Fewsmith Hosts Delegation of Chinese Scholars
Professor of International Relations Joseph Fewsmith hosted a delegation including Zhong Weihe, President of the the Guangdong Institute for International Strategies (GIIS), at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University on July 13, 2016.
The GIIS, housed within the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, is a a think-tank for the government of Guangdong Province.
Accompanying President Zhong were Wei Guo, from the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Cheng Yonglin, Associate Professor at the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies and Zhu Jianzheng, Vice-Consul in the Consulate General of the PRC in New York.
During the meeting, the group discussed the July 12, 2016 decision of the International Tribune of the Law of the Sea which rejected most all of Beijing’s legal arguments for its position and activities in the South China Sea. Much of the conversation revolved around the South China Sea and the way forward.
Fewsmith urged that all sides take a step back, view the situation rationally and use the court’s decision to move forward on a new basis.
“Given the court’s opinion that Scarborough Shoal should be open to fishermen from both China and the Philippines, that seems a good place to start,” Fewsmith said. “It wouldn’t be difficult to open negotiations with Manilla and that would send a very positive signal to the Philippines, Southeast Asia and the world.”
Fewsmith is Professor of International Relations and Political Science at Boston University. He is the author or editor of eight books, including, most recently, The Logic and Limits of Political Reform in China (January 2013). Fewsmith travels to China regularly and is active in the Association for Asian Studies and the American Political Science Association. Learn more about him here.