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

Dr. Aileen Baviera Lectures in Nanning, Attends Roundtable in Myanmar

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Category: News @ UP Asian Center

Dr. Aileen Baviera, Professor at the Asian Center, delivered two lectures before graduate students and professors at the ASEAN College, Guangxi University of Nationalities in Nanning, China. Her first lecture was on “Prospects and Challenges of Future ASEAN-China Relations" while the second was on “ASEAN Regional Integration,” both held on June 30. The following day, she delivered a presentation on “Issues and Challenges in Philippines-China relations” at the College of ASEAN Studies in Guangxi University, also in Nanning.

Among the members of the audience were researchers of a recently organized Philippine Studies Program. Aside from the lectures, Professor Baviera explored possible areas of collaboration between the Asian Center and these two universities, particularly for the strengthening and promotion of Philippine Studies, Chinese studies, and research on Philippines-China relations. Nanning, Guangxi is seen in China as its gateway to the ASEAN region. The invitation to Professor Baviera was facilitated through Professor Chen Bingxian, a former visiting scholar at the Asian Center.

Photo: Nanning, China in June 2013. Courtesy of Charles de Guzman

On July 3, Professor Baviera flew to Myanmar to participate in a roundtable on Functional Cooperation in the South China Sea, which was organized by the Asian Peace and Reconciliation Council (APRC). Based in Bangkok, APRC is an organization of eminent international leaders, currently led by former Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai of Thailand. Among the Council members of APRC who were present was Nobel laureate Jose Ramos Horta, former President of Timor Leste. The roundtable was organized by the Myanmar Institute of Strategic and International Studies and the Saranrom Institute of Foreign Affairs Foundation.

Professor Baviera teaches MA courses on international relations and on Chinese politics and governance. The Asian Center offers MA degrees in Asian and in Philippine Studies. The MA in Asian Studies program offers specializations in 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.