UNH Hosts National China Town Hall on Sino-American Relations Oct. 24

Thursday, October 19, 2017

DURHAM, N.H. - The University of New Hampshire will host the state's 11th annual China Town Hall, an international event that will focus on Sino-American relations and feature Ambassador Susan Rice, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017, at 7 p.m. in Murkland Hall’s Richards Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

The event features a live webcast by Rice, who was President Obama’s ambassador to the United Nations (2009-2013) and his national security advisor (2013-2017). Rice also served as U.S. assistant secretary of state for African Affairs and senior director for African Affairs at the National Security Council. Her decades of public service and critical role in developing and executing the Obama administration's policies towards China make her perspective on the relationship especially relevant during this uncertain time in the bilateral relationship.

“During her tenure as President Obama’s national security advisor, Ambassador Rice sought a more pragmatic relationship with China that focused on cooperation on climate change, peacekeeping and non-proliferation,” said Chris Reardon, associate professor of political science and co-founder of UNH's Asian studies program, who will moderate the event.

After the live webcast, Lyle Goldstein, associate professor in the China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) at U.S. Naval War College, will speak about China and North Korea and reflect on Rice’s comments. He has published several books on China’s maritime policies as well articles in China QuarterlyInternational SecurityIISS SurvivalMarine PolicyContemporary Southeast AsiaJournal of Strategic Studies, and U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings. In a recent NPR interview, Goldstein argued that the U.S. should consider China's suggestion to halt military exercises with South Korea, in exchange for North Korea freezing its nuclear and missile tests. 

The China Town Hall is sponsored by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, the UNH Department of Political Science and the UNH Asian Studies program.

The University of New Hampshire is a leader in Asian studies in the state of New Hampshire. The university is home to the state's only Confucius Institute, a nonprofit educational institution that promotes Chinese language and culture. The university offers an undergraduate Asian studies program that provides students with advanced Chinese language classes and a deep knowledge about Asian peoples and their experiences in the United States. UNH's MBA programs include an intensive, 10-day international business residency program in China. During the summer, UNH hosts the STARTALK Chinese Language Summer Camp, an immersive nonresidential program for middle and high school students focused on Chinese cultural and linguistic activities, including Mandarin Chinese preparation. 

The University of New Hampshire is a flagship research university that inspires innovation and transforms lives in our state, nation and world. More than 16,000 students from all 50 states and 71 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top ranked programs in business, engineering, law, health and human services, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. UNH’s research portfolio includes partnerships with NASA, NOAA, NSF and NIH, receiving more than $100 million in competitive external funding every year to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea and space.