Wedging and Binding:
Beijing and Russia in China’s Diputes
with India and Vietnam

featuring
Dr. Shuxian Luo
Assistant Professor, Department of Asian Studies
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Speaker’s summary:
Is Russia becoming a Chinese “vassal” as many Western politicians and pundits claim? Will or can Beijing leverage its growing influence over Moscow to gain stronger Russian backing in China’s territorial disputes with India and Vietnam, both of which have close partnerships with Russia? This study challenges these prevailing views and instead argues that China has adopted a bifurcated approach toward Russia’s role in the context of China’s territorial dispute with India and Vietnam in the post-Cold War era. Driven by a logic of indirect wedging, China has exercised caution in seeking Russia’s support in its dispute with India. In contrast, the logic of binding has made Beijing less reluctant to pressure Moscow regarding the maritime dispute with Vietnam. This study contributes to the existing literature on wedging and binding, and sheds new light on how the US Indo-Pacific strategy could more effectively safeguard America’s interests.

Speaker’s Bio:
Dr. Shuxian Luo is an assistant professor in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, and a non-resident China Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Her primary research interests include Chinese foreign and security policies, maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, and crisis management in US-China relations. Her work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals such as Asian Security, Contemporary Southeast Asia, Journal of Contemporary China, among others, as well as in policy publications such as War on the Rocks and The Diplomat. Dr. Luo has briefed officials and staff at the State Department, US Congress, and UK Cabinet Office. She received her BA in English literature from Peking University and PhD in international relations from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). 

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The China Seminar was founded by Dr. Daniel W.Y. Kwok 46 years ago. Under his guidance, it became a signature program of the Friends of the East-West Center (FEWC) in 2009. The program provides an informal venue for China experts, such as scholars, diplomats, and journalists, to present talks on aspects of China that interest the community and members of the Friends. Topics include politics, economics, social issues, history, culture, food, arts, and many other subjects. Though Dr. Kwok has recently retired from his involvement with the program, the FEWC and the East-West Center remain committed to continuing this important program.

The Evolution of Chinese Bankruptcy Law from 1980s to Present

featuring
Professor Charles D. Booth
Michael J. Marks Distinguished Professor of Business Law
Director, Institute of Asian-Pacific Business Law 
William S. Richardson School of Law
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Speaker’s summary:
Professor Booth will discuss the evolution of the Chinese bankruptcy law over the last four decades, from the enactment of the PRC Enterprise Bankruptcy Law in 1986 to the promulgation of the new Enterprise Bankruptcy Law in 2007 and the establishment of new bankruptcy courts in 2016-17. He will explore the ongoing saga of the collapse of the Chinese real estate market and explain why the China Evergrande Group, which defaulted on its debt in late 2021, has not yet been subjected to bankruptcy proceedings in the Chinese mainland.  

Speaker’s Bio:
Professor Charles D. Booth is the Michael J. Marks Distinguished Professor in Business Law and Director of the Institute of Asian-Pacific Business Law at the William S. Richardson School of Law University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

Professor Booth’s primary research interests are comparative and cross-border insolvency and commercial law, with a focus on Hong Kong and China and the development of insolvency and commercial law infrastructures in Asia. He has authored/co-authored more than 70 publications including co-authoring A Global View of Business Insolvency Systems (2010; republished in Chinese, 2018).

He has served as a consultant on insolvency and commercial law reform and training projects for the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the IMF, the EBRD, and the OECD. Recently, he has participated in World Bank projects contributing to a new insolvency law in the Lao PDR Law and a draft insolvency law in Bhutan. He has also co-designed and co-delivered training courses for insolvency judges and insolvency administrators in Laos, Cambodia and Beijing (the first such training of its kind in China).

Professor Booth holds a BA from Yale University and a JD from Harvard Law School.

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The China Seminar was founded by Dr. Daniel W.Y. Kwok 45 years ago. Under his guidance, it became a signature program of the Friends of the East-West Center (FEWC) in 2009. The program provides an informal venue for China experts, such as scholars, diplomats, and journalists, to present talks on aspects of China that interest the community and members of the Friends. Topics include politics, economics, social issues, history, culture, food, arts, and many other subjects. Though Dr. Kwok has recently retired from his involvement with the program, the FEWC and the East-West Center remain committed to continuing this important program.

The Taiwan Election:
What it means for Taipei, Beijing, and Washington

featuring
Ambassador Ray Burghardt
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm HST
Live via Zoom

Speaker’s summary:
Drawing on insights gained during a trip to Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, and Tokyo in late October, as well as discussions with scholars and officials from mainland China, Taiwan, Ambassador Ray Burghardt will discuss what the outcome of Taiwan’s presidential election means for its domestic politics, including President-elect Lai Ching-te’s weak mandate and the three-party deadlock in the new legislature. He will also explore the effect on the Biden administration’s view and plans, as well as the immediate and likely future reaction from Beijing.  

Speaker’s Bio:
Ambassador Ray Burghardt served from 2006 – 2016 as Chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the entity that manages US relations with Taiwan in the absence of diplomatic ties. Burghardt was Director of AIT’s Taipei office from 1999-2001, a sensitive period of political transition. As Consul General in Shanghai (1997-99), he was the US Government’s interlocutor with China’s lead negotiator with Taiwan.   

Ambassador Burghardt was one of the US State Department’s leading experts on Asia, serving as Ambassador to Vietnam (2001-2004), Deputy Chief of Mission in Manila (1993-96) and Seoul (1990-93), and Political Counselor in Beijing (1987-89).  

He is currently a consultant to the Institute for Defense Analyses. He also serves on several non-profit and corporate boards, including the Pacific Century Institute, a California-based foundation for which he is president; the Barnett Family Foundation, which supports the education of minority girls in Vietnam; and Indochina Capital Corporation, which develops property and makes investments in Vietnam. 

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The China Seminar was founded by Dr. Daniel W.Y. Kwok 45 years ago. Under his guidance, it became a signature program of the Friends of the East-West Center (FEWC) in 2009. The program provides an informal venue for China experts, such as scholars, diplomats, and journalists, to present talks on aspects of China that interest the community and members of the Friends. Topics include politics, economics, social issues, history, culture, food, arts, and many other subjects. Though Dr. Kwok has recently retired from his involvement with the program, the FEWC and the East-West Center remain committed to continuing this important program.