Director's Welcome

Welcome to the China Initiative. I am pleased to share with you some of the activities that the China Initiative is undertaking to enhance both scholarship and wider understanding in the Brown community of this increasingly influential country on the world stage. I am honored to follow the dynamic leadership of Prof. Ed Steinfeld, renowned and beloved China specialist and long-time leader of the Watson Institute, in building out this effort. We are already starting in a great place thanks to the strong foundation that he built for us.

For my first endeavor as director of the China Initiative, I have sought to strengthen and consolidate our China-watching community with what I call “China Chat.” With this title, I aim to convey a relaxed and informal style of inquiry among friends. Just drop in – no problem if you’re late or must leave early. The conversation literally never ends – because there is always more to know, more perspectives to examine, and more bright people to mix it up. The essence of the concept is a brief, weekly gathering – quite well attended thus far – and I don’t rule out this could be a result of the plentiful Chinese noodles and tofu we are serving up each week at noon. However, I think our full room could also reflect the that the wider community is hungry for knowledge about China and to share views on this subject.

It could also be a result of our welcoming attitude, our embrace of real-world issues (often ripped directly from the headlines), and our determination to welcome a diverse group of students and faculty with different backgrounds. We are united in our fascination with China: past, present and future. Let me emphasize emphatically: you need not have any China background to attend our discussions. Please note that the weekly lunch discussion also has a related e-mail list that all are welcome to join. That is another important feature of the “China Chat” concept, enabling it to serve as a clearing house for information on China activities at Brown and beyond, as well as another forum to exchange views and share research results.

Candidly, this is a difficult time to study China. Views on this rising power have trended quite negative in recent years, and there is a palpable dread, angst, and even fear that is all too obvious among Americans today. Gravely serious tensions have been growing in the relationship and the China Initiative will not avoid or paper over the hardest, and most unpleasant topics. Above all, the China Initiative will grapple with that most serious issue: the question of war and militarized rivalry in U.S.-China relations. That issue simply must be at the top of our agenda, because the risks to our country, to China, and to the world of great power conflict in the nuclear era are so enormous. We are certain and hopeful that war can be avoided, but are also concerned that the risks of militarized rivalry are also likely momentous. If trillions are spent on warships, fighter interceptors, and intercontinental missiles, it is obvious that these resources are not spent on education, health, and environmental well-being, unfortunately. Nor can we turn away from the ugly internal repression that has increased both in China and even in the U.S. too as great power rivalry has intensified. A series of conferences sponsored by the China Initiative in early May each year will aim to objectively assess the risks of war and rivalry in this most vital bilateral relationship.

Even as we pursue a more peaceful world in which the U.S. and China can work as partners rather than rivals, the China Initiative will continue its core competence on the vital political-economic issues in the relationship. In that respect, we are prioritizing research that impacts the highly complex U.S.-China trading relationship, as well as those that will have important results for Chinese society and global markets more generally. Sustainability has long been a foremost concern for the Watson Institute and that will be reflected in the China Initiative as we will continue to support research related to environmental issues in China, including particularly relating to energy and climate. In all these endeavors, we will continually to ask with urgency where there might be opportunities to pursue cooperative research endeavors that serve both U.S. and Chinese national interests.

In this initial year leading the China Initiative, I’m genuinely awe-struck by how much China expertise there is in the Brown community. It is my privilege and honor to help reinforce the fabric of this intergenerational community of China-watchers, students together with faculty, in order to support one another on this most crucial area of study for the 21st century.