Brian Wong
Assistant Professor in Philosophy and Fellow at Centre on Contemporary China and the World, HKU and Rhodes Scholar
Dec 29, 2022
The ability authors, musicians, and filmmakers have to tell stories can transcend geopolitics, but the current state of U.S.-China affairs offers almost nothing in terms of a meeting ground for the creatives of either side to exchange ideas. Repairing the cross-Pacific relationship will only get harder if big thinkers and storytellers cannot find a way to communicate.
Dec 22, 2022
Jiang Zemin led an ascendant China into the world stage through economic reforms and deft diplomatic outreach - tactics that will be hard to replicate in today’s world, but lessons nonetheless from a strategic leader.
Dec 02, 2022
Indonesia famously played host to Joe Biden and Xi Jinping’s first face-to-face meeting of Biden’s presidency; a milestone in the great power rivalry between East and West. Historically, Indonesia has also been the site of another major international summit - the Bandung Conference which produced a network of “non-aligned” states. Each of these events is a mirror of our modern times as Southeast Asia’s medium-sized powers seek to navigate a contentious climate between the U.S. and China’s competing influences.
Nov 22, 2022
Though Biden and Xi’s first face-to-face meeting since Biden’s presidential term began came with offers of civility and friendship, there remains much work to be done if the U.S.-China rivalry will be toned down within Biden’s first term.
Oct 21, 2022
China’s capacity to help end the conflict in Ukraine has been left in the realm of speculation due to the nation’s official stance of neutrality toward the situation. If China were to step up efforts to actively broker a resolution, these are the following steps they may take.
Oct 20, 2022
The nature of U.S.-China relations have become increasingly polarized since the mid-2010s. It seems like both sides sit on opposite sides of a spectrum, when in reality, both nations exert influence and control over resources and neighbors that could be organized to work well together.
Sep 30, 2022
U.S. and Chinese officials have grown accustomed to barbed exchanges in the public forum. It would seem that the minds of the two nations are diverging to opposing extremes. While a U.S.-China schism is undeniable, the world of academia is operating at a different wavelength than their government counterparts.
Sep 19, 2022
The last two years of COVID-regulated trade with China have drastically changed China’s economic and social capital on the world stage. China must be proactive in inviting foreign business back in or risk their former partners losing interest.
Aug 26, 2022
It is counterproductive to set China and the ‘West’ up as rivals locked in an existential struggle over values. In light of the increasingly polarized views of the East and the West, it is crucial to steer clear of political absolutism to have a more truthful understanding and practical progress on a range of issues such as policy, education, health, etc.
Aug 18, 2022
A China-U.S. military altercation and violence over Taiwan ought to be avoided. Several steps must be taken by both sides to ensure global stability, such as maintaining core values like patience, pragmatism, and some degree of empathy for different parties’ perspectives.