On December 3, 2012, the symposiumof “U.S.-China Relations After the U.S. Election and the 18th CCP Congress”hosted by Fudan-UC Center on Contemporary China was successfully held in UCSan Diego. This is the first large-scale academic event ever held bythe center since its establishment. Professor Wu Xinbo, Vice Dean of FudanDevelopment Institute, Professor Zhang Jun, Vice Dean of Fudan DevelopmentInstitute, Professor Pan Zhongqi from School of International Relations andPublic Affairs, Professor Xin Qiang, Deputy Director of American Studies Center,Professor Song Guoyou from American Studies Center as well as scholars from UCSan Diego, UC Riverside and UC Irvine attended this symposium.

To welcome the Fudandelegation, UC San Diego has arranged a grand welcome banquet at the house of JosephWong, a local Chinese, on the day before the Symposium. Professor Peter Cowhey,Dean and Qualcomm Professor of Communications, IR/PS, UC San Diego, Professor SusanShirk, Ho Miu Lam Professor of China and Pacific Relations, and Chair of 21stCentury China Program, IR/PS, UC San Diego, briefly introduced Fudan-UC Center onContemporary China and the significance of the cooperationbetween Fudan and UC at the beginning of the banquet. Professor Wu Xinbo delivereda speech on behalf of Fudan delegation, presenting the going-out strategy of humanitiesand social science of Fudan University and his consideration of establishing theFudan-UC Center.

The symposium on December 3was presented in three panel sessions, focusing on topics of American election,Chinese leadership transitions, economic and security issues, and the balanceof relations between the US and China. The speeches of scholars not only presentedtheir diversified points of views, but also reflected the different stances betweenChinese and American scholars on certain issues. Hosted by Professor RichardMadsen, Director of Fudan-UC Center on Contemporary China, the evening forumincluded keynote speeches on the current political situation of China and the Sino-USrelationship, expectations and disappointments between China and the U. S, "returnto Asia" strategy of the U.S., etc and a heated discussion on DiaoyuIsland issue and China’s human rights issues, with the presence of over ahundred people. During the discussion, Fudan scholars strived to show theaudience a real China, the attitudes of ordinary Chinese people and thepolitical characteristics of China. Many student participants and localattendees were still very excited after the symposium, saying that this form ofdiscussing Chinese problems in America is new and meaningful, bringing freshair to them.

"In the past, Americanscholars were not so accustomed to the fact that Chinese scholars are able to communicatewith them in fluent English, but the coming of Fudan delegation has shown adifference. China has adapted to the world, the world is also gradually adaptedto China." As Professor Fan Lizhu, Executive Deputy Director of Fudan-UC Centeron Contemporary China said, scholars of China and the U.S. have not only culturedifference, but also different backgrounds of political systems and nationalinterests, which have brought about the attitudes and opinions of their own,and this is also the exact reason why academic communication is meaningful toboth sides.