Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand why the old poets of China went so far
and high into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver

Asian Center Faculty Host Roundtable on ASEAN-China-U.S. Relations with Vietnamese Scholars

Details

Photo: Asian Center faculty with scholars from the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.

The UP Asian Center held a roundtable, “ASEAN-China-U.S. Relations: Perspectives from the Philippines and Vietnam,” with delegates from the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences last 6 June 2016 at the Seminar Room,  Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman.

Below are the topics discussed and their respective lead discussants:

  • ASEAN’s responses to China-US Security Competition

    • Dr. Nguyen Xuan Cuong, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences
    • Dr. Vo Xuan Vinh, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences
    • Associate Professor Herman Kraft, UP Department of Political Science
  • ASEAN’s responses to China-US Economic Competition
    • Dr. Tina Clemente, UP Asian Center

  • Short-Term Challenges in the South China Sea Issue

    • Atty. Bertrand Theodor L. Santos, Institute of Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea

The roundtable aimed to provide a venue for Filipino and Vietnamese scholars to discuss their respective views on the ongoing disputes in the South China Sea, as well as on ASEAN’s vital role in managing conflicts of member states with China. The delegates also discussed how the Philippines and Vietnam should deal with China and the U.S., in light of security and economic competition in the region.

Joining the roundtable were UP Asian Center Dean Joefe Santarita, Professor Aileen Baviera, Dr. Antoinette Raquiza, Dr. Cecilia Medina, and Dr. Henelito Sevilla, Jr. Dean Santarita delivered the welcome remarks, while Professor Baviera organized the roundtable and also served as moderator. 

The UP Asian Center offers M.A. degrees in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. The Center offers a Ph.D. program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. Get an overview of these programs. The Asian Center also houses a peer-reviewed, open-access journal, Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia. It has published several books and monographs, and hosts or organizes various lectures and conferences.