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Talking Points, September 10 - 24, 2008
The USC U.S.-China Institute's weekly enewsletter.
September 10, 2008
Talking Points
September 10 - 24, 2008
September 10 - 24, 2008
The Russian and American nuclear arsenals dwarf China’s. Russia has approximately 5,000 operational nuclear weapons and about 14,000 stockpiled. The U.S. has approximately 4,000 operational nuclear weapons with about 5,000 stockpiled. China is thought to have fewer than 200 operational nuclear weapons and about 200 stockpiled. What worries American presidential candidates and policy makers is not the Chinese arsenal, but the possibility that China has shared weapons technology with other nations.
The latest allegation comes from Thomas Reed, former Secretary of the Air Force and author of anew Physics Today article about Chinese nuclear weapons development. In the article he states China began sharing technology with Pakistan in 1982. Reed says, "The Chinese nuclear weapons program is incredibly sophisticated… The scary part is how much Pakistan has learned from them."
Today, however, China appears to be doing much to encourage North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons facilities. In June, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said,
“I want to thank China for the leading role that it has taken in the six-party talks, for the hard work that has gone into getting as far as we are today, and to know that we will be able to draw on our strong relationship for moving forward to the total denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
Further, China has not blocked UN Security Council sanctions on Iran for its failure to stop enriching uranium. In the spring it hosted a meeting of the permanent members of the Security Council to discuss the matter. And on Saturday, Chinese president Hu Jintao is reported to have told Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
“At present, the Iran nuclear issue is faced with a rare opportunity for the resumption of talks, and we hope all parties concerned could seize the opportunity and show flexibility to push for a peaceful settlement of the issue.”
Both leading U.S. presidential candidates have said that halting the spread of nuclear weapons is a priority.
“America seeks a world in which there are no nuclear weapons. We will not pursue unilateral disarmament. As long as nuclear weapons exist, we'll retain a strong nuclear deterrent. But we'll keep our commitment under the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty on the long road towards eliminating nuclear weapons…. It's time to stop giving countries like Iran and North Korea an excuse…. [W]e'll strengthen the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty so that nations that don't comply will automatically face strong international sanctions.” -- Sen. Barack Obama, Oct. 2, 2007
“We also share an obligation with the world’s other great powers to halt and reverse the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The United States and the international community must work together and do all in our power to contain and reverse North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and to prevent Iran…from obtaining a nuclear weapon. We should work to reduce nuclear arsenals all around the world, starting with our own…. We do not need all the weapons currently in our arsenal.” -- Sen. John McCain, March 26, 2008
On Wednesday, Sept. 10, Liu Qing, a visiting scholar from the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s think tank, will discuss Chinese and American nuclear nonproliferation policies, identifying points of cooperation and divergence. We hope you can join us for Dr. Liu’s presentation.
Security issues will also be among those examined at the USC U.S.-China Institute’s major conference on “The Making of U.S. China Policy,” on Oct. 13. A group of veteran government officials, organization chiefs, and scholars will discuss core issues and the processes by which American policy toward China is shaped. Thomas J. Christensen, who has just returned to Princeton University after two years as U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, will deliver the keynote address. Space at the conference is limited and advance registration is required. Additional information is available in the calendar section of our website.
Next week, four of China’s most influential artists and architects meet at USC to discuss how they see and understand China. The Sept. 17 discussion will be led by USC Architecture dean Qingyun Ma. One of China’s most outspoken artists, Ai Wei Wei, photographer Chi Peng, and architect Liu Jiakun will also participate. Details are below and at our website.
USC:
09/10/2008: China-U.S. Cooperation and Divergency on the Non-proliferation Issue
USC University Club, Pub Room
Los Angeles, CA 90089
Cost: Free
Phone: 213-821-4382
Time: 4:00PM - 6:00PM
Liu Qing ia a visiting scholar at the U.S.-China Institute and will examine nonproliferation issues in Sino-U.S. relations for the last two decades.09/17/2008: Creativity at a Crossroads: Art and Architecture in China
USC, Bovard Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA 90089
Time : 7:00pm
Dean Qingyun Ma joins Chinese artists, architects and curators to present their visions of the People’s Republic09/22/2008: Trends in Disability-free Life Expectancy among Chinese Older Adults
USC, MRF 204
Los Angeles, CA 90089
Refreshments served
Please RSVP to yueyihua@usc.edu
Time: 11:00am
Jufen Liu will discuss the findings from her study on disability-free life expectancy by examining two national disability data sets on the prevalence of disability between 1987 and 2006 and evaluate trends in the health status of older adults in China.
California:
09/10/2008: Hero
Bowers Museum
Address: 2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana, CA 92706
Cost: General $7; Members $5
Phone: 714.567.3600
Time: 1:30PM
A martial arts epic, directed by Zhang Yimou, tells the legend of a fearless warrior who rises up to defy an empire and unite a nation. Graciously sponsored by an anonymous donor.09/10/2008: A Tale of Two Cities: Imperial Space and Commercial Space in Song-Dynasty Kaifeng, 960-1127
University of California, Berkeley
IEAS Conference Room, 2223 Fulton Street, 6th Floor, Berkeley, CA 94720
Cost: Free
Time: 4:00PM - 6:00PM
University of Michigan's, Christian DePee, will speak at UC Berkeley.09/11/2008: Hollywood Chinese (2007)
Address: 46 N. Los Robles Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101
Cost: Free
Phone: 626-449-2742
Time: 8:00PM
Please RSVP at 626-449-2742 extension 31.
Hollywood Chinese is a multi-faceted look at American cinema through the lens of the Chinese American experience.09/12/2008: Ancient China
Bowers Museum
2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana, CA 92706
Cost: Free
Phone: 714.567.3600
Time: 6:30PM
Highlights of this film include dazzling graphic re-creations of a Chinese village from 7,000 years ago, the terra cotta army of the First Emperor, and Beijing’s Forbidden City.
09/12/2008: Still Life
PFA Theater
Address: 2575 Bancroft Way at Bowditch , Berkeley, CA 94720
Cost: Price Varies; Advance Tickets: (510) 642-5249
Time: 6:30PM
Unknown Pleasures: The Films of Jia Zhangke
09/12/2008: Dong
PFA Theater
Address: 2575 Bancroft Way at Bowditch , Berkeley, CA 94720
Cost: Price Varies; Advance Tickets: (510) 642-5249
Time: 8:45PM
Unknown Pleasures: The Films of Jia Zhangke
09/13/2008: Places at the Table: Asian Women Artists and Gender Dynamics
Museum Theater
Berkeley Art Museum 2621 Durant Avenue , Berkeley, CA 94720
Cost: Free
Time: 9:00AM - 5:00PM
This symposium explores issues facing Asian women artists today.
09/14/2008: Half Day Symposium: The Arts of the Ming Dynasty
Asian Art Museum
Samsung Hall, San Francisco, CA
Cost: $15 members; $27 general.
Time: 1:00-4:00 pm
To celebrate both the current Ming exhibition and the 50th Anniversary of the Society for Asian Art, the Society for Asian Art will sponsor a half-day symposium on the Ming Dynasty.
09/14/2008: Art, Censorship, and Politics
Berkeley Art Museum
Address: Museum Theater 2621 Durant Avenue , Berkeley, CA 94720
Cost: Museum Admission $3-$8. Programs free with museum admission.
Time: 3:00PM
Part of the Mahjong: Public Conversation Series
09/17/2008: Deliberative Democracy in China: A Deliberative Poll on Zegou Township’s 2008 Budget
University of California, Berkeley
Address: 3401 Dwinelle Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720
Cost: Free
Time: 12:00PM
Alice Siu presents a talk on the Deliberative Polling projects conducted in Zeguo Township.
09/18/2008: Xiao Wu (a.k.a. “Pickpocket”)
PFA Theater
2575 Bancroft Way at Bowditch , Berkeley, CA 94720
Advance Tickets: (510) 642-5249
Time: 8:20PM
Unknown Pleasures: The Films of Jia Zhangke
09/19/2008: Xiao Shan Going Home
PFA Theater
2575 Bancroft Way at Bowditch , Berkeley, CA 94720
Advance Tickets: (510) 642-5249
Time: 8:20PM
Unknown Pleasures: The Films of Jia Zhangke
09/21/2008: China’s Emerging Art
Berkeley Art Museum
Museum Theater 2621 Durant Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94720
Cost: Free
Time: 3:00PM
Mahjong: Public Conversation Series
09/22/2008: China and The Jews
Museum of Tolerance
9786 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035
Cost: Free
Time: 2:00PM
An afternoon with Professor Peter Berton.
09/22/2008: In Conversation: Uli Sigg and Wen-hsin Yeh
University of California, Berkeley
Address: IEAS Conference Room 2223 Fulton Street, 6th Floor , Berkeley, CA 94720
Cost: Free
Time: 4:00PM - 6:00PM
Sigg will discuss not only his own collecting in China, but the history that unfolded before him.
North America:
09/11/2008: Religion in China: Perspectives from Chinese Religious Leaders and Officials
Falk Auditorium, The Brookings Institution
1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC
Time: 9:30AM - 11:00AM
The Brookings Institution will host a panel discussion featuring a multi-faith delegation of Chinese religious leaders and officials who will discuss the challenges facing religious groups in China today.09/12/2008: Historical Dialogue and Reconciliation in East Asia
CGIS South, Tsai Auditorium
Address: 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Cost: Free
Time: 1:30PM - 5:00PM
Harvard Yenching Institute hosts a two day conference.09/15/2008: Historical Dialogue and Reconciliation in East Asia
Lindner Family Commons, The Elliott School of International Affairs, 6th floor
1957 E Street, NW, Washington, DC
Time: 3:30PM - 5:45PM
The Sigur Center for Asian Studies and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation present an Asian Voices Seminar.09/16/2008: Medals or Muddles: Assessing Media Coverage of the Olympics
International Affairs Building, Room 918
Address: New York, NY 10027
Cost: Free
Time: 12:00PM - 1:30PM
No Reservations Required
This talk is part of the Brown Bag Lecture Series entitled, "Reporting China."
09/16/2008 - 09/18/2008: Maritime Security Challenges (MSC) Conference: Building the Navies of the Future
baart.dr@forces.gc.ca.
Canadian Navy at Maritime Forces Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia.
The event will bring together subject matter experts and security practitioners from around the world to consider the most complex and challenging issues facing navies in the Asia-Pacific region.
09/16/2008: Promoting Confidence Building across the Taiwan Strait
CSIS B1 Conference Room
1800 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006
Time: 2:00PM - 4:00PM
The Asia Division of the CSIS International Security Program will introduce its newly published report on confidence-building measures (CBMs) across the Taiwan Strait and discuss the recent developments in China-Taiwan relations.
09/18/2008: Documentary Films in China: Visual Representation, Memory and Public Interests
International Affairs Building, Room 918
New York, NY 10027
Cost: Free
Time: 12:00PM - 1:30PM
This talk is part of the Brown Bag Lecture Series entitled, "Reporting China."
09/18/2008: Viewing the Beijing Olympics: Scholar, Athlete, Beijing Citizen, Tourist
Lucy Ellis Lounge, Foreign Languages Building The Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies, University of Illinois 230 International Studies Building 910 S. Fifth Street Champaign IL 61820
Cost: Free
Time: 12:00PM - 2:00PM
The Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies presents a talk.
09/22/2008: Urban Wholesale Price Change and Economic Growth in Modern China
International Affairs Building, Room 918
New York, NY 10027
Cost: Free
Time: 12:00PM - 1:30PM
This talk is part of the Brown Bag Lecture Series entitled, "Reporting China."
09/22/2008: Chinese and Japanese Arts: Antique or Not, Authentic or Fake?
Pine Room, Kansas Union
Lawrence, KS 66045
Phone: (785)864-3849
Email: ceas@ku.edu
Time: 4:00PM
Cost: Free
Kansas University's Center for East Asian Studies hosts a Tea & Talk with Patricia Graham.
Exhibitions:
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.07/26/2008 - 10/04/2008: Absurd Recreation
Sweeney Art Gallery
3800 Main Street University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92501
A multi-media group exhibition of nine artists from China who engage in an absurdist "recreation" of settings, events, and situations in reaction to the rapidly changing social and cultural landscape in China.
07/26/2008 - 10/04/2008: A Sense of Place: Remembering Riverside’s Chinatowns
Sweeney Art Gallery
3800 Main Street University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92501
A series of educational workshops and historical reflections on Riverside's historical Chinatowns runs alongside the Sweeney Art Gallery exhibition, Absurd Recreation.07/11/2008 - 10/12/2008: Sun Xun
UCLA Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Blvd , Los Angles, CA 90024
Sun Xun creates animations that combine hand-drawn renderings and traditional materials with new media.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.09/10/2008 - 01/04/2009: Mahjong: Contemporary Chinese Art from the Sigg Collection
2626 Bancroft Way, UC Berkeley campus
Cost $5- 12 General Admission
141 works by 96 artists, drawn from one of the world’s most important and comprehensive collections of contemporary Chinese art.
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USC U.S. – China Institute
3535 S. Figueroa St.
FIG 202
Los Angeles, CA 90089-1262
Tel: 213-821-4382
3535 S. Figueroa St.
FIG 202
Los Angeles, CA 90089-1262
Tel: 213-821-4382
Fax: 213-821-2382
Email: uschina@usc.edu
Website: http://china.usc.edu
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