The 60th Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China: Examining the Resilience of the Communist Party Rule

Listen to a panel featuring Professors Barry Naughton, Susan Shirk, and Tai Ming Cheung (IR/PS) and Richard Madsen (Sociology) as they discuss the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. What explains the longevity of China’s Communist rulers?  How have they survived the far-reaching transformation of the economy and society brought about by the post-1979 economic reforms and opening to the world? What political changes should we expect in the future?

October 1, 2009
7:00 p.m.
IR/PS Robinson Building Complex Auditorium

Event is free and open to the public.

Domestic Political Change in Taiwan: Implications for Democracy, Culture, and International Standing

China Focus presents a public lecture featuring Daniel Lynch

Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 3:30pm, Robinson Complex 3201
Reception and Light Food/Refreshments to Follow

Over the last 20 years, Taiwan has emerged from one-party rule to become one of Asiaís most dynamic democracies.  After a year in office following eight years of tumultuous relations with Beijing, President Ma Ying-Jeou has acted on campaign promises of increased engagement with the Chinese mainland amid the backdrop of immense challenges to Taiwan ranging from the global financial crisis to the growing international standing of the Peopleís Republic of China.

Returning May 10th from a week in residency at the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, Professor Lynch will debrief by exploring the following questions:  What has actually changed in Taiwan that is of political, cultural, and international significance, and what has actually stayed the same?  How much of Taiwan’s posture and position in the world is situationally-dictated and how much is determined by which party or faction or individual holds office?  Moreover, to the extent there are either continuities or changes, do they reinforce or undermine prospects for an improvement in the quality of Taiwanese democracy and its further consolidation?

Daniel Lynch is Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California, where he directs the PhD program in International Relations and Political Science and sits on the executive committee of the U.S.-China Institute.  He serves as an advisor to numerous academic and non-governmental bodies, and is currently researching how Chinese intellectual and political elites are ‘mapping the future.’ Prof. Lynch has written extensively on domestic politics, collective identity formation, and political economy in both China and Taiwan.  He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Michigan.

Spring Events Debrief

China Focus started off Spring Quarter with two successful academic events that occurred on April 8th and April 15th.

The 20thAnniversary of the Tiananmen Square Protests, featuring Dr. Perry Link
April 8th, 2009, 5pm, Robinson Auditorium

China Focus presents a forum on the impact of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Panelists include Dr. Perry Link, translator of the Tiananmen Papers; Dr. Tai Ming Cheung, IR/PS; Dr. Joseph Esherick, UCSD History Department; and Dr. Paul Pickowicz, UCSD History Department. Professor Barry Naughton moderates the audience question and answer session. Podcast of the events can be found here.

Dr. Perry Link at IR/PS

DEMOCRATIZATION IN IRAQ, CHINA AND THE WORLD featuring Dr. Larry Diamond
April 15th, 6pm, Robinson Auditorium

Dr. Diamond is the founding co-editor of the Journal of Democracy and co-director of the International Studies of the National Endowment for Democracy. He served as a consultant to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2002-2003, and was a contributing author of its report Foreign Aid in the National Interest. He has also advised and lectured to the World Bank, the United Nations, the State Department, and other governmental and non-governmental agencies dealing with governance and development.

Larry Diamond helps us understand why and how democracy actually progresses in his new book The Spirit of Democracy: The Struggle to Build Free Societies throughout the World. The desire for democracy runs deep, he shows, even in very poor countries and in the turbulent Middle East. And through expanding economic freedom, civic mobilization, and the development of “liberation technology,”even seemingly entrenched regimes like those in Iran and China could well become democracies within a generation.