The 2^nd Colloquium in 2011 Held by the Asiatic Research Institute, Korea University

Speaker: Jung-seung Shin (Former Ambassador to China, Research Director of the Center for Chinese Studies, the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security)

Date and Time: Mon., 25^th Apr. 2011, 16:00~18:00

Venue: Main Conference Room, 3^rd Fl. ARI, Korea University

Jung-seung Shin, former ambassador to China (research director of the Center for Chinese Studies, the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security) gave a presentation that covered a wide range of topics such as China as a threat, China’s crisis management capacity, China’s efforts to strengthen its soft power based on traditional culture, trends of China’s foreign policy, China’s aggressive diplomacy in 2010, Sino-Korean relations, and Sino-North Korean relations, and provided an opportunity to share his insight as a China expert with participants. In general, he has a cautiously optimistic view on China. According to the power transition theory among realist theories of international politics, as China’s national power has become as strong as that of the U.S., there is a possibility of war due to hegemonic competition. However, according to Mr. Shin, China is reluctant to be recognized as one of the G2 and will not seek sudden changes and instability in the international system as we can see China emphasize and aim for a peaceful rise and peaceful and harmonious development. In particular, China’s leadership is not a dictatorship in a general sense, and China is in the process of developing intra-party democracy in its own way. The leadership’s critical mind and capability to react proved to be excellent through its crisis management in the Great Sichuan Earthquake, and the leadership seems to be gradually opening itself.