(YCW) – Lau China Institute China Conference 2019 PRC at 70

Young China Watchers (YCW) – Lau China Institute China Conference 2019

PRC at 70: Behind the Headlines

#YCWChina2019 1300 – 1700

Young China Watchers (YCW)

Young China Watcher of the Year Award 2019

#YoungChinaWatcherOfTheYear 1730 – 1930

November 2, 2019 The Edmond J. Safra Theatre Hall, King’s College London

Young China Watchers (YCW) – Lau China Institute China Conference 2019

PRC at 70: Behind the Headlines

Following on from the success of our 2017 and 2018 conferences, Young China Watchers (YCW) and King’s College Lau China Institute are again bringing together leading China experts and emerging Young China Watchers on a single platform to analyse China’s past, present and future.

This year’s Conference coincides with the 70th Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In response to the sensationalisation and oversimplification of many China-related issues and events in the media, the Conference topics will focus beyond some of the click-bait seen in the media and will centre around the theme: “PRC at 70: Behind the Headlines”.

As part of a half-day programme, leading China experts and emerging young thinkers will explore important and overlooked themes emerging from China today, through three complementary lenses. The discussions will explore the role science and technology play in China’s economic development, how China’s actions in the developing world are perceived by the recipient countries and the impact China’s millennials are making in Chinese society. YCW have sourced experts from the UK and abroad to share their insights and help our community better understand China’s place in the world.

The aims for the conference are two-fold: to bring the latest thinking on Chinese politics, society and history to the next generation of China watchers in London; and to provide a forum to connect those China watchers with each other and with experts in the relevant fields.

We are delighted to welcome this year’s keynote speaker: Jonathan Fenby CBE.

Please join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #YCWChina2019

Please note: the conference is being broadcast live on YCW’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Please inform us if you do not wish to appear in the broadcast.

Young China Watchers (YCW) Young China Watcher of the Year Award

Young China Watchers (YCW) is excited to announce the second annual Young China Watcher of the Year Award. The award seeks to recognize a young professional who has made an extraordinary contribution to the global understanding of China, be that in the realm of politics, business, academia, or civil society. The initiative aims to elevate the work of up-and-coming talent within the global community of China observers, thinkers, and doers.

Last year, we launched the award in our New York City Chapter with a distinguished group of judges. At last year’s award ceremony our inaugural winner, Oma Lee, a rising star China’s non-profit sphere, gave a talk on the importance of finding one’s sweet spot in the ever-changing world of China watching.

This year’s winner will be honoured at a celebration held on November 2, 2019 at King’s College in London.

This year’s shortlist for Young China Watcher of the Year included:

• Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian — Investigative journalist • Emily Feng — Beijing correspondent, NPR • Karoline Kan — Author of Under Red Skies; Beijing editor, China Dialogue • Simon Shieh — Writer and educator; Co-founder of Spittoon Literary Magazine • Virginia Tan — Founding partner, Teja Ventures; Co-founder of both She Loves Tech and Lean In China

This year’s panel of judges comprised a diverse group of experienced China watchers, including:

• Jamil Anderlini, Asia Editor of the Financial Times • Juliana Liu, Editor at Inkstone • Kerry Brown, Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Lau China Institute at King’s College, London • Mimi Zou, Fangda Career Development Fellow in Chinese Commercial Law at St Hugh’s College, University of Oxford • Duncan Clark, Chairman of BDA China and author of Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built

The panel decided to award the Winner of the 2019 Young China Watcher of the Year Award to Karoline Kan. Karoline is being recognised for her contributions to telling her story—and the story of Chinese millennials—to an international audience. Karoline is the Beijing editor at China Dialogue and author of Under Red Skies: Three Generations of Life, Loss, and Hope in China—an account of Karoline’s family that covers three generations.

The Awards Ceremony will also feature a drinks reception and we are delighted to welcome a special keynote for the Awards: Caroline Wilson CMG.

Please join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #YoungChinaWatcherOfTheYear

Karoline Kan Winner, Young China Watcher of the Year 2019

Organisers

The Lau China Institute, Kings College London

The Lau China Institute is a multi-disciplinary centre for the study of all aspects of China and with partners across Greater China. It undertakes three core functions:

High quality teaching through masters and doctoral programmes: The Institute currently has almost forty students in both categories, undertaking research in areas from China’s globalisation to its political economy, culture, history and scientific traditions.

Extensive outreach through working in partnership with organisations in the business, government, media and public realms. King’s sits at the heart of a global city and next to an internationally important financial centre. Through its events, publications, policy seminars and other activities, the Lau China Institute seeks to engage with these communities and their expanding interests in China, and actively participates in the public debates on China-related issues within the UK and globally.

Credible and high impact research: The Lau Institute seeks to support through visiting researchers, academic partnerships in China as well as publication and dissemination of clear, insightful and high-quality research. It has a particular interest in promoting innovative, multi-discipline research and research that can be related to policy outcomes.

The Lau China Institute aspires to be the strategic body at the heart of King’s College London’s multi-faceted links with institutions, individuals and issues across Greater China. It aims to be a global centre, at the global university, in a global city, on a global issue.

Young China Watchers

Young China Watchers (YCW) is a dynamic group of China -focused young professionals. Through regular roundtables and talks with senior figures in academic, policy and business communities, it provides a chance for engaged individuals to interact and discuss the most pressing issues emerging from China today. Through its fast-growing global network, the organisation seeks to foster the next generation of China- focused thought-leaders.

YCW operated on an open membership policy, actively attracting all China-engaged, knowledgeable and policy-interested individuals. Its mission is to nurture a new community of people focused on and alert to China’s growing importance in international affairs.

Expanding global network: YCW was first established in Beijing in the spring of 2010 and has steadily expanded its network to ten chapters, including Shanghai, Hong Kong, London, New York, Singapore, Brussels, San Francisco, Washington and Berlin with over 4,000 members globally.

YCW carries out this ambitious agenda through both its Global Speaker Series and Dinner Discussions, which aim to bring together local communities of members with expert speakers in an informal setting.

Engaging YCW’s local communities: In addition to fostering local YCW communities through its city chapters, YCW’s Global Editorial Team interviews leading experts and past YCW speakers on leading China- related issues as well as feature outstanding young professionals working on China across all topics and disciplines.

YCW’s Mentorship Programmes in Beijing and London link “YCWers” as mentors to young professionals and graduate students at leading universities. Its annual Pulse Survey examines the views of the global community of young professionals engaged in China. YCW also runs an Annual Essay Competition in partnership with King’s College London that aims to discover bright young writers, addressing topics related to China.

CONFERENCE & AWARDS AGENDAS

The YCW-LCI China Conference will be proceeded by the YCW Young China Watcher of the Year Awards Ceremony, which Conference attendees are most welcome to attend. The Awards Ceremony will also feature a drinks reception.

YCW-LCI China Conference 1230-1730

1230-1300 – Registration

1300-1310 – Opening Remarks by King’s College London and YCW

James Tunningley, Head of YCW London and UK Government

Dr Igor Rogelja, Teaching Fellow, Lau China Institute, King's College London

13.10 – Conference Keynote Speaker: Jonathan Fenby CBE, Chairman China, TSLombard and st author of Will China Dominate the 21 Century?

1330-1415 – Panel 1: Science and Technology, Laying the Groundwork

Moderator: Frederick Ladbury, Director of Operations of YCW London, Policy Analyst at Bank of England

Panel:

1. Dr Matthieu Burnay, Associate Professor in Global Law, Queen Mary University of London 2. Adam Knight, Co-Founder, Tong Digital & PhD Student, University of Leiden 3. Steven Jiawei Hai, PhD Student, Lau China Institute, King’s College London

1415-1500– Lunch and networking

1500-1545 - Panel 2: Chinese Diplomacy and the Developing World, Friend or Foe?

Moderator: James Tunningley, Head of YCW London & UK Government

Panel:

1. Linda Calabrese, Research Fellow, Overseas Development Institute 2. Bill Hayton, Associate Fellow, Chatham House & Journalist, BBC News 3. Kofi Gunu, Rhodes Scholar in International Relations, University of Oxford

1545-1600 – Coffee Break

1600-1645 – Panel 3: Society and Culture, Rise of China’s Millennials

Moderator: Sarah Montgomery, Director of YCW London and China Projects at Everledger

Panel: 1. Arnold Ma, Founder, Qumin 2. Yuan Ren, Journalist & Producer 3. Vincent Ni, Senior Journalist, BBC & Yale Greenberg World Fellow

1645-1655 – Closing Remarks

Michael Yip, Co-Head of YCW London and UK Government

1655-1730 – Conference drinks and networking

Conference ends

AGENDA – Awards Ceremony 1730-1930

1730 - Welcome Remarks

James Tunningley, Head of YCW London and UK Government

1735 - Video message from Young China Watcher of the Year Award Winner 2018

Oma Lee, Fellow, Center for US-China Relations, Asia Society & Co-Chair, Beijing Women’s Network

1740 - Keynote Remarks

Caroline Wilson CMG, Former Director Europe, Foreign & Commonwealth Office and British Consul General to Hong Kong and Macao

1800 – Award Presentation & Winner Remarks

Karoline Kan, 2019 Young China Watcher of the Year Award recipient

1830 – Closing Remarks & Awards Ceremony drinks/networking

Michael Yip, Co-Head of YCW London and UK Government

19.30 - Close

Awards Ceremony ends

BIOGRAPHIES: YCW Team and King’s College London Lau China Institute Team

Professor Kerry Brown, Director, Lau China Institute, King's College London

Kerry Brown is the Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Lau China Institute at King's College London. From 2012 to 2015, he was the Professor of Chinese Politics and Director of the China Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, Australia. Prior to this he worked at Chatham House from 2006 to 2012, as Senior Fellow and then Head of the Asia Programme. From 1998 to 2005 he worked at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as First Secretary at the British Embassy in Beijing, and then as Head of the Indonesia, Philippine and East Timor Section. He lived in the Inner Mongolia region of China from 1994 to 1996. He has a Master of Arts from Cambridge University, a Post Graduate Diploma in Mandarin Chinese (Distinction) from Thames Valley University, London, and a PhD in Chinese politics and language from Leeds University.

Professor Brown directed the Europe China Research and Advice Network (ECRAN) giving policy advice to the European External Action Service between 2011 and 2014. He is the author of over ten books on modern Chinese politics, history and language, the most recent of which are The New Emperors: Power and the Princelings in China (2014), What's Wrong with Diplomacy: The Case of the UK and China (2015) and the Berkshire Dictionary of Chinese Biography (in Four Volumes- 2014-2015). His 'China's CEO: Xi Jinping' was published in 2016. “China's World: What Does China Want” was published in August 2017. He is currently working on a study of the Communist Party of China as a cultural movement.

Dr Igor Rogelja, Teaching Fellow, Lau China Institute, King's College London

Igor Rogelja completed his doctoral study at SOAS, University of London, where he researched urban redevelopment in China and Taiwan and also taught courses on Chinese and East Asian politics and international relations before coming to the Lau China Institute in 2017. His interests in infrastructure and development remain the core aspects of his work on the politics of space in China, while increasingly taking into account the infrastructural power that China is beginning to exert over its immediate region and beyond, particularly through the Belt-Road Initiative.

Moderators

James Tunningley, Head of YCW London and UK Government

James Tunningley is the Head of YCW London. He currently works for the UK Government, where has held a variety of roles across several departments. He is on the Young Leaders Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Pacific Forum, a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society, a Global Fellow at the Kairos Society and a Junior Member of the Royal Society for Asian Affairs. He was also named by 20:40 as a Leader of the Future for his impact on the UK innovation agenda. Prior to government, he held positions at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI), China-Britain Business Council and Emerging Strategy. He is a graduate of the University of Oxford's China Centre.

Michael Yip, Co-head of YCW London and UK Government

Michael Yip FRSA is the Co-Head of the Young China Watchers in London. He is also a civil servant, advising the UK Government on state-backed financings of international trade and overseas infrastructure projects. Previously, he was awarded Fellowships by the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Commonwealth Society for his grassroots community campaigns that supported the UK’s first- ever election of a British Chinese MP into Parliament. Michael is also a One Young World Ambassador for the UK. He has a background in international affairs (BA, Warwick) and English commercial law.

Sarah Montgomery, Director of YCW London and China Projects at Everledger

Sarah is Director of YCW London. Sarah works at Everledger, executing the technology company’s expansion into China. Through studying and working in China, Sarah has developed a deep interest in the intersection of China, sustainability and technology which she is pursuing through her work at Everledger, which uses blockchain, AI and IoT to build more trust and transparency in global supply chains. Sarah studied Chinese, History of Art and Business at Durham University. She has obtained HSK Level 6, previously studied at Peking University and as a Huayu Enrichment Scholar at National Taiwan University.

Frederick Ladbury, Director of Operations of YCW London, Policy Analyst at Bank of England

Frederick Ladbury is Director of Operations for YCW London. He is a Policy Analyst at the Bank of England, focused on foreign exchange markets. Previously he worked at New York-based FX fintech firm. A native French and English speaker, he lived in Beijing 2013-2014. He holds master’s degrees in government from Peking University and from the London School of Economics and a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford.

Keynote Speakers

YCW-LCI CHINA CONFERENCE KEYNOTE

Jonathan Fenby CBE, Chair, Chairman China, TSLombard and author of Will China Dominate the 21st Century?

Jonathan Fenby CBE has been covering China as a journalist, author and analyst for twenty-five years. He is the author of eight books on the country, including the Penguin History of Modern China and Will China Dominate the 21st Century? He is currently Chairman, China at the research service TSLombard and an Associate at the China Centre at SOAS.

He edited the South China Morning Post from 1995-99 after editing The Observer in Britain and Reuters World Service as well as holding senior posts at The Economist, The Independent and The Guardian. He has written twenty books in all; the most recent is Crucible – The Year that Forged Our World covering global events in 1947-8 including China, and a third updated edition of his Penguin History of Modern China.

He has been made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) as well as holding the French Légion d’Honneur and Ordre National du Mérite.

YOUNG CHINA WATCHER OF THE YEAR AWARD KEYNOTE

Caroline Wilson CMG, Former Director Europe, Foreign & Commonwealth Office and British Consul General to Hong Kong and Macao

Caroline Wilson was the Director (Europe) Foreign and Commonwealth Office from October 2016 until August 2019. She was formerly HM Consul General to Hong Kong and Macao from 2012 to 2016, prior to which she held a number of senior positions including Minister Counsellor (Economic) at the British Embassy in Moscow from 2008 to 2012 and Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary from 2004 to 2006. Caroline has also worked in Beijing and the UK Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels. She qualified as a Barrister before joining the FCO.

Panel 1: Science and Technology, Laying the groundwork

Dr Matthieu Burnay, Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor), Global Law at Queen Mary University of London

Dr Matthieu Burnay is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Global Law at Queen Mary University of London. He is also a Visiting Professor at Beijing Normal University and Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne, as well as an Associate Researcher at the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies, University of Leuven. He has an interdisciplinary background in law, political science and history. He holds a PhD in Law from the University of Leuven and a Double MSc degree in International Affairs from Peking University and the London School of Economics. He is particularly interested in the relationship between international law and Chinese law in the areas of international security and trade governance.

Adam Knight, PhD Candidate, University of Leiden and Co-founder of Tong Digital

Kent Adam PhD candidate at the Leiden Institute for Area Studies (LIAS) where he focuses on the design, implementation and consequences of the Chinese social credit system. He is a regular media commentator as well as speaker on the topic of smart governance and internet policy in China. Adam is also the co- founder of Tong Digital a London-based agency specialising in ecommerce, communications and marketing solutions for brands looking to enter the Chinese market.

Steven Jiawei Hai, PhD student, Lau China Institute, King’s College London

Steven Jiawei Hai is a PhD student at Lau China Institute, King’s College London. His research primarily focuses on the political economy of tech-development, innovation policy and developmental state in China and East Asia. His previous experience of living and studying in mainland China, Hong Kong and the U.S. empowered him with multidisciplinary training in understanding the subject through an international perspective. Jiawei obtained his BA in International Politics from UIR, Beijing, and MA in International Political Economy from UCSD, California. Prior to King's, he was a research and teaching fellow at The University of Hong Kong.

Panel 2: Chinese Diplomacy and the Developing World, Friend or Foe

Linda Calebrese, Managing Director, Research Fellow, Overseas Development Institute

Linda Calabrese is a research fellow at the Overseas Development Institute, and a development economist. Her research interests include economic transformation and industrial policy, trade and investment, and Chinese outward investment in Africa and Asia. Linda works at the intersection of research and policy, focussing on the role of Chinese investment in promoting industrialisation, the link between trade and industrialisation, and the Belt and Road Initiative. Linda spent several years in East Africa, as an economist for the government of Uganda, and as a country economist for the International Growth Centre based in Rwanda. She also worked for the United Nations and as an economic policy consultant.

Kofi Gunu, Rhodes Scholar, Oxford University

Kofi Gunu is a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, where he is reading for an MPhil International Relations. His research focuses on Sino-African trade and investment relations, particularly around facilitating sustainable industrialisation for mineral-rich African economies. Kofi previously worked in the Office of the Vice President of Ghana as a National Service Fellow, supporting the Ghanaian government on a US$2 billion resource-financed infrastructure project with China. He also served on the Asia Technical Committee at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Prior to working in government, Kofi interned with both the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in the US and Republican Senator Mike Rounds. He has also worked with Accra-based Africa Foresight Group. Kofi received a BA in Political Science from Augustana University and was a Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University where he received a Master’s degree in Public Policy.

Bill Hayton, Associate Fellow, Chatham House and Journalist, BBC News

Bill Hayton is an Associate Fellow with the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House, and a full-time journalist with BBC News in London. In 2006/7 he was the BBC’s reporter in Vietnam and in 2013 he spent a year advising the Myanmar state broadcaster on media reform. He is the author of Vietnam: rising dragon (Yale, 2010), The South China Sea: the struggle for power in Asia (Yale, 2014) and ‘The invention of China’ (Yale, 2020 – forthcoming). He writes about political and regional developments in Southeast Asia and recently received his PhD from the University of Cambridge.

Panel 3: Society and Culture, The Rise of China’s Millennials

Arnold Ma, Founder and CEO at Qumin

Arnold Ma is the founder of Qumin, a speaker, a writer, a podcast host and a technophile. The official line is that ‘Qumin delivers creative marketing campaigns based on Chinese audience behaviours’. But over a steamed bun in Camden Town, he’ll tell you that his bigger purpose in life is to ‘Open The World To China’. And his belief is that only Digital can make that happen quickly. You’ll find him on LinkedIn, WeChat, Instagram and 9gag. He still wears flip-flops to work.

Vincent Ni, Senior Journalist at BBC and Yale Greenberg World Fellow

Vincent Ni currently a Senior Journalist at the BBC, where he reports in both English and Chinese. Over the past decade, he has reported from Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America. He regularly appears on the BBC’s domestic and international TV, radio and online platforms, providing analysis on China’s domestic and foreign policies to the broadcaster’s global audience. He has also worked on Newsnight, the BBC’s flagship current affairs program, and has been a speaker at international forums such as Chatham House, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Asia Society and Columbia University in New York. Prior to the BBC, he was a correspondent for Caixin Media in China, tracking China’s global footprint in the Middle East, Europe and North America. Born and raised in Shanghai, Vincent is a graduate of the University of Oxford. In 2015 he was elected as a Fellow (FRSA) of Britain’s Royal Society of Arts.

Yuan Ren, Tech Journalist, Click, BBC

A Beijing native, Yuan has spent near equal halves of her life in China and the UK. Her career spans Beijing and London: she was an editor at Time Out Beijing and a columnist on Chinese women and culture for The Telegraph and Prospect magazine. Yuan has produced a video series on pop culture for SupChina, and her writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Spectator and Wired magazine among others. Yuan was most recently a science and technology reporter for the MailOnline and is currently working on the tech show Click at the BBC.

YCW London Team

Rose Martin, Director of the YCW London Mentorship Programme

Rose Martin is the Director of the YCW London Mentorship Programme. She is a Senior Consultant at Impactt Limited, an ethical trade and supply chain consultancy. She works with brands, investors, and sourcing teams across the garment, food, and construction sectors to manage risk and drive improvements in their global supply chains. Rose studied Chinese at the University of Edinburgh and Chinese Translation at SOAS. Before moving to London in 2018, she lived and worked in Shanghai, Gansu, Nanjing and Beijing.

Alice Slevison, YCW Global Editorial Team

Alice Slevison is a member of the Global Editorial Team of YCW . She is a Civil Servant working in international trade. She holds an MA of International Relations from the University of Melbourne, and has been a visiting scholar at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Nanjing University and Xiamen University. Alice comes to London by way of Canberra, where she worked for the Australian Government in a China- related position.

Samuel Colombie, YCW Global Editorial Team

Samuel Colombie is a digital production journalist with master’s degree in China Studies. Sam lived in Hong Kong during the Umbrella Movement and spent three years reporting on Hong Kong-China relations for Belgian media. He now lives in London, producing content on China and the environment.

Johanna M. Costigan YCW Global Editorial Team

Johanna M. Costigan is currently pursuing an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies at the University of Oxford. She previously served as a Writing and Speaking Fellow at NYU Shanghai for two years. Her work has been featured in ChinaFile, SupChina, NüVoices, and more. In addition to contributing to the YCW blog, She is also part of the YCW Podcast team.