PROFESSOR ELIZABETH SINN THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG (ELIZABETH SINN IS AN HONORARY PROFESSOR AT THE SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES, THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG. SHE IS A HONG KONG HISTORIAN WHO SETS HONG KONG IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT. AMONG HER WORKS AREPOWER AND CHARITY: THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE TUNG WAH HOSPITAL, HONG KONG,ANDPACIFIC CROSSING: CALIFORNIA GOLD, CHINESE MIGRATION, AND THE MAKING OF HONG KONG.)
February 10, 2026 at 4:30 AM UTC
Ho Amei is a fascinating figure. He was a pioneer in modern capitalist enterprises such as telegraphy, insurance, waterworks, and high-technology mining; he also founded the first Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. He was a fighter for justice and a champion for fair play. As a community leader in Hong Kong, among other things, he demanded the abolition of the infamous Night Pass system, the most outrageous mark of racial discrimination. He supported China’s search for wealth and power, and defended its sovereign rights against imperialist bullying. He was highly regarded by senior Chinese officials such as Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong. Despite prominence during his lifetime, he is largely unknown today. In many ways, his work and complex personality mirrored the historical reality of his times. At the seminar, I will give a brief biographical account of Mr Ho, and highlight some of my experiences–pain as well as pleasure–in researching and writing this biography.
SPEAKER: QING WANG, CO-FOUNDER AND CO-HOST OF THE WEIRDO PODCAST (不合时宜), FELLOW AT ASIA SOCIETY MODERATOR: QIN GAO, MAURICE V. RUSSELL PROFESSOR OF SOCIAL POLICY AND SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE; ACTING DIRECTOR OF THE ASIAN AMERICAN INITIATIVE; ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR DOCTORAL EDUCATION; DIRECTOR OF CHINA CENTER FOR SOCIAL POLICY, COLUMBIA SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
February 10, 2026 at 5:00 PM UTC
Over the past decade, podcasts have emerged as an important form of alternative media, offering intimate yet public spaces for storytelling, emotional exchange, and shared reflection, particularly for young women navigating rapid social change. Qing Wang is the co-founder and co-host of The Weirdo Podcast (不合时宜), a leading independent Chinese-language podcast with over one million followers, dedicated to amplifying progressive and non-conformist voices. This event will be a dialogue between Qing Wang and the faculty host Qin Gao to explore the rise of independent podcasting in China and its convergence with feminist awakening and collective feeling among a younger generation. This event is part of the 2025-2026 Asia in Action event series. This event is hosted by the Weatherhead East Asian Institute and co-sponsored by the China Center for Social Policy.
PITMAN POTTER IS EMERITUS PROFESSOR OF LAW AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. POTTER’S TEACHING AND RESEARCH HAVE FOCUSED ON CHINA LAW AND POLICY ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INVESTMENT, BUSINESS REGULATION, AND HUMAN RIGHTS. POTTER IS A FELLOW OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA AND A MEMBER OF THE ORDER OF CANADA. HE IS ALSO AN ORDAINED DEACON IN THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA (DIOCESE OF NEW WESTMINSTER). POTTER’S LATEST BOOK, CHINA AND THE RULES-BASED INTERNATIONAL ORDER: GLOBALIZED POPULISM AND CRISIS RESPONSE, WILL APPEAR IN MAY FROM UBC PRESS. CAROLE J. PETERSEN IS THE CADES FOUNDATION PROFESSOR OF LAW AT THE WILLIAM S. RICHARDSON SCHOOL OF LAW. SHE TAUGHT IN HONG KONG FOR SEVENTEEN YEARS AND IS A FORMER DIRECTOR OF THE CENTRE FOR COMPARATIVE AND PUBLIC LAW AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG. SHE HOLDS A BA FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, A JD FROM HARVARD LAW SCHOOL, AND A POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA IN THE LAW OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG. MODERATOR: MARK LEVIN - DIRECTOR, PACIFIC-ASIAN LEGAL STUDIES, PROGRAM PROFESSOR OF LAW AT THE WILLIAM S.RICHARDSON SCHOOL OF LAW UNIVERSITY OF HAWAIʻI AT MĀNOA
February 11, 2026 at 10:00 PM UTC
This talk will examine the role of American values and national interests in US relations with China. This expands upon Dr. Potter’s 2025 report to the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada on Integrating Values and Interests in Canada-China relations. As Dr. Potter did in that paper, he will rely on the principle of “complementarity” to look beyond the purported dichotomy between values and interests, focusing instead on their interdependence and possibilities for mutual reinforcement. The talk will identify opportunities for complementarity in political, economic, and social dimensions of US-China relations. The talk will then address how complementarity analysis can help build policy resilience for effective management of US relations with China in response to current and future challenges.
CHRIS HORTONIS A FREELANCE JOURNALIST AND AUTHORWHO HAS BEEN BASED IN TAIPEI, TAIWAN FOR THE PAST DECADE. HE PREVIOUSLY SPENT 13 YEARS IN CHINA AND TWO IN HONG KONG. HE HAS WRITTEN EXTENSIVELY FORTHE NEW YORK TIMES, BLOOMBERG NEWS,NIKKEI ASIA,THE ATLANTICAND ELSEWHERE, COVERING TAIWAN'S NATIONAL SECURITY, DIPLOMACY, ECONOMY, CULTURE AND MORE. HIS NEW BOOK,GHOST NATION: THE STORY OF TAIWAN AND ITSSTRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL(MACMILLAN) EXAMINES HOW FOUR CENTURIES OF SERIAL COLONIZATION SHAPED THE PEOPLE WHO FOUGHT FOR WHAT IS NOW ASIA'S FREEST - AND MOST THREATENED - DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY.
February 12, 2026 at 11:30 PM UTC
InGhost Nation: the Story of Taiwan and its Struggle for Survival, Chris Horton compares Beijing's claim that Taiwan has been Chinese territory "since time immemorial" with Taiwan's actual history. Several different groups have controlled some or all of Taiwan over the last 400 years -- the Dutch, Spanish, Tungning, Manchu, Japanese, Chinese, and now, Taiwanese. By looking at those who have ruled Taiwan, Horton also tells the story of the Taiwanese people, highlighting their intergenerational quest for self-determination -- and the existential threat posed by an expansionist Chinese Communist Party.
WELCOMING REMARKS BY QIN GAO, ACTING DIRECTOR OF THE ASIAN AMERICAN INITIATIVE, MAURICE V. RUSSELL PROFESSOR OF SOCIAL POLICY AND SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE, AND ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR DOCTORAL EDUCATION AT THE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK; COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PANELISTS SRUTHI CHANDRASEKARAN, THE ASIAN AMERICAN FOUNDATION ALEX CHEW, AMPLIFY AAPI, NORC AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO XI SONG, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY STACIE TAO, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO CHRISTOPHER WIMER, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MODERATOR VAN TRAN, CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK GRADUATE CENTER
February 23, 2026 at 10:30 PM UTC
Centering on AAI’s philosophy of Data, Narrative, and Action (DNA), this panel discussion will showcase several existing projects that analyze national and local data on Asian Americans, explore directions for future research, and discuss implications for policy and action.
YUANYUAN (REN),ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON SCHOOL OF LAW.
February 26, 2026 at 5:00 PM UTC
The Trump administration’s efforts to secure more control over Greenland have put China’s activities in the Arctic under a spotlight. Since 2018 when China declared itself to be a “near-Arctic state” with strategic interests in the region, it has expanded its Arctic research activities, acquired more icebreaking vessels, conducted Arctic patrols with Russia, and sent a ship from Asia to Europe through the Arctic Ocean along Russia’s northern coast – a route China has dubbed the “Polar Silk Road.” But is any of this activity contrary to international law or dangerous to the US? Professor Yuanyuan (Kate) Ren at the University of Dayton School of Law, an international law scholar who formerly worked at the Polar Research Institute of China, will explain how China interprets international law at the polar regions and what is publicly known about its Arctic goals.
ANTONIO ANDREONI PROFESSOR OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS, THE SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL AND AFRICAN STUDIES (SOAS), UNIVERSITY OF LONDON CO-DIRECTOR, CENTRE FOR SUSTAINABLE STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATION, SOAS VEDA VAIDYANATHAN FELLOW, CENTRE FOR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC PROGRESS, NEW DELHI ASSOCIATE, HARVARD UNIVERSITY ASIA CENTER
December 2, 2026 at 2:00 PM UTC
We are pleased to invite you to a thought-provoking discussion that explores China in Africa paradigm in a comparative perspective with India. While much attention has been centered on China in Africa and Global China as a lens through which to examine changing patterns of investment and infrastructure in Africa, this panel puts the China in Africa paradigm in a comparative perspective with India, which has longstanding commercial and trade ties with East and South Africa. This online panel,co-sponsored with the Heilbroner Center for Capitalism Studies of The New School,will assess Indian and Chinese engagements in Africa through the lens of technology transfers, skills upgrading, educational exchanges, and knowledge flows. Participants will explore patterns of expertise and technology transfer, higher education partnerships, cross-border research collaborations, and supply chains, among other forms of engagement between Chinese and Indian organizations with African counterparts Registerhere.