What is the role of China's youth, particularly Gen-Z and millennials, in advocating for social and political change within China and beyond? How might this impact ongoing U.S.-China relations in the era of decoupling?
Diana Fu, a renowned expert on civil society and contentious politics in China, drew on over a decade of research to shed light on the topic. Dr. Fu delved into the current state of U.S.-China relations, which many commentators describe as a Cold War 2.0 due to the accelerating decoupling between the two countries. She highlighted the crucial role of China's youth, particularly those studying in the United States, in advocating for social and political change both within China and beyond its borders.
The discussion touched on various aspects of China's youth engagement in politics, including their participation in social movements and their efforts to bring about change in China's political landscape. Dr. Fu provided insights into the diverse ways in which China's youth are politically engaged, and how their activism and advocacy may impact the bilateral relations between the world's two largest powers — one democratic and the other authoritarian.
The webinar sparked active discussions and questions from the attendees, who were keen to understand the nuances of China's youth political engagement in the context of ongoing social movements and the implications for U.S.-China relations.
About the Speaker
Diana Fu is associate professor of political science at the University of Toronto and director of the East Asia Seminar Series at the Asian Institute. She is a non-resident fellow at Brookings Institution, the Wilson Center, and the National Committee on US-China Relations. Her research examines civil society, popular contention, state control, and diaspora politics, with a focus on China. She is author of the award-winning book Mobilizing Without the Masses: Control and Contention in China (Cambridge, 2018). Dr. Fu regularly comments on Chinese politics in international media including BBC, Bloomberg, CBC, CNN, Economist, Financial Times, and The New York Times, among others. She was host of the TVO documentary series “China Here and Now” and POLITICO China Watcher. Dr. Fu received her doctorate in Politics form Oxford University, where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar, and her B.A. from the University of Minnesota.