From left: His Excellency Dr Richard Bernal, who is a Diplomat as well as an Economist at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington D.C.; and Mr Gordon Houlden, Director of the Chinese Institute University of Alberta, Canada.
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UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica
–
What does the rise of China’s economy and active
diplomacy mean for the Caribbean? The Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean
examines China’s hegemony during its first module for 2015. The week-long
intensive course runs from January 19th to 24th at The UWI’s St Augustine
Campus in Trinidad and Tobago.
The course, which is the Academy’s 8th
module, is designed to equip participants with an up-to-date understanding of
how China rapidly moved from a position of isolation and poverty to become
second only to the United States in national power, in just over three decades.
It will cover a number of discussion themes including,
The Diplomatic History of China; The Economy of China; China and its
Asian Neighbours; Contemporary Challenges; The Diplomatic Culture of China;
China’s Relations with the Caribbean and South-South Cooperation.
According
to Professor W. Andy Knight, Director of the Institute of International
Relations at The University of the West Indies, who also leads
The Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean,
“China is too big and important to ignore. This is why anyone who is working
in the multilateral environment, especially individuals from small states in
the Caribbean, should try to grapple with what it means to have China challenge
the U.S. for global supremacy”.
Continuing
the Diplomatic Academy’s
tradition of soliciting prominent international and
regional experts, this module will be led by
His Excellency Dr Richard Bernal, who is a Diplomat as well as an
Economist at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington D.C. and
Mr
Gordon Houlden, Director of the Chinese Institute University of
Alberta, Canada.
Since 2010 Ambassador Richard Bernal he has been the Alternate Executive
Director for the Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago at
the Inter-American Development Bank. He is a
professional economist with over 35 years of experience.
His publications and research interests include “China
and Small Island Developing States”, “China’s Rising Investment Profile in the
Caribbean”, “Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in the Caribbean” and “China’s
Growing Economic Presence in the Caribbean”.
Mr Gordon Houlden has had 28 years of direct experience working with
China, and five diplomatic assignments in China. He is responsible for the
overall management of the China Institute including programming, development
and networking in his capacity as Director of the Chinese Institute University
of Alberta. He also serves as the
Co-Chair of the China Regional Advisory Council and a Professor with the university’s
Department of Political Science.
Speaking on what participants can expect Houlden states, "China, an
ancient civilization, has built in just over 30 years a modern economy with
global impact. What can Caribbean states learn from China; what aspects
of Chinese policies can be adapted to the Caribbean, and how can Caribbean
businesses take advantage of opportunities generated by China's rise is the
core of this course."
Interested persons
for “The Rise of China and Its Impact on the Caribbean”
module may email
diplomaticacademy@sta.uwi.edu
, call 868-662-2002
extension 83237 or visit the Academy’s website at
http://sta.uwi.edu/iir/academy.asp
