What are the most critical and urgent issues in the cross-strait relationship after the reelection victory of Ying-jeou Ma in Taiwan and Barack Obama in the US, and the dramatic yet successful power transition to Xi Jiping in China? With China’s continuing assent to global power and its new leadership’s ambition to set a new political image, will China aim to make new moves in reaching the ultimate goal of unification? Will Ma’s current policies function well under the new circumstance? What role will the US play in dealing with Taiwan and China in the larger context of its recent strategic move of “pivot to Asia”? Equally important, given the increasing importance of public opinions and nationalism, especially the collective will expressed through the Internet, in China, what will likely be the new challenges to all three sides in managing the cross-strait relationship?

To address these and other important issues in the cross-strait relationship, the UCLA Center for Chinese Studies will organize and host an international symposium at UCLA, co-chaired by Professors Minxin Pei and Yunxiang Yan. Better communication leads to better understanding, which will in turn open up the possibility of better solutions. It is therefore crucial to hear the voices from Taiwan, China and the US as stakeholders in the evolving relationship across the Taiwan Strait. From each of the three sides, two internationally acclaimed scholars or experts of international security will share with the public their observations and insights in their presentation, and they will also participate in discussions with the audience.

Online registration opens April 8th.

Schedule

8:30-8:45 a.m. Registration

8:45-8:50 a.m. Introduction
Yunxiang Yan, Director, UCLA Center for Chinese Studies

8:50-9:00 a.m. Welcome Remarks
C.Cindy Fan, Interim Vice-Provost for International Studies, UCLA

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. "How Is The U.S. Adjusting To The Evolving Cross-Strait Relations?"
Thomas Fingar, Stanford University
Bonnie S. Glaser, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Minxin Pei, Claremont McKenna College

10:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Coffee Break

10:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. "Taiwan's Challenges And Options"
Szu-yin Ho, National Chengchi Univeristy
Chih-cheng Lo, Soochow University, Taiwan

11:40 a.m. - 1:10 p.m. Lunch Keynote "A New Era For The U.S.-China-Taiwan Triangle"
Richard Bush, Brookings Institute

1:20 p.m. - 2:35 p.m. "Beijing's Strategic Options Under The New Leadership"
Zhu Feng, Peking University
Shen Dingli, Fudan University

2:40-3:00 p.m. Concluding Remarks
Minxin Pei and Yunxiang Yan