OPEN FORUM AT BARD COLLEGE WILL EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF CHINA'S ENTRY INTO THE WTO ON U.S. AND WORLD AGRICULTURE February 7 Event Cosponsored by Bard in China and the Bard Center for Environmental Policy Is Free and Open to the Public
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—In December, China became the 143rd member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The move will result in market reforms that are expected to alter radically one of the world's largest and fastest-growing economies, especially in the area of agriculture. To explore the implications of this historic transformation, on Thursday, February 7, Bard in China and the Bard Center for Environmental Policy are hosting an open forum, "China's Entry into the WTO and Its Impact on U.S. and World Agriculture." The forum, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of the Bertelsmann Campus Center. A reception with the panelists will follow the discussion.
As part of the forum, Guanzhong James Wen, an economist at Trinity College, Connecticut, will present "Challenges and Opportunities for Chinese and U.S. Agriculture After China's Accession to WTO," and Greg Veeck, a geographer at Western Michigan University, will present "The Modern Farmer: Commercial and Environmental Challenges Facing China's Agriculture Sector." A discussion will follow, led by Qiyu Tu, Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence at Bard College, who will also present "Brief Remarks on the Chinese Government's Agricultural Policy Response." Joanne Fox-Przeworski, director of the Bard Center for Environmental Policy, will moderate the forum. Funding is being provided by the Freeman Family Foundation.
About the participants:
Guanzhong James Wen is an associate professor of economics at Trinity College, Connecticut, and a researcher at the Great Wall Financial Institute. He specializes in development economics, agricultural economics, and Chinese economic development and reforms. He is the coeditor of several books on Chinese economic reforms and globalization, including WTO and China: Developing through Globalization and the forthcoming The Globalization of the Chinese Economy.
Gregory Veeck is an associate professor of geography at Western Michigan University. He specializes in the economic geography and agricultural geography of China and East Asia. His research in China has won support from the National Academy of Sciences, the National Geographic Society, the National Science Foundation, and the Ford Foundation. Veeck has published numerous articles on farming and development in China that have appeared in such publications as Geographical Review, World Development, and the Journal of Asian Studies.
Qiyu Tu is the Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence at Bard College and a Visiting Scholar at the Levy Economic Institute of Bard College. He is the assistant director and an associate professor at the Institute of World Economy of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, Shanghai, China. He is the coauthor of several books on international economics and development and is the author of the book, Innovation of International Institutions: the International Political Economy of Monetary Integration.
Joanne Fox-Przeworski is the Director of the Bard Center for Environmental Policy at Bard College. She is the former Director for North America of the United Nations Environment Programme. Prior to her appointment at the United Nations, she served 12 years at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation in Paris, France, in various positions. Her research interests and publications concern sustainable development, environment and bilateral aid to developing countries, urban economic development, and urban policies relating to technological and sociodemographic change.
The forum will be repeated on Friday, February 8, at 12:00 p.m. at the Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue, New York. For more information on the New York presentation, call 212-327-9276 or e-mail [email protected].
For more information on the Bard Campus open forum, call Bard in China at 845-758-7388 or e-mail [email protected].
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