Wenran Jiang, University of British Columbia
Western (Mis)Perceptions of China & Policy Implications
Monday, March 12 at 7:30pm
China has undergone dramatic social and economic transformation over the past four decades. Yet Western understanding of China is tinged with misperception and wishful thinking, resulting in unfulfilled expectations, misguided engagement policies and frustration on both sides. A realistic Canadian policy toward China begins with a realistic understanding of how China is changing.
Named by the Alberta Venture magazine as one of the 50 most influential people in Alberta for 2014, Dr. Wenran Jiang has been President of the Canada-China Energy and Environment Forum and its annual conference since 2004. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Asian Research at the University of British Columbia, a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars in Washington DC, and Special Advisor on China to the U.S. and Canada based Energy Council.
Dr. Jiang was a tenured professor in the Dept. of Political Science at the University of Alberta (1993-2017), and was the Founding Director (2005-08) of the university’s China Institute. He was also the special advisor to the Alberta Department of Energy on Asian market diversification from 2012 to 2014.
Dr. Jiang has advised government agencies, private companies in energy, mining, forestry and agricultural sectors on Asian market access and how to engage China. He was appointed as the mission advisor to Natural Resources Canada Minister Jim Carr’s visit to China in June 2017. He is currently completing a book on why Canada needs to diversify its energy market to Asia.
