UC professor talks on Chinese foreign policy Oct. 24 at Lab

The program will air live on Labnet Channel 9. It also will be available for viewing on the Internet using RealMedia Player.

Susan Shirk, a professor at the University of California, San Diego, will present the lecture. She is a political scientist — Shirk has a doctoral degree in political science — whose research focuses on Chinese politics, economics, foreign policy and American relations with China.

"Since the start of its economic reform drive in 1979, China's policies toward Asian neighbors have been very flexible," said Shirk. "Beijing engages in give and take in its bilateral relations and has become an active participant in Asian regional multilateral organizations."

She said the growth of the Internet and popular mass media have encouraged growth and nationalism and increased the influence of public opinion on foreign policymakers.

"During the past year, however, Beijing has moderated its approach to Taiwan, Japan and the United States, indicating an effort by the Jiang Zemin leadership to manage the interaction of domestic policies with more finesse," said Shirk.

Shirk is the author of "How China Opened Its Door: The Political Logic of Economic Reforms and the Political Logic of Economic Reform in China."

Currently, she is research director for security studies at the University of California's systemwide Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation. She also was employed in the State Department in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

For more information about the colloquium, contact technical host Carolyn Mangeng in the Director's Office at 7-3460, or write to camangeng@lanl.gov by electronic mail.

-- Michael Carlson

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