CCS Staff – Center for Chinese Studies

Public talk: “Making Sense of China—An Urgent Crisis” @ Hawaii State Bar Association Conference Room

Feb 19 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Announcing a Chinese Studies public talk co-sponsored by International Law Section of the Hawaii State Bar Association

“Making Sense of China—An Urgent Crisis”
by
Russell Leu
Vice Dean of the School of Law, Beijing Foreign Studies University,
and Senior Partner of Kingsfield Law Office
Tuesday, February 19, 2019, 12:00 pm
Hawaii State Bar Association Conference Room (1100 Alakea Street, Rm. 1000)

China, China, China. Everyday, “China” consumes us. Likely, we are consumed by “China” in just about any breaking news that seems a bit controversial. Look at the daily headlines that popped up over a 24-hour span: ‘“Is ‘Made in China 2025’ a Threat to Global Trade?,” “China is Leading in Artificial Intelligence—and American Businesses Should Take Note,” “Why 5G, a battleground for US and China, is also a military conflict,” “China’s been showing off a lot of new powerful weapons, and experts think they’re sending a message,” or “The Huawei indictment marks the end of US and China’s cycle of trust.” We are affected by what China does, and China is changing us. And China itself is changing faster than any other society in human history. But, at the same time, while China continues to occupy more of our lives and space, how well do we really know China? Since China first became known to the West, we have viewed China through Western eyes and have judged it by Western values. Will this approach continue to work given China has now become the second largest global economic power alongside the US.? How we approach China will definitely have more far reaching implications—perhaps dangerous ones—if we cannot make sense of China. We cannot solve our trade war with China from a purely Western viewpoint. And we cannot manage our relationship with China in the same manner as we have done in the past because we fail to understand China is a civilization-state rather than a nation-state.

Join our guest speaker, Russell Leu, who will share his experiences and thoughts on China. Russell brings a wealth of experience as he has for the past 15 years lived and worked full-time in China as both an international lawyer guiding U.S. and international companies navigating China’s market as well as teaching and mentoring China’s young future generation of lawyers. And Russell has, of more recent, seen and experienced China’s rising global economic tide as he has counseled private Chinese companies on legal matters with their China outbound investments.

Russell will share his on the ground experiences and thoughts about China – through the lenses of a Chinese world — as well as why Americans should engage more with the Chinese and how to do so. Russell is Senior Partner of Kingsfield Law Offices with a presence in Beijing, China and maintains his U.S. offices at Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is Professor of Law on the law faculty as well as a Vice Dean at the School of Law at the Beijing Foreign Studies University in Beijing, China.

The university community and public are cordially invited to attend. Free admission.

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