NEWS & EVENTS

On Friday, October 25th, the Reischauer Center hosted a talk in the Rome Auditorium by Dr. Zhiqun Zhu, a Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Bucknell University.

He was the inaugural Director of Bucknell’s China Institute (2013-17) and was also the MacArthur Chair in East Asian Politics (2008-2014). Dr. Zhu spoke about the growth of relations between Israel and China, particularly in terms of technology sharing, economic expansion, and the soft power initiatives mutually pursued by the two states. He noted the long history of Jewish presence in China, which helped to establish the base of current Chinese-Israeli relations. Dr. Zhu also emphasized the role that China currently plays in Israel, while relatively small in comparison to U.S. influence, is likely to continue expanding in the future. He encouraged the audience to consider the shifting roles in the Middle East, but reiterated that China is still a new player in the region.