Food for Thought luncheon with Dr Wenran Jiang, Director of the China Institute, University of Alberta. Video and Powerpoint presentation available
Wenran JiangThere has been much debate about the nature of China's investment in Canada, especially in the energy and resource sectors. The popular perception and dominant political discourse seem to indicate that potential large-scale Chinese investments in Canada may threaten our national security. But the reality is that there is very little Chinese investment in Canada; major FDI from China will have little, if any, national security implications for Canada. Actively engaging China in the energy and related environment sectors may also benefit the Canadian economy, reduce environmental damage of China's rapid industrialization and modify China's foreign policy behaviour.
Speaker Bio
Wenran Jiang is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Acting Director of the China Institute at the University of Alberta, Canada. He is a Senior Fellow of Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, Vice President of Canadian Consortium on Asia Pacific Security, Board Member of Canadian Association of Asian Studies, Leader of Energy and Resources Research Group of Canada's Emerging Dynamic Global Economies (EDGE) Network, Special Advisor on China to US and Canada based Energy Council, and a Business Week online columnist. Dr. Jiang is frequently invited to speak at major conferences in Canada and around the world, and has organized a number of large energy meetings between Canada and China in the past three years. He is a major contributor to Jamestown Foundation's biweekly China Brief, and his op-ed articles and opinions on East Asia energy issues appear regularly in the world media.