Opening Ceremony for the 2010 Bay Area Strait Talk Symposium

Founded in 2005 at Brown University, the Strait Talk Symposium is a non-partisan, student-organized conference that seeks to improve Taiwan Strait and U.S.-China relations. Strait Talk is the first program in the world that directly and effectively encourages political and civil dialogue across the Taiwan Strait. This is the 2nd year that Strait Talk is being hosted in the San Francisco Bay area.

Date: Monday, April 5, 2010
Time: 5:45 PM
Location: Fromm Hall, University of San Francisco Main Campus, Golden Gate Ave. and Parker Ave., San Francisco, CA, 94102 (Enter off Parker between Golden Gate & Fulton)
Strait Talk web page: http://straittalk.org
Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=105216002851670

The Japan Policy Research Institute at USF Center for the Pacific Rim & The Asia Society Northern California present:

PACIFIC RIM BUSINESS TRIANGLE: ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL DIMENSIONS OF U.S.-CHINA-TAIWAN RELATIONS

A panel discussion featuring

Robert A. Kapp, Ph.D. (moderator)
President, Robert A. Kapp & Associates, Inc.; former President, U.S.-China Business Council

Thomas B. Gold, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology, University of California, Berkeley; Executive Director, Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies at Tsinghua University

Bret E. Lee
Executive Director, Taiwan Trade Center, San Francisco; former Director, Taiwan Trade Centers in Canada and Mexico

Jean Oi, Ph.D.
Director, Stanford China Program; William Haas Professor in Chinese Politics; Senior Fellow in the Freeman-Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University

Our panel of distinguished guests will discuss the dynamic economic interactions between Taiwan, China, and the United States in the larger context of trans-Pacific and cross-Strait politics. Will U.S. calls for China to appreciate its currency and other economic disputes lead to a downturn in diplomatic relations? Or, has the ongoing global economic crisis created new opportunities for cooperation? Can the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) between Taiwan and China stimulate East Asian economic integration in a way that serves the long-term interests of both parties? Or, are additional steps and trade agreements required? The panelists will address these questions and more, including those that address how corporate governance reform, rural development, microfinance, and environmental concerns in East Asia are impacting cross-Strait and broader Pacific Rim relations. Join us for what promises to be a stimulating panel discussion and a lively Q&A session.

This event is part of the opening ceremony for the 2010 Bay Area Strait Talk Symposium, a week of workshops and public events to promote peaceful relations across the Taiwan Strait and Pacific Rim. Strait Talk, which established a Berkeley chapter last year, was founded at Brown in 2005 as a student-centered “non-partisan dialogue program that seeks to transform international conflict by connecting young people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait and the United States” and by empowering them through conflict resolution training so that they become the next generation of peacemakers.

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Reservations recommended; call (415) 422-6828.

Co-Sponsors
Strait Talk, Berkeley Chapter
Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California Berkeley
China Dialogue
Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning

CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE SYMPOSIUM ALL WEEK LONG!

4/6 Tuesday
Understanding Cross-Strait Dynamics Today
6:00 PM @ C230 Haas School of Business, 2220 Piedmont Avenue, Berkeley, CA

4/7 Wednesday
Contentious Historical Interpretations “Punctuations: Taiwan 1989, 1999, 2009”
5:00 PM @ 370 Dwinelle Hall, Telegraph Ave and Bancroft Way, UC Berkeley

4/9 Friday
Actions to Ensure Peaceful cross Strait Relations
4:00 PM @ YWCA, 2600 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA