Chinese Public Diplomacy in East Asia and the Pacific

The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore, in partnership with AidData at the College of William & Mary, the China Power Project at CSIS, and the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI), co-hosted a conference on Chinese Public Diplomacy in East Asia and the Pacific. The conference presented the findings of a path-breaking study by AidData titled Ties That Bind: Quantifying China’s public diplomacy and its “good neighbor” effect .

Four panel discussions and a lunch keynote, all featuring experts from around the world, dove deeper into the reach and influence of Chinese public diplomacy and the policy implications for countries across the Asia-Pacific.

Funding for this project was provided by the United States Department of State.

Welcome Remarks

Dr. Joseph Liow
Dean and Professor of Comparative and International Politics
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University

Dr. Bradley Parks
Executive Director, AidData
Research Faculty, Institute for the Theory and Practice of International Relations
College of William & Mary

Panel 1: Quantifying the Reach and Influence of Chinese Public Diplomacy in the East Asia and Pacific Region

Ms. Samantha Custer
Director of Policy Analysis, AidData
College of William & Mary

Mr. Siddhartha Ghose
Analytics Manager, AidData
College of William & Mary

Panel 2: The Role of Public Diplomacy in China’s Foreign Policy

Dr. Malcolm Cook
Senior Fellow
Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) – Yusof Ishak Institute

Mr. John Garnaut
Analyst
JG Global

Dr. Zhao Kejin
Deputy Director, Center for U.S.-China Relations
Tsinghua University

Mr. Peter Mattis
Research Fellow, China Studies
Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation

Moderated by:
Ms. Bonnie Glaser
Senior Adviser for Asia and Director, China Power Project
Center for Strategic and International Studies

Lunch Keynote

Ambassador Bilahari Kausikan
Chairman, Middle East Institute
National University of Singapore

Moderated by:
Ms. Bonnie Glaser
Senior Adviser for Asia and Director, China Power Project
Center for Strategic and International Studies

Panel 3: Chinese Public Diplomacy in Southeast Asia and Oceania

Dr. Aileen Baviera
Professor of Asian Studies
University of the Philippines

Dr. Kuik Cheng-Chwee
Associate Professor, Strategic Studies and International Relations Program
National University of Malaysia

Dr. Tarcisius Tara Kabutaulaka
Associate Professor, Center for Pacific Islands Studies
University of Hawaii

Dr. Thitinan Pongsudhirak
Executive Director, Institute of Security and International Studies
Chulalongkorn University

Moderated by:
Dr. Ralf Emmers
Professor of International Relations, Associate Dean and Head of Centre for Multilateralism Studies
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University

Panel 4: Policy Implications

Dr. John Lee
Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
Senior Fellow, United States Studies Centre, Sydney University
Former National Security Adviser, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop

Dr. Joseph Liow
Dean and Professor of Comparative and International Politics
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University

Moderated by:
Ms. Lindsey Ford
Director, Political-Security Affairs
Asia Society Policy Institute