Fwd: Conference--Small, Medium and Great Powers' Response to US-China Strategic Competition

Join us for the online international conference on December 4-5, 2020, at the University of Zurich, Department of Chinese Studies, Institute of Asian and Oriental Stduies: Small, Medium and Great Powers' Response to US-China Strategic Competition: Neutrality, Choosing Sides, or Bandwagoning Expert scholars, academics and practitioners from Asia, Europe and America will discuss how over the course of just a few decades, China has progressed from being a relatively marginal member of the international community to a great regional power and is on its way to becoming a global hegemon. Presently, the world is witnessing a new form of “Cold War”between the USA and China; frictions have grown increasingly prominent during Trump’s Presidency: trade wars, technological competition as well as mutual distrust and accusations constitute what seems to be lowest point in the relationship between the two, since the resumption of official ties in 1979. While mostly geared towards economic interests and a trade and tariffs war, since the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, the clash seems to have assumed more ideological hues. Frequent direct attacks of China, its government, the Communist Party non-transparent behavior and its violation of human rights and international protocols have been uttered by many within the US presidential administration. This conference shall  discuss the domestic and international aspects of the rise of China, also in light of Biden's victory. A special focus shall be on the newly formed “Cold War” between China and the USA, with its potential to reshape regional order in the Asia-Pacific.

Furthermore, the conference will analyse how different countries in Asia and Europe will react to the US/China rift and what strategies and positions said nations shall utilize in the future to deal with the two superpowers. Among these are Switzerland, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Sweden, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea and Japan.

On the second day of the conference, December 5, 2020, military experts, academics and politicians will exchange their views during a roundtable discussion. The conference will take place online via Microsoft Teams. We kindly ask interested participants to register via the Eventbrite link below and you shall then receive the link a few days before the conference. Date: 04-05. December 2020 Time: 09:15 – 18:00 (GMT+1; December 4); 09:00 – 12:15 (GMT+1; December 5) Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/y5pnofp3

Event details: https://tinyurl.com/yxuvby2d Contact Email: simona.grano@aoi.uzh.ch URL: https://www.aoi.uzh.ch/de/institut/events/conferences/USChinacompetition.html