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1st China-America Student Conference (2021)

Peace through Trust, Friendship and Mutual Understanding

Overview

The First China-America Student Conference (ChASC) held pre-Conference programming in Fall 2020 and its official Conference programming from:

  • December 27 – 30, 2020 (U.S. Dates)
  • January 3 – 7, 2021 (U.S. Dates)

The final First ChASC Delegation included 15 participants:

  • Four Executive Committee Members: 2 American, 2 Chinese
  • Eight American Delegates 
  • Three Chinese Delegates

Due to connectivity issues (i.e. internet, unable to connect to Zoom), ChASC had four Delegates drop out.

Fall 2020 Pre-Conference Programming

  • September 2020 – Discussion with Ambassador Kurt Tong of The Asia Group
  • October 2020 – Walk Through History Simulation with Paul Lee of U.S. Institute of Peace
  • November 2020 – Discussion with the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to the U.S.

Virtual Conference Highlights

  • Discussion with Michael Schuman, Journalist and Author of “Superpower Interrupted”
  • Discussion with Jonathan Cheng, China Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal
  • Discussion with Anka Lee, Global Policy Manager at WhatsApp
  • Discussion with Brian A. Wong, CEO & Founder of RADII
  • Discussion with Dr. Jian Zhang, Associate Professor at School of Government, Peking University

Evaluation Survey Summary

Response Rate: 11/11 (100%)

  • 9/11 (82%) ChASC exceeded expectations; 2/11 (18%) ChASC met expectations
    • Qualitatively, delegates were impressed by program quality and outcomes despite the switch to virtual conferencing. 
  • Average on a scale from 1 to 5 (strongly disagree to strongly agree) for the following questions:
    • 5 Would recommend participating in ChASC to classmates and friends.
    • 4.91 Expanded knowledge and understanding of US-China relations.
    • 4.55 Improved ability to network and communicate with people from different cultural backgrounds and professional fields.
    • 4.55 Developed strong cross-cultural communication skills, fostering mutual understanding with those from diverse backgrounds.

The Second China-America Student Conference

On January 7, 2021, the following First ChASC Delegates were elected to the Second ChASC Executive Committee:

Chinese Executive Committee

  • Angela Li
  • Haoran Shu
  • Yuxiao “Reggie” Wu

American Executive Committee

  • Carissa Yang
  • Chase Coger
  • Elizabeth Gamarra
  • Raven Witherspoon

The First China-America Student Conference Delegation

Universities

  • International Christian University
  • Colby College
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Brigham Young University
  • Missouri State University
  • Clark University
  • Pennsylvania State University
  • Virginia Commonwealth University
  • University of Denver
  • University of Arizona

Majors

  • Biology & Sociology
  • Cartography/Geographic Information Systems
  • East Asian Studies
  • Economics
  • Global and International Studies
  • International Studies, Political Science & Mandarin Chinese
  • Peace Studies
  • Psychology & Neuroscience
  • Math & Psychology
  • Information Technology
  • Political Science
  • Physics