Talking Points, July 16-30, 2008

 

"China expresses grave concern and misgivings about the International Criminal Court prosecutor's indictment of the Sudanese leader."

 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao, speaking on July 15, 2008

Last week the International Criminal Court issued an indictment for Sudanese President Omar Hassan-al Bashir on charges of genocide for his government’s role in Sudan’s Darfur region. Nearly one-half million people are said to have died as a result of the civil conflict there. More than two million people have been displaced. The U.S. is not a part of the International Criminal Court, but the U.S. government has previously argued that China could do more to affect the Bashir-led government’s practices in Darfur. Chinese forces are part of a United Nations peacekeeping effort in Sudan. China’s oil companies dominate oil production in Sudan. It is the African country’s most important trade partner. The indictment comes at an inconvenient time for China. China’s government is generally worried about international intervention and it wants attention focused on the August Olympics in Beijing. Instead, there are reports of Chinese arm shipments evading the United Nations embargo of such sales to Sudan. You can follow this and other issues via US-China Today’s daily updates.

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China’s relationship with close neighbor Japan is multithreaded, complex, and evolving. A USC U.S.-China Institute teachers’ group is currently in Japan exploring this. Trade between the two is enormous. China is Japan’s top trading partner and Japan is China’s third largest trade partner. China-Japan tourism is large and increasing. Chinese from the mainland and Hong Kong are second only to South Koreans in visiting Japan. Japan’s tourism ministry is seeking to push this still further ahead, announcing in May that Hello Kitty would be its tourism envoy to China. In 2005 there were large scale anti-Japan demonstrations in Shanghai and elsewhere. Much of this resentment stems from the perception in China that the Japanese government has failed to fully acknowledge Japan’s responsibility for the Pacific War. Last year, the Chinese government opened a museum in Nanjing devoted to the December 1937 Japanese occupation of the Chinese capital at Nanjing. This was a partial response to representations of those bloody events in Japan’s Yushukan and other museums. As the teachers found, there is no recognition in Yushukan of the scale of atrocities committed in Nanjing, let alone acceptance of responsibility for them. Nonetheless, the importance of regional stability and trade has helped foster improved ties. Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Japan in May, pledging the loan of pandas and engaging in his own form of ping pong diplomacy, acquitting himself well in casual play before television cameras. 

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Yu Dan, a Beijing Normal University philosopher, will speak in Los Angeles on July 31. Yu’s talks on Confucianism in today’s China attracted huge television audiences. She’s also sold more than ten million copies of the print version of the talks. The talk is cosponsored by a number of units, including the USC U.S.-China Institute. Details on this talk and other events are below and at the calendar section of our website.

We love hearing from readers. Please send your suggestions and questions to us at uschina@usc.edu. 

07/28/2008 - 08/07/2008: 2008 Summer Residential Seminar at USC
USC, Los Angeles, CA 90089
Currently accepting applications
For more information please contact Miranda Ko at  mirandak@usc.edu.
An intensive nine-day equivalent of our "East Asia and New Media in My Classroom" professional development seminar for K-12 teachers employed outside of the greater Los Angeles area.

03/06/2008 - 07/27/2008: Chinaman's Chance: Views of the Chinese American Experience
Pacific Asia Museum
46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena , CA 91101
Cost: $7 for adults, $5 for students/seniors
While the experience of being of Chinese heritage and living in America is unique to each individual, this exhibition will investigate the similarities and dissimilarities of these experiences. 

01/29/2008 - 09/07/2008: The Shape of Things: Chinese and Japanese Art from the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection
Asia Society and Museum
725 Park Avenue , New York, New York
Cost: Free
Phone: 212-517-ASIA
This exhibition of ceramics, metalworks, sculpture, and painting demonstrates that a depth of information can be revealed through the careful observation and study of the form of an object. 

06/27/2008 - 09/21/2008: Power and Glory: Court Arts of the Ming Dynasty
Asian Art Museum
200 Larkin Street (between Fulton and McAllister Streets), San Francisco, CA 94102
Cost: Cost varies (see website for details)
This exhibition will explore the glories of the Ming dynasty imperial court.

05/18/2008 - 10/12/2008: Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of the First Emperor
Bowers Museum
Address: 2002 N. Main Street, Santa Ana, CA 92706
Phone: 714-567-3600
This summer exhibit at Bowers Museum showcases the famous terra cotta warriors buried with the First Emperor of China.