China Seminar | 12 September 2019

China’s Expansion of Soft and Sharp Power in the Pacific Islands

Richard R. Vuylsteke

China Seminar is very privileged to have Dr. Vuylsteke to open our school year in each of the last three years. His talk always sets a great start for the sessions to follow. With China’s increasing presence in international arenas, Dr. Vuylsteke will provide an assessment of the practical and strategic impact of China’s increasing role in the Pacific Islands.

Dr. Richard Vuylsteke is the President of the East-West Center. His former positions include president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and Taipei; editor-in-chief of the Taiwan Review; area studies coordinator at the Chinese Language and Area Studies (CLASS) Foreign Service Institute school in Taipei; research fellow in East Asian Legal Studies at Harvard Law School; as well as a Fulbright scholar at the University of Rajasthan, India. He received his MA and PhD from University of Hawaii at Manoa, specializing in Western and Chinese political philosophy. His areas of expertise include: strategic and operational leadership of multicultural organizations, Asia-Pacific business and trade, Asian and Western history and philosophy.