Xi Jinping: The Real Reason China’s President Visited Tacoma

TACOMA, WASH. — Why did Chinese President Xi Jinping visit Tacoma? Was it a random choice, or is there a behind-the-scenes story? What are the economic, cultural and political implications for our region of this unprecedented attention from the world’s second most powerful nation?

Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland and Port Commissioner Connie Bacon will address these and other questions in a presentation called “China’s President in Tacoma: Why It Matters.” UW Tacoma Assistant Professor William McGuire will moderate the conversation.

Hosted by UW Tacoma’s Institute for Global Engagement and the Division of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs, in collaboration with the World Affairs Council Tacoma (WACT), the event is the first in a new series called “Global Classroom,” an interactive speaker series exploring in-depth issues of global significance and their local implications. These quarterly, moderated conversations feature leading practitioners and scholars, who will shed light on the complexities of global events and help us understand the influence of these events in the South Sound.

The talk about President Xi, free and open to the public, will be on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015, from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m., in the Jane Russell Commons at William W. Philip Hall on the UW Tacoma campus.

The panel and moderator will expand on the following points:

• President Xi had visited Tacoma earlier, in 1993, when he was a Communist Party official from the Chinese port city of Fuzhou.
• Connie Bacon played a pivotal role in Xi’s visit in 1993 and had visited Fuzhou herself. She was involved in the building of a sister-city relationship between Tacoma and Fuzhou.
• The bulk of the trade that flows through the Port of Tacoma is with China.
• Tacoma is the closest major city to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the headquarters of the U.S. Army’s I Corps, a major part of the U.S. “rebalance” toward the Asia Pacific region.

What: Global Classroom: China’s President in Tacoma – Why It Matters

When: Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Where: Jane Russell Commons, William W. Philip Hall, 1918 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, Wash.

Cost: Free and open to the public. Space is limited, so please RSVP online at https://worldaffairscounciltacoma.wildapricot.org/.

About the Institute for Global Engagement: The Institute for Global Engagement at UW Tacoma combines community engagement, undergraduate research, experiential learning and academic excellence to enhance global education and prepare students for a competitive and interdependent world. The Institute operates the Global Honors Program, UW Tacoma’s interdisciplinary undergraduate honors program. The Institute also administers the Bamford Fellowship in Global Engagement, funded by the Bamford Foundation.

About the World Affairs Council Tacoma: The World Affairs Council Tacoma (WACT) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose purpose is to promote public understanding of world affairs, and to enhance the ability of its members to engage in a global community. It is affiliated with the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA), an organization of over one hundred councils nationwide with over one million members.

About the Division of Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs (PPPA): The PPPA, part of the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at UW Tacoma, offers innovative majors and minors which explore the ways societies solve social challenges. The PPPA curriculum combines theory and practice, making it an excellent choice for students interested in current events, public affairs, politics, ethics, human rights, economics, international studies, law and social philosophy. The Division offers two majors—Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PP&E) and Law and Policy—and six minors, including Asian Studies, Religious Studies, and Human Rights.