Political scientist awarded fellowship for Chinese research
Kai He, an assistant professor of East Asian studies, has been awarded one of five fellowships from the East Asia Institute in South Korea.
These fellowships are awarded to top political scientists in the field of Asian studies, and the fellows will work toward peace and crisis management in East Asia. Kai will travel to multiple institutions in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China with the other fellows.
Kai said he was excited about the fellowship and the implications of the award.
“I think this will strengthen USU’s East Asian program,” Kai said.
Other professors agreed.
“Dr. He’s research is terribly important,” said Michael Lyons, head of the political science department. “It’s good for the university and good for the country.”
Kai said his study focuses on China’s foreign policy. As tensions have heightened between the U.S. and China, further impetus has been added to his unfinished research. A native of China, Kai believes he is up to the task.
China has been industrializing and modernizing at incredible rates over the past decades, Kai said, and its economy is quickly catching up to the U.S. China is more important to the U.S. economically and strategically than the European Union or Latin America, he added.
“China currently has the second-largest economy in the world,” said Isaac Allred, a student in the Asian studies program. “They passed up Japan in 2010 and are projected to pass up the United States by 2025.”
China is also increasingly important to the U.S. educationally, Kai said. According to the Global Times, an English-Chinese newspaper, 100,000 Chinese students are currently studying in the U.S. Although, about 20,000 American students study in China, the number is growing.
“U.S-China relations are probably the most important bilateral relationship for the United States right now,” Kai said. “Hillary Clinton called the 21st century ‘America’s Pacific Century.’ Clearly, China will be a player in that.”
Kai said he was unsure whether China’s role would be peaceful or not. The actions of politicians right now will determine whether there is war or peace in the future, he said, but it could go either way.
“China isn’t just a great (economic) power but a global hegemony,” Allred said. “China has a huge military, and their defense budget is rapidly growing. People ask, ‘What’s their motivation?'”
The U.S., which has virtually ruled the seas unrivalled since the Cold War, grows uneasy as China begins to rise, Allred said.
“The question is, can they rise peacefully?” Allred said.
Much of the conflict arises from cultural differences, Lyons said.
“We understand the European Union better than China — they’re Western and democratic,” Lyons said. “We understand Russia better — even though they are not always democratic. Heck, we even understand Latin America better, and they are only sporadically democratic at best.”
Lyons said he traveled to the Beijing airport over Christmas break, and even his brief glimpse of the country “revealed the vestiges of authoritarianism.”
“The Chinese simply see things much differently than westerners do,” Lyons said.
Allred said he lived in Taiwan for two years as an LDS missionary and in China for three months and really learned to appreciate the different perspective of the Chinese that Lyons talked about.
“We need greater awareness and a broader viewpoint,” Allred said. “China is as complicated as it is big. We just need to not be rash and engage in conflict. The U.S. should focus on keeping friendly relations and work hard to comprehend where the Chinese are coming from.”
Allred said Kai is a perfect example of someone who understands all sides of an issue, which is why he believes Kai was given the award.
The award was given for scholars with peace and governance in East Asia, Allred said.
“And I believe peace is possible,” Allred said. “But we need to elect peaceful, non-interventionist politicians.”
– evan.millsap@aggiemail.usu.edu