Time: 18:00-20:00 16th Nov (Wednesday) 2011
Venue: NAB107 <http://www2.lse.ac.uk/mapsAndDirections/findingYourWayAroundLSE.aspx>
Speaker: Dr Max Rebol (Pacific Forum Center for Strategic and International Studies, CSIS)
Chair: Dr Xiangqun Chang (CCPN, LSE)
Abstract: If we see Chinese Soft Power in Africa as deriving from the fact that China does not interfere in domestic affairs, it seems that this kind of Soft Power mostly appeals to the most autocratic regimes. In fact this argument has been put forward by several authors in trying to explain good relations between the PRC and countries such as Sudan, DRC, Zimbabwe or North Korea. Others have argued the other way around, talking about the attraction of Chinese culture traditions as well as its development record in the last 30 years. This talk will try to bridge the gap between these two seemingly opposites. Taking China Africa relations as an example, it will argue that the relevant values consist of two different levels, which are described as active and passive values. The active values refer to a set of parameters, including culture, traditions and the general relation between state and people which is unique to China. The passive values refer to the respect that China pays to the values of the partner country, treating it equal and not in a teacher-student relation. In general this refers to the fact that China's active values are not claimed to be universal; In particular it refers to the Chinese Non-interference policy.
Speaker's Biography: Max Rebol a current non-resident Handa Fellow at Pacific Forum Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He is a recent PhD graduate from the School of International Relations and Public Administration of Fudan University, Shanghai. His dissertation on China- Africa relations looks especially at the question of transferability of the Chinese experience for which he conducted research in China as well as East Africa. Previous research focused on the rise of Chinese soft power, China's foreign aid system, China's stance on non- interference as well as China - Africa relations. For the PhD studies he was awarded the CSC Scholarship by the Chinese Government. He received a Master degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science where he studied Development Management. He was a trainee at the European Commission, Directorate General for External Relations was previously working at the European Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. Max is fluent in English, German and Chinese.
Note: This is a public seminar, as first come first serve basis, but students of the MSc China in Comparative Perspective are prioritised
Also see CCPN website: http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/CCPN/newsAndEvents/CCPN.htm .
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