CASS has over 30 research institutes, while 91亚色 has one of the largest faculties of social sciences and humanities in Canada, which makes this an ideal partnership. 鈥淐ASS is the premier institution in China for social sciences research,鈥� says , associate vice-president international. 鈥淎s 91亚色 International researchers and 91亚色 faculty members have already partnered with CASS researchers, I thought it was probably time we formalize what we were doing.鈥�

Right: Delegates from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences meet with Lorna Wright (centre)

Six delegates from CASS came to 91亚色 from China to meet with 91亚色 researchers聽and discuss future initiatives and collaborations. 鈥淏asically, it will give 91亚色 researchers better access to opportunities in China for research and we鈥檒l have a partner for that research,鈥� says Wright.

One of those researchers is 91亚色 political science Professor Gregory Chin in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, who currently has about six research projects on the go all involving CASS scholars in one way or another across disciplines. "The signing of this agreement with CASS will further strengthen these links," he said.

As the two delegations discussed areas of mutual interest, , associate vice-president research (social sciences & humanities), said he has worked with several CASS researchers in the past, in the 1990s. 鈥�91亚色 used to work a lot with CASS researchers. I hope this will afford us the opportunity to start that again.鈥�

Left: Wright signs a collaboration agreement with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. From left, Zhang Youyun, deputy director general in聽CASS's Bureau of International Cooperation; vice-president of CASS Professor Wu Yin; Wright and Gregory Chin.

, chair of the Department of Anthropology, agreed saying,聽鈥淭here are so many areas where we could work together.鈥�

Chin, Dewitt and Lumsden, along with Bernie Frolic, director of the Asian Business & Management Program; Susan Henders, director of the 91亚色 Centre for Asian Research; Faculty of Education Professor Qiang Zha; Haideh Moghissi, associate dean, external relations, for the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies; and Professor , chair of the Department of Political Science, discussed some of their research interests with delegates from CASS to get a better understanding of their mutual goals.

The Chinese delegation from CASS included: Professor Wu Yin, vice-president; Professor Zhang Changdong, deputy director general in the General Office; Professor Wang Zheng, deputy director general of the Bureau of Scientific Research Management; Professor Hu Guocheng, research fellow in the Institute of American Studies; Professor Zhang Youyun, deputy director general of the Bureau of International Cooperation; and Li Bin, program officer in the Bureau of International Cooperation.

As Wright pointed out, the collaborative nature of the agreement will also be beneficial when it comes to securing funding from granting agencies, as the agencies are always looking for international partnerships. 鈥淎nd CASS is a very prestigious partner.鈥� In addition, the partnership will also facilitate faculty exchanges.

鈥淚 hope the agreement will result in further concrete results and research collaborative projects,鈥� says Wright. "It was agreed that the next step would be a meeting at CASS in Beijing during Dean trip next month when a task force of Martin Singer, Bernie Frolic and myself would convene with researchers from CASS to discuss the strategic direction."

Following the signing, the CASS delegates had a tour of the campus and lunch with 91亚色 President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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Interest in China is strong, and scholars and students alike continue to be intrigued by the country, whether viewing it through the lens of the past two or 2,000 years. That intrigue proved evident on Thursday, Jan. 28, when a record 110聽people crowded into a room in 91亚色 Lanes for the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) monthly Research Matters event.

The focus of聽the event was on China, and attendees were anxious to get insight from researchers on the country's history, culture and rising international prominence. To watch the presentations online or click through an edited version of the speakers' onscreen presentations, visit the聽Research Matters Web site.

Martin Singer (right), dean of LA&PS and a historian of China, opened the session and聽recalled how his own fascination with China began when he was an undergraduate student. Despite some skepticism from family and friends about the career prospects of specializing in such an area, Singer went on to pursue graduate studies in Chinese history at the University of Michigan. Before Singer became a professor at Montreal's Sir George Williams University in 1972, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau surprised Canadians with his journey to China and the relations he established. The PM's visit was quickly followed by a visit by聽US President Richard Nixon.聽These high-level delegations clearly indicated that China's importance was rapidly increasing on a global scale.

Though China and Canada were just beginning to develop a mutual understanding of one another in the 1970s, Singer noted, "91亚色 was a powerhouse of China-related activity at the time." He welcomed the continued commitment to sinology today, pointing to the tremendous wealth of expertise on China in LA&PS and across the University.

Joshua Fogel (right), Canada Research Chair in the History of Modern China聽in the Department of History, reached deep into the past to illuminate the historiography of a 2,000-year-old golden seal, originally given by Emperor Guangwu to an emissary from Japan in 57 CE聽鈥� the first known material object exchanged between China and Japan. It was unearthed in 1784 in a Japanese farmer's field and, since then, there has been much debate about its true nature and the implications of the characters inscribed on it.

Some scholars believe that the seal is authentic and holds great significance, while others claim that it is an outright forgery. Fogel is writing a book on the debate, which he hopes will shed some light on the true meaning of the seal and its implications.

Professor Lee Li of the School of Administrative Studies discussed why Chinese companies seem to enjoy a competitive advantage in world markets. His research looks beyond the commonly held belief and superficial claim that China's economic dominance originates simply in its low-cost labour. If low-cost labour was the key to such success, Li argued, then why aren't other developing economies experiencing the same advantage?

Li聽asserted that the advantage Chinese companies enjoy results from a number of interconnected factors, including cost-leadership; a diverse bundle of valuable resources; efficient production methods; a robust, domestic market demand; strong cultural and related industries; and a focus on developing partnerships with Western companies that enable them to learn and adopt various manufacturing, management and research-and-development innovations.

Right: Professor Lee Li discusses his research into China's competitive edge on the global stage

The two speakers following Li talked about their research on China in a much more experiential way. Both professors have deep ties and have developed long-term relationships with the country and its people.

David Lumsden, chair and undergraduate program director in the Department of Anthropology, spoke about the contingent nature of the research enterprise, the serendipitous opportunities that have led to his projects and how he came to be a China scholar. Lumsden was the master of Bethune College from 1983 to 1989 and credits his initial interest in the country to fellow scholar Rod Stewart and visiting international students. In 2006, he embarked upon a two-year sabbatical at Southwest University in Chongqing, China, where he taught graduate students and conducted research on the impact of Chinese reforms on peasants and migrant workers flooding into cities. Lumsden received the Great Wall Friendship Award, China's highest award for foreigners, in 2008.

Left: Professor David Lumsden

The final speaker was Professor Bernie Frolic of the Department of Political Science, director of the Asian Business & Management Program in the 91亚色 Centre for Asian Research and聽the Schulich School of Business. He also worked as first secretary, cultural, at the Canadian Embassy in China in the mid-1970s. Frolic discussed the subject of the book for which he is currently doing research: contemporary Canada-China relations. He detailed his difficulties in accessing information from government files and the restrictions placed on his ability to record what he had access to.

Left: Professor Bernie Frolic

Frolic noted the essentially consistent nature of Canada-China relations, regardless of political leadership in Ottawa, from the 1970s until 2005. Engagement between the two all but ended at this time and only recently have relations improved. One of the greatest challenges, he lamented, has been accessing information about the current government's relations with China. As a result, the best he could do with all of his research was to deliver an approximate depiction of relations. He noted, "I settled for an impressionistic painting rather than a photograph."

Republished courtesy of YFile 鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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