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, Staff Join Roundtable on RP-China Relations

Details

Asian Center faculty and staff traveled to Beijing, China from 6 to 10 July to take part in roundtables and hold exchanges with various academic and research institutions, focusing on Philippines-China relations in a bilateral and regional context. The highlights of the visit were roundtables organized by the Center for Peace and Development Studies and by the Beijing Foreign Studies University. 

Joining Professor Aileen Baviera, Dr. Tina Clemente, and Ivy Marie Ganadillo of the Asian Center were Herman Joseph Kraft, Associate Professor from the Department of Political Science, and Dr. Jay Batongbacal from the College of Law, who is also Director of the UP Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea.

The roundtables provided opportunities for nongovernment actors from both China and the Philippines to have a productive exchange of views on political and security issues including the territorial disputes in the South China Sea. The visit was organized by the China Association for International Friendly Contact (CAIFC).

To learn more about the roundtables and view more photographs, read the two CAIFC press releases here and here. 

PHOTO (L–R): Professor Bingxian Chen; Ivy Ganadillo; Dr. Tina Clemente; Dr. Aileen Baviera; Dr. Jay Batongbacal; and Associate Professor Herman Kraft. 

Professor Baviera teaches MA courses on international relations and on Chinese politics and governance. Dr. Clemente handles graduate-level courses on the Chinese economy and on development issues in Asia and the Philippines. Ivy Ganadillo is TriCollege Program Assistant and University Research Associate. 

The Asian Center offers masters degrees in Asian Studies covering four areas of specialization: Northeast Asian Studies, Southeast Asian Studies, South Asian Studies, and West Asian Studies. The Center also offers M.A. and a Ph.D. programs in Philippine Studies.