Graham Allison Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Douglas Dillon Professor of Government, Harvard Kennedy School Niall Ferguson Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University Senior Fellow, Center for European Studies, Harvard University Samantha Power United States Ambassador to the United Nations (2013-2017) Founding Executive Director, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Harvard Kennedy School 2003 Pulitzer Prize for “A Problem from Hell”: America and the Age of Genocide Arne Westad (Moderator) S.T. Lee Professor of U.S.-Asia Relations, Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School

Comments

1. is she a moron? What real value is there in being the largest donor to the UN except the cred it gives one among ignorant internationalist elites.
2. Actually, Japan was quite satisfied with the outcome of WWI. But that's an aside. Most of the points I was going to make to be wary of overestimating China's position were made by the panel, particularly by Prof. Ferguson, such as overvaluing PPP v nominal GDP. I will mention in passing that cement has played a large role in both China's debt and China's housing bubble, among other things. I will also say that the moderator's final point about overconfidence is well taken. China's diplomacy in it;s own front yard has been needlessly heavy handed, in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, in South Korea, and even in Hong Kong. Just as people had forgotten about Tibet and Tienanmen, or given China a pass, the naked power grab in the South China Sea focused negative attention on China's rising naval power, making it a threat to it's neighbors and to the region instead of the natural and inevitable rise of a Great Power.
3. Samantha power is an idiot.
4. The female professor is arrogant and less understanding on China
5. Greater China is beneficial to our world,and they are kind and smart to contribute to the world. US should not compress and push China too much or view China as potential enemies. China and US should be best partners and friends, and together they will make a better world in the future
6. 32:40 maybe there's something to be said about smoking weed. Haha, gateway to enlightend premonitions perhaps;?
7. 4 Americans discussing 1 side of the story. Like 4 poor men deciding whether to rob a rich man. At least get 1 Chinese in the debate.
8. For the moment, China's foreign policy is determined by its own economic interest, same for America and most nations. It wants Tibet and portions of the South China Seas for its potential resources (for economic growth and stability) and is investing vast amounts of national resources to that end. It has learned much from the economic miracle of "Japan and South Korea." Nations which were nurtured economically by the military protection of the United States and its economic system. And the "futile" arms competition of U.S and Russia in which Russia lost. So why compete with an arms race with America and waste valuable resources which could be invested in its own Economy like Japan and Korea.!
   China is more interested in building "cities and factories" than aircraft carriers, or nuclear submarines to challenge the U.S. Navy in the worlds oceans. China has done well working within the present "world order" led by America and is secure in its borders and access to markets and resources. So why upset the "apple cart" with needless military adventurism and conflict with United States? Under the present "status quo of world trade," China in the span of a generation has become the No. 2 economic power in the world and lifted millions of its people from starvation and misery. The Chinese leadership were "pragmatic," when they realized that communism in its "economic" form was not working and pivoted to "capitalism" (180% change) in order to survive as a Nation, but also realized it needs the United States as a trade partner and "police man" of the world to thrive!
   Hindsight has proved Nial Ferguson correct in the meeting with Xi Jinping and Donald Trump. They met and parted with a handshake, with President Trump praising their mutual friendship. And China for its part seems to be "tempering" its support with North Korea. Question is, what did Trump promise for Chinese help?
   For the time being, "Thucydides Trap" is not happening between China and the United States. "Convergence" and mutual co-operation for mutual benefits seems to be the offing, with China content to play a secondary role in world affairs.
9. What they talk reminds me a Chinese idiom: "An elephant described by blindmen". It means when some blindmen touched the elephant they could give different images, one said: "It is just a soft pipe." when he touched the nose, another said: "No, it is a big leaf.", the 3rd one said: "No, you all wrong, it is a big pillar." and the 4th one said: "Accurately, it is a wall!" ..., you know where they have touched, right?
10. There is an elephant in the room here. China is changing very rapidly and while the danger of economic collapse is real, so is the danger of continued growth. What I mean by that is that the Chinese middle class is expanding rapidly, they are seeing the world and they are increasingly living like Americans. There is growing stress, accentuated by the single child generation (the me generation), between a Western lifestyle, and its inherent values, and what is still a Stalinist regime. Chinese people currently tolerate the restrictions that their government imposes on them, but within the elites there is undoubtedly growing tension between reformers and conservatives and this tension will only grow. So whether China encounters choppy economic waters ahead, or smooth sailing, the regime will face growing pressure. This is unlikely to be resolved by some sort of smooth transition to a more open and accountable government. It is more likely to increase the tendency of the regime to blame the other, to seek a kind of managed conflict with its neighbours, and friction with the US-led system, that will make cooperation much more difficult and conflict more likely.
11. this woman is very very no brain. i even cannot understand what she is going to say. Graham Allison is very smart.
12. the fight between china and the usa will be over middle east oil....not over north korea or taiwan or some miniscule island.
    without middle east oil a country can never become a superpower or meet ist energy needs or control prices of energy!
13. I'm shocked she didn't know these things about China.
14. 五毛好多啊。
15. Thank God the dominant power will no longer position itself as the "leader" of the world. The ethno-state of China is precisely the kind of country that will make a peaceful world, not America - with all due respect - which is bombing countries around the world "for the sake of the chidren"
16. Trump phenomenon in the USA or even in the Philippine shows that the so called "politicians" in any party of the country could not be trustable, they represent only the interests of some particular groups, not the majority of working classes. That is the reason why they could not finish their home work, and they have punched above their weight to export their religious radical "Democracy" around the world, sometime with the military force. Invasion of Iraq, "Color Revolution", ISIS and so on, are all its real by-products. Donald Trump is indeed the better choice of USA, he tells a lot of truth that the main stream media, parties, politicians and country leaders have been trying very hard to hide and cover. Trump lets USA population clearly to know and deeply think what would be the priorities of the country and their leadership: home work! USA's enemy is not Russia, not China, not Muslim ... USA's enemy is itself. There are too much liars in USA politicians. Except two parties, USA majority want to have another alternative: a CEO of company to manage the country, although a bit of naive, at least he has long time experience of business, better than previous presidents, who even never ever have had any local administration experience, like Obama, except his lie (he promised he would cut the USA debt to half in his first term, but he doubled it.) or his good presentation. In addition, we are happy that Trump points the main problem of USA and rejects the western political correct (ideology democracy).
17. With his western mindset Niall could hardly understand Chinese system. Niall still doesn't know what Chinese debt or investment to inside country has been mostly turned to be the public goods or long term national good asset, like high speed train system, power stations, highway and other infrastructures that would be very important for Chinese further development. It is totally different from USA's debt, like expenditure on the wars, except the destruction in the world it hardly achieves any positive result. Now we really understood why USA majority rejects all those elites and think tanks, like Naill, and chooses Trump and the "technocratic" professionals.
18. in 2020 China's fertility rate will be around 1.59: it should make them unwilling to start a real war;
    at the same time North American population keeps increasing rapidly;
    how come these historians & political scientists never discuss the role of demographics?
19. We know what this woman mentioned about the strong governance means only western domination. She is still so picky, foolish and arrogant as before. The data of Chinese cement consuming, she delivered, seems never has positive impact to her. Chinese UN contribution would be depended on Chinese GDP per capita, other than her imaginations. Whatever Chinese have achieved and have done would be all the problem to her.
20. Although Soviet Union and USA had luckily no war, after WWII China and USA had actually two serious big direct wars: Korea War and Vietnam War. USA army might know what kind of bitter taste in fighting with "poor" Chinese army, which was considered by western as being armed with stone-aged equipment. Good is both Trump and Xi now seem having their similar important domestic agenda: make their country great again. They have no choice, but work together cooperatively to face the great deal of challenges ahead.