China’s re-emergence as the largest economy in the region has come with a growing diplomatic footprint and outspokenness that is sometimes called Wolf Warrior Diplomacy. How can we understand this outspokenness? How does the rhetoric translate into meaning for non-Chinese states?

On Wednesday, July 7th 2021, YCAPS will host four expert speakers to discuss a recent publication called Decoding China, which aims to cultivate a greater understanding of what Chinese policy makers say and what it means. Authors of the The Decoding China Dictionary Malin Oud, Jerker Hellström, Katja Drinhausen, and Marina Rudyak have been invited to participate in a panel discussion moderated by Stephen Nagy. The guests will introduce themselves and present their views in 8 minutes, then engage in dialogue and Q&A moderated by the host. The event will end after around 105 minutes have passed. The exact time will be determined by the moderator based on audience engagement.

To join please use this link to register with Zoom.

You will need the link and passcode provided in the confirmation email.

Katja Drinhausen is Senior Analyst and research coordinator on Chinese Politics & Society at the Mercator Institute of China Studies (MERICS). Katja’s research focuses on the development of China’s legal and governance system, including digital governance and human rights in China. Katja studied Sinology, Chinese and international law, receiving her LL.M. from China University of Political Science and Law. Before joining MERICS, she worked as a researcher and project coordinator for the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Beijing, organizing political and academic exchange with Chinese partner institutions.

Jerker Hellström is Director of the Swedish Center for China Studies, where he focuses on China’s foreign relations and industrial policies. He previously worked as Deputy Research Director at the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), where he headed the Asia and Middle East Programme. During 2014-2015, Jerker worked as a Deputy Director at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ Office for Strategic Analysis, where he held the China portfolio. A journalist by training, Jerker worked as a Reuters correspondent in Shanghai and Stockholm during 2001- 2008.

Malin Oud is Director of the Stockholm office of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, where she also heads the Institute’s China Programme. She has worked with human rights and sustainable development in China for more than 20 years in different capacities, and was based in Beijing in 2000-2009. She studied Chinese language, Chinese law and international human rights law in Lund, Kunming, and London, and has an MA in International Development from Melbourne University. Malin is a Member of the Advisory Boards of Mercator Institute for China Studies and the Hong Kong-based NGO China Labour Bulletin.

Marina Rudyak is an Assistant Professor of Chinese Cultural Studies at Heidelberg University, Center for Asian and Transcultural Studies (CATS). Her research focuses on Chinese foreign aid and development lending policy, the implications of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and China in Central Asia and Africa. Previously she worked for the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) in Beijing (2009-2013) and in Bishkek (2006-2007). She studied Modern and Classical Chinese Studies and International Law in Heidelberg and Shanghai, and holds an MA and a PhD in Chinese Studies from Heidelberg University. She also runs the China Aid Blog (china-aid-blog.com)

Dr. Stephen Nagy is a senior associate professor at the International Christian University in Tokyo, a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI) and a visiting fellow with the Japan Institute for International Affairs (JIIA). His recent funded research projects are “Sino-Japanese Relations in the Wake of the 2012 Territorial Disputes: Investigating changes in Japanese Business’ trade and investment strategy in China”, and “Perceptions and drivers of Chinese view on Japanese and US Foreign Policy in the Region”. He is currently working on middle power approaches to great power competition in the Indo-Pacific. His latest publications include: 2021 Nagy, S.R. 2021. “Indo-Pacific Resilience, Prosperity and Stability: Canada’s Capabilities-led Approach to Strategic Free and Open Indo-Pacific Engagement,” in Canadian and Japanese FOIP Visions. Policy Perspectives, Canadian Global Affairs Institute. March 3rd, 2021. ISBN: 978-3-030-67770-1; Nagy, S. R. 2021. “Sino-Japanese Reactive Diplomacy as seen through the Interplay of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Vision (FOIP).” China Report: 1–15. DOI: 10.1177/0009445520984735.; Nagy, S. R. 2020. “Quad-Plus? Carving out Canada’s Middle Power Role.” Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs. Special Issue. Quad Plus: Form versus Substance, vol. 3, no. 5: 179–195. ISSN 2576-5361 (Print); ISSN 2576-537X (Online).

Format: This event will be off-the-record. Questions are encouraged. It will not be recorded.

Registration: Required Link.

Co-Sponsors: Institute for Contemporary Asian Studies (ICAS)
Moderator: John Bradford and Stephen Nagy

Webinar Cost: Free of charge.

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