A new era of Sino-US relations for university systems?
- Gerard A. Postiglione, The University of Hong Kong
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The largest and most influential university systems are those of China and the US, respectively. They have a major role to play in global peace and security. Over four decades, they became intertwined and interdependent. Their decoupling would be a race to the bottom. With Sino-US relations mired in disagreements over trade and technology, university leaders must ensure that educational and academic partnerships do not fall victim to geopolitical rivalry. In the neo-globalized world order, Sino-US relations require a strategic stabilization. A new framework is needed to capitalize on China’s civilizational emphasis on education, and the US university tradition of open debate and emancipation of the mind. Together they have a responsibility to address global threats such as pandemics, climate change, poverty, and inequality. The outgoing US administration canceled key education exchange programs, restricted scientific cooperation, and created bottlenecks in study visa approvals. The new US administration will focus on domestic issues but has an opportunity to take small but positive steps to build Sino-US university cooperation in education, technology, and health. This talk will identify what should be done to improve US-China university cooperation for mutual benefit and the global common good.
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Gerard A. Postiglione is Emeritus Professor, Honorary Professor, and Coordinator of the Consortium for Research on Higher Education in Asia, The University of Hong Kong. His scholarship includes 20 books and about 150 articles and chapters. His most recent publication is “Expanding higher education: China’s precarious balance,” in China Quarterly 2020. He received a Lifetime Contribution Award by the Comparative and International Education Society for Studies in Higher Education. He is a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association. His autobiography was published in Leaders in the Sociology of Education, and his collected works were published by Routledge Press. He co-received the China National Education Outstanding Achievement Award in Empirical Research. He was senior consultant to the Ford Foundation in China on educational reform and cultural vitality. His policy reports have been received by China’s State Education Commission and Ministry of Education. He was invited to brief the Office of the Secretary of the US Department of Education on education in China. He is a member of the National Committee on US-China Relations.
