On May 10, 2024, the Song Zexing Lecture Series (17th lecture) was held at Jonathan KS Choi Hall of Puhe Campus, Liaoning University. Professor Wang Jisi, founding dean of the Institute of International Strategic Studies at Peking University, holder of the Boya Chair Professorship, and professor at the School of International Relations, delivered an academic lecture entitled ‘Global Political Trends and China's National Security.’ The event was organized by Liaoning University and hosted by the Faculty of Economics and the School of International Economics and International Relations. Over 300 representatives, including leaders and students from the Faculty of Economics and its affiliated units, attended the conference. The meeting was chaired by Professor Li Shuyun, Vice Chairman of the Academic Committee of Liaoning University.
Professor Yu Miaojie, the Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee and President of Liaoning University, who is also a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress and a Fellow of the International Economic Association, attended the lecture and delivered a speech. In his address, President Yu Miaojie introduced Professor Wang Jisi's remarkable achievements in the fields of American diplomacy, Chinese diplomacy, Sino-U.S. relations, international political theory, Asia-Pacific security, Chinese politics, and international politics to the faculty and students present. He highlighted Professor Wang's outstanding contributions to the development of the discipline of international relations, his significant impact on promoting a Chinese perspective on the world, enhancing political mutual trust and cultural exchanges between China and the United States. President Yu also expressed heartfelt gratitude for Professor Wang's years of careful nurturing and guidance. Furthermore, he warmly welcomed Professor Wang for his long journey to Liaoning University to deliver an important lecture and share his valuable insights. President Yu extended profound respect to Professor Wang for accepting the appointment as Lifetime Honorary Professor at Liaoning University and for his support in the development of the School of International Economics and International Relations at Liaoning University.
During the lecture, Professor Wang Jisi led the faculty and students in deep contemplation of global political trends and China's national security from a comprehensive international perspective, offering an extraordinary macroscopic view and rational political thinking. He pointed out that in the past decade, the instability and uncertainty of the international order have significantly increased, marking a new period of tumultuous transformation in the world. This necessitates addressing various external challenges such as income distribution imbalances, widening wealth gaps, the rise of populism and nationalism, as well as escalating geopolitical competition and regional conflicts on a global scale. China's national security is facing unprecedented and multifaceted challenges at all levels. While recognizing the changes in the international security landscape and the challenges they pose to China, it is crucial to grasp the significant opportunities that lie within with a global perspective and strategic thinking.
Professor Wang Jisi used the fluctuating trajectory of Sino-U.S. relations since the founding of the People's Republic of China as a starting point to construct an analytical framework for Sino-U.S. relations. Drawing upon his personal observations during visits to the United States, he offered rational reflections and forward-looking judgments on the current situation and prospects of Sino-U.S. relations. Professor Wang's lecture, spanning the international landscape, provided insightful insights into the trajectory of Sino-U.S. relations from a profound theoretical perspective and a concern for current realities. Through rigorous logical reasoning and unique research methods, he accurately elucidated global political trends and China's national security, showcasing his profound academic expertise. After the lecture, Professor Wang Jisi engaged in warm interactions with the faculty and students, addressing questions in detail and with patience, providing intellectual nourishment to the audience.
Professor Liu Wenge, the Dean of the School of International Economics and International Relations, praised Professor Wang Jisi's presentation and shared his own insights gained from the lecture. Starting from the impact of changes in the international security landscape on international economics and trade, he elucidated how Professor Wang Jisi has provided a new and more macroscopic world political analysis perspective for the development of interdisciplinary studies such as country studies and international political economy, greatly advancing the in-depth research of related disciplines like international trade and world economy.
Professor Li Shuyun delivered a detailed summary of the Song Zexing Lecture Series. She pointed out that Professor Wang's presentation, which was comprehensive and deeply analytical, highlighted his profound academic knowledge, and significantly broadened the academic perspectives and thinking of the faculty and students of the university. The appointment of Professor Wang Jisi as Lifetime Honorary Professor at Liaoning University is of extraordinary significance for the construction of a high-level faculty team and for promoting the high-quality development of Liaoning University as a ‘Double First-Class’ institution.
At the end of the meeting, President Yu Miaojie presented Professor Wang Jisi with a commemorative plaque from Liaoning University's Song Zexing Lecture Series and a letter of appointment as Lifetime Honorary Professor at Liaoning University. Professor Liu Junting, the editor-in-chief of the university journal, presented Professor Wang with an issue of the Journal of Liaoning University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition). Professor Yang Gongyan, the Vice Dean of the School of International Political Economy, presented Professor Wang with a university cap. Associate Professor Kong Xiao from the Office of the Department of Economics helped Professor Wang put on the university emblem. Associate Professor Yin Ruyu from the China Institute of Open Economy presented Professor Wang with a ‘Liaoning University Think Tank Report.’ Associate Professor Chen Fu, Vice Director of the Institute of Environmental Economics, presented flowers to Professor Wang. The faculty and students took a group photo to commemorate the occasion.
Brief biography of Professor Wang Jisi
Professor Wang Jisi is the founding dean of the Institute of International Strategic Studies at Peking University, Peking University Chair Professor Emeritus, professor at the School of International Relations at Peking University, and honorary president of the Chinese Association for American Studies. He previously served as director of the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, director of the Institute of International Strategic Studies at the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China, member of the Foreign Policy Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, and dean of the School of International Relations at Peking University.
Professor Wang Jisi's primary teaching and research interests lie in American diplomacy, Chinese diplomacy, and Asia-Pacific security. He has been a visiting scholar or visiting professor at institutions including the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Michigan, Claremont McKenna College in California, and Princeton University in the United States. Currently, he serves as an advisor to institutions such as the Asia Society Policy Institute in the United States, the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the American University in Cairo, and the Afghanistan Strategic Studies Institute. He is also an international editorial board member for journals such as The National Interest and Global Asia. His major works include ‘Rational Thinking in International Politics, ‘Coexistence of Diversity and Unity: Thirty Years of World Political Changes,’ and Sino-US Strategic Mistrust: Responses and Analysis.’
