#20 – New Leaders, New Policy? 18th Congress and China-USA Relations

event #20
October, 30 2012

Prof. Dr. XIE Tao 谢韬
American Studies Center Beijing Foreign Studies University

Abstract

China observers around the world are anxiously anticipating the once-in-a-decade leadership transition at the 18th National Party Congress. In any country, democratic or authoritarian, leadership changes may bring about significant changes in  domestic and foreign policies, but the opaqueness of the Chinese political system increase uncertainties substantially. Yet all the signs so far suggest that abrupt changes in China’s U.S. policy are highly unlikely, unless U.S. actions are widely perceived by Chinese leaders and ordinary people as completely unjustifiable and provocative. Despite growing suspicion of each other, the two countries have no other choice but to learn to co-exist peacefully and to cooperate with each other on a wide range of bilateral, regional, and international issues.

Speaker Biography

XIE Tao is a full professor of political science at Beijing Foreign Studies University. He holds a PhD in political science from Northwestern University (2007). His research interests include U.S. Congress, public opinion, U.S.-China relations, and Chinese foreign policy. He is the author of U.S.-China Relations: China Policy on Capitol Hill (Routledge 2008), and co-author of Living with the Dragon: How the American Public Views the Rise of China (Columbia University Press 2010). He has also published dozens of articles in Chinese and English journals. He is a frequent guest at BBC World News TV, China Radio International, and writes regular columns on American politics and international affairs for a Chinese newspaper, Economic Observer.

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