Nov. 10, Duke Kunshan students, staff and faculty members gathered for the 2016 China Town Hall, an annual event designed to inform and educate the audience about the latest developments in the US-China relationship. Dr. Denis Simon, executive vice chancellor of Duke Kunshan University, was joined by Professor Jeffrey Lehman, vice chancellor of New York University Shanghai, to have an in-depth discussion on China-US relations and the internationalization of higher education in China.
The event first featured a webcast of Dr. Henry A. Kissinger, former US Secretary of State, talking about his experiences as a national security advisor and the secretary of state. During the hour-long interview, Kissinger shared insights from his many decades of efforts to strengthen the Sino-American relationship, including recent events affecting the bilateral relationship, and the future trends of the relationship.
Webcast Session Featuring Dr. Kissinger
‘We’re in a period where China is rising. If the thing we are after is conflict and adversity, it will lead to a crisis sooner rather than later,’ Kissinger said. He also pointed out that the next US President will have to look for common ground with current Chinese officials.
Dr. Simon and Dr. Andrew Field, associate dean for undergraduate programs at Duke Kunshan, then took questions from the audience covering topics from the impact of Trump’s presidency on future China-US relations to the worldwide rise of populism.
Dr. Field and Dr. Simon
The dialogue on China-US relations in general was followed by a panel discussion between Dr. Simon and Professor Lehman, about the internationalization of higher education in China.This discussion was moderated by Dr. Elise Ann DeVido who teaches a course on the history of U.S.-China relations for the Global Learning Semester program at Duke Kunshan.
‘More Chinese students are studying in the United States than ever before; meanwhile, the US Embassy is also promoting programs to bring US students to China. In spite of the frictions between the two countries, our educational relationship is continuing to prosper,’ said Dr. Simon.
Speaking of the value of Sino-foreign joint venture universities to traditional Chinese universities, Professor Lehman said, ‘China is now trying to improve the quality of its higher education, and joint venture universities like NYU Shanghai and Duke Kunshan represent the special experimental zones for higher education in China.’
‘It is very foresighted for the Chinese government to allow these ‘experiments’ to take place,’ Dr. Simon added. ‘Joint venture universities will have an impact on Chinese higher education institutions, because we have this mechanism for spill-over and technology transfer.’
Panel Discussion by Prof. Lehman, Dr. Simon and Dr. DeVido
The event is held by Duke Kunshan University in conjunction with the National Committee on US-China Relations (NUCSCR). This year marks the 50th anniversary of NCUSCR and the 10th annual CHINA Town Hall. Carried out in over 80 cities across the US, it allows for local communities across and beyond the United States to discuss issues in the Sino- American relationship with leading experts.
