W. Rodman, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs

In total, twenty speakers participated in the conference, speaking in panels including “U.S. Business and Government: Responding to the China Challenge,” “Politics and Society in China,” “China, the United States, and the World,” and “China’s Future in the Age of Globalization.”

Hundreds of students, faculty members, and guests from around the world descended upon the University of Chicago campus for the conference, which provided many opportunities for attendees to discuss China’s rise with the speakers during networking breaks and Q&A sessions.

Ambassador Wu Jianmin, the president of the China Foreign Affairs University and China’s former ambassador to France, said in a television interview during the conference that the engagement of American students with China is important to the evolution of U.S.-China relations. University of Chicago Professor John J. Mearsheimer forecasted a “great power conflict” between China and the United States, saying “China cannot rise peacefully.” A number of speakers, including Congressman Mark S. Kirk, Chairman of the U.S.-China Working Group in the House of Representatives, spoke about opportunities for cooperation between the two countries.

The “China and the Future of the World” conference was successful in expanding the University of Chicago’s relationship with China and preparing the students of the University for a future world order in which China is sure to play an increasingly important role.

More extensive coverage of the confererence, including a full list of conference speakers, the program, video recordings, audio recordings, and transcripts, are available at the “China and the Future of the World” web site.

University Press Links:

“Experts gather at I-House to discuss China’s role in world” - Chicago Maroon, May 2, 2006

“Students, scholars, policy leaders to look more closely at China’s complex world role” - University of Chicago Chronicle, April 13, 2006

“The University must adapt to China’s rise” - Chicago Maroon, April 11, 2005

Return to Home Page