19th Party Congress

Xi Jinping was re-elected party General Secretary. Rumors were that the Standing Committee would be only 5 members were wrong, 7 in total. CNN reports they are loyalists to Xi, though I have been told there are at least 3 factions represented among the 7. I am not too familiar with these figures, though it appears that no successor was named so the 20th Party Congress 5 years hence will be dramatic even if we know what's coming. (my polite observation of the Party Congress for China's official English language weekly: www.bjreview.com/Opinion/201710/t20171025_800108385.html) I have been in Beijing for the past two Party Congresses by good fortune. The sky was more blue last time, this time more polluted, I take that as a sign of internal self-confidence by party leaders. Rumors that none of the Standing Committee members would be women were correct, as was widely expected. Otherwise, China is poised for a greater leadership role with its Belt and Road initiative, and more self-confident to defend its national interests related to territorial and maritime boundary disputes. The Secretary of State is in South Asia after visiting China, his 'f#*%ing moron' President Trump arrives in a few weeks. I expect it to go well, Jared and Ivanka are pro-China, and Trump shall be on his best behavior as he loves the red carpet treatment.

*This is not an official Department of State blog, and the views are my own and do not represent the Fulbright Program, the Institute of International Education, or the Department of State.

Fulbright in China, Part Two

I was fortunate enough to receive a second Fulbright award from the U.S. State Department, and particularly lucky to be posted back to China, and especially pleased to be based in Beijing at Beijing Foreign Studies University (Beiwai). After spending the summer in eastern Beijing (Huangqu) and collaborating with the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE), I had a very nice orientation at the U.S. Embassy in late August, meeting the other Fulbright scholars, the staff at the Education and Cultural Affairs Section of the Embassy, and the nice staff from Project Pengyou. The highlight for me was meeting the Ambassador and his wife, Terry Branstad, who was Governor of Iowa when I was in elementary school and again just before being selected by President Trump to serve as chief liaison with Beijing, probably President Trump's best selection of the variety of key positions he has filled in this tumultuous first year. I wore my Hawkeye tie to meet Ambassador Branstad and we chatted for about half an hour about all things Iowa, our love for the state, and even the fact that we had the same high school teacher despite growing up in different towns and different eras. We also had nice outings to the Great Wall and a hutong (alleyway) tour in the old area of the city to make jiaozi (dumplings) from scratch. Ours turned out better than expected. It was a well organized experience to hear from Embassy staff on U.S.-China relations and daily life concerns.

We moved into our dormitory at Beiwai, which frankly was disappointing, particularly at this stage in my life, to have sub-standard housing, the toilet has backed up about 2 dozen times in a month, and outside our window is the campus garbage dump, broken bicycles, used appliances, plastic bags, and other permanent refuse. How can I invert a sight for sore eyes, a sore site for my eyes. Oh well, I think the other Fulbrighters have it worse outside Beijing and Shanghai; at least we have a kitchen and ample space. A good reminder to remain humble and be thankful for what we do have.

Classes are pretty good, teaching International Security, American Foreign Policy, and American Politics. One day a week for two hours each, about 25 students per class; two graduate level and one undergraduate. Beiwai focuses on foreign languages, so students in the School of English and International Studies (SEIS) where I am based are of very high quality. I can see the advances of student capability in just over 5 years since I finished my last Fulbright at China Foreign Affairs University. Since the 19th Party Congress just concluded today, along with heightened tension on the Korean peninsula, I have been regularly appearing on television and radio (on Korean peninsula: https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d55444d3441544e/share_p.html, on Syria: https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d41544f354d444e/share_p.html), and campus events. I was a discussant for one of the most outstanding faculty in the history of the university, Prof. Mei Renyi, who has been at Beiwai since around 1957 and is still teaching courses on U.S. foreign policy. In a few weeks, I will give a talk at a local high school and national university on American education, campus life, and classroom etiquette. Lots going on, autumn is here, and winter is quickly approaching. Will add some photos and content later, just a quick start.