China and the Asia-Pacific
II. Utah Valley University Chinese Studies Conference (UVUCSC II)
March Thu 7 – Fri 8, 2013, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Lakeview Room (Library)
Description
On November 17, 2011, President Obama announced that the Asia-Pacific region was now a top priority for the US. On January 5, 2012, President Obama announced that the US military will switch its focus to the Asia-Pacific region and on June 2, declared that the US will shift the bulk of its naval fleet to the Pacific by 2020 as part of new strategic focus on Asia, will secure trade routes and will help Japan with counter-missiles. The US challenge the rising regional power of China, as illustrated recently with China’s disputes with Japan and the Philippines on islands.
It shows also how economically important China has become to the US, both as global manufacturer and as a selling market. Will China overcome the US and prove that her model of an exploitative and corrupt economy which restricts people’s freedoms is more successful than a liberal economy based on laws and copyright protection?
This conference invites experts from different fields to discuss China’s role in Asia and the world, her special relation with the US and how this effects Utah and the China-related study programs at UVU, including language teaching. Local business leaders with China-ties will identify expectations towards graduates, what they need to learn if they want to succeed in the China-related job-market. UVU professors will report on concrete examples how they helped graduates to build start-up companies in China and how they played matchmakers between Chinese and Utah businesses.
The conference will also explore the transitional Chinese identity at the beginning of the 21st century. It will report about the environmental impact of China on the region and on the world, on ethnic dissent, human right violations and problems to come to terms with the past.
Scope and target groups
This interdisciplinary conference will bring together speakers from UVU and neighboring universities. On the basis of experiences of the inaugural Chinese Studies Conference in March 2012, it is expected that around 50 student volunteers will help and participate as well as another 30 interested members of the UVU and regional community. The main goal of the conference is to raise awareness of China-related study programs among the UVU community.
Preliminary Program
Panels This is a tentative list of possible topics and suggested panels. Music has been requested from the Chinese-Western band Matteo.
Friday 3/1/2013 Pre-Conference Workshop, one week before the conference, Panel Discussion Sino-US Relations in the Guomindang Era
- Dr. Greg Lewis, Weber State University
- Dr. Parks Coble, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Dr. Jingping Wu, Fudan University, China
Thursday 3/7/2013
9 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. Welcome Notes
9:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Asian and global effects of Chinese environmental policy
Panel Chair: Dr. Hong Pang, UVU (confirmed)
Speaker 1: N.N.
Speaker 2: N.N.
Speaker 3: N.N.
11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. The US perspective on Developing Business in China and Asia
Panel Chairs: Dr. David McArthur, UVU (confirmed), Dr. Kent Millington, UVU (confirmed)
1. Changing preferences in China for local manufacturers squeezing foreign companies.
2. Improving IP protections in China.
3. Low cost manufacturing shifting away from China.
4. Infrastructure improvements offering and facilitating Asian business opportunities.
12:45 - 2 p.m. China and Asia : No coming to terms with the past and rising tensions about islands
Panel Chair: Dr. Michael Minch, UVU (confirmed)
Speaker 1: Dr. Geoff Cockerham, UVU, Island Conflicts in the East and South China Sea (confirmed)
Speaker 2: Dr. Eric Hyer, BYU, The higher profile the US is taking in the South China Sea and East China Sea territorial dispute (confirmed)
2 - 3 p.m. Lunch Break Lakeview Room
Chinese Lunch sponsored by Chen's Noodle Restaurant
3 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. Chinese 21st Century Identity in transition
Panel Chair: Dr. Martin Woesler, UVU (confirmed)
Speaker 1: Licia Kim, B.A., UVU, Chinese Identity in Diaspora Communities with a focus on Chinatowns today (confirmed)
Speaker 2: Christopher Wiltsie, UVU, 21 Century Chinese identity - Superpower of economy, developing country of freedom (confirmed)
Speaker 3: Dr. Martin Woesler, UVU, Chinese love and hatred of the USA - Attractiveness as main component of softpower (confirmed)
4:30 - 5:45 p.m. Minorities in China - Handicaped people and the Cross-Asian Turk Connection: Ethnic tensions in Northeast China
Panel Chair: Baktybek Abdrisaev, UVU, History/Political Science (confirmed) / Dr. William Cobb, UVU (confirmed)
Speaker 1: Baktybek Abdrisaev, UVU (confirmed)
Speaker 2:
Speaker 3:
5:45 - 7:45 p.m. Dinner
Friday 3/8/2013
9:30 - 11 a.m. Chinese cities and transnational spaces
Panel Chair: Dr. Sam Liang, UVU (confirmed)
Speaker 1:
Speaker 2:
Speaker 3:
11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. China's Rise from the Historical Perspective
Panel Chair: Dr. Kirk Larsen, BYU (confirmed)
Speaker 1: Dr. Kirk Larsen, BYU (confirmed)
1 - 2 p.m. Lunch, Lakeview Room
2:15 - 3:30 p.m. What Utah business expects from UVU graduates to be ready for the China-/Asia-related job market
(joint panel with lecture series)
Panel Chair: Dr. Jon Westover, UVU (confirmed)
Speaker 1: Lisa Cheng, VP Int'l Marketing Manager, First Utah Bank, Investement in China (confirmed)
Speaker 2:
Speaker 3:
3:45 - 5 p.m. Selected papers on "Chinese film and media", "Disability and China"
Panel Chair: Dr. Li Guo, USU (confirmed)
Speaker 1: Dr. Li Guo, USU, Cinema for the People: Images of the Crowds and China’s Fourth-Generation Films (confirmed)
Speaker 2: Dr. Steve Riep, BYU, Disability and China today (confirmed)
5 - 5:15 p.m. Review and Final Remarks
5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Dinner, Timpanogos Room
End of Conference
Organization
The organizing committee consists of the panel chairs, Mark Olson from IDST and is chaired by Dr. Martin Woesler. The organization is highly transparent, with a Wiki website where everybody can shape the conference and bring in their ideas and other contributions.
Volunteers
- Multi-Cultural Club at UVU, several members
- Chinese Lunch Club at UVU, several members
- Quaid Atkinson
- Josh Brandeberry
- James Campbell
- Mat Christensen
- Tara Froisland (March 8 only)
- Daniel Jensen (March 8 only)
- Alex Johnson
- Licia Kim
- Vickie Lee
- Telmar Lochridge
- Lance Reeves (March 7 only)
- Emanuel Rivas
- Hannah Robinson
- Justin Schow
- Christopher Wiltsie
- Kami Winterton (March 8 only)
- Melanie Woodbury