March 2012
In the week of March 19, 2012, eleven Chinese-speaking students, largely from the Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies graduate program at the Monterey Institute, undertook a week-long series of meetings in Beijing related to nonproliferation and U.S.-China bilateral security issues. The trip—entitled the Nonproliferation Beijing Immersive Module—is an innovative advanced Chinese language immersion program that provided networking opportunities focused on nonproliferation issues and international relations. The purpose of the program was to provide a unique platform for young scholars from MIIS to exchange professional ideas and to enhance their potential future collaborative working opportunities.
The Beijing Immersive Module
The China Arms Control and Disarmament Association (CACDA) acted as the official hosts for the visiting MIIS delegation. Meetings were held with numerous organizations including CACDA, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Tsinghua-Carnegie Center, the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and China Reform Forum.
According to one China expert who attended a roundtable hosted by the Carneige-Tsinghua Center, the MIIS students were “doing a great job for Track 2 Diplomacy.” A senior expert from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences also noted that that he was “thrilled to see so many fluent Chinese-speaking graduate students who master the Chinese language. Mastering a language gains more insight to enhance understanding toward U.S.-China relations. This will only enhance the future interactions of these two countries.”
The success of this program was due to the collaborative efforts of the MIIS Chinese Studies Program, the James Martin Center of Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, Middlebury College office in Beijing and the generous support of MIIS President Sunder Ramaswamy and the Fletcher Jones Award.
Translated Excerpts from CACDA Report
Exerpts on the MIIS Delegation (in Chinese)
On March 19th, 2012, CACDA hosted a forum on nonproliferation issues. The experts at CACDA introduced China’s policy positions and practices on nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament. They elaborated on the international nonproliferation situation and regional hot topics, and answered questions on issues such as the Iranian and North Korean nuclear issues, U.S.-Russian nuclear disarmament, and the India-Pakistan nuclear issues. This forum had a friendly and warm atmosphere, creating an interactive Q & A session. Both parties exchanged views on these issues and enhanced their understanding of China’s nuclear nonproliferation policies and nuclear disarmament standpoint. The forum was chaired by Secretary-General Li Hong, while Vice-President Li Changhe and CIISS Research Fellow Mr. Hu Yumin also gave presentations on specialized issues.
