Congratulations to this year's University of Sydney China Studies Centre Fellow! LIU Yun 刘韵

The ACYD congratulates this year’s University of Sydney China Studies Centre Fellow:

LIU Yun / 刘韵

Yun Liu is an incoming student of Johns Hopkins Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), which is based in Washington, D.C. Yun’s strong interest in international affairs and unique international experiences have been demonstrated through her diverse working experiences in both Australia and China. She previously interned at the Lowy Institute for International Policy, where she assisted in conducting research and preparing international workshops for the East Asian Program. She also worked in the Office of Vice-Chancellor at the University of Sydney as a project assistant, and successfully coordinating and implementing over 15 high-level leadership training programs from Asia-Pacific. Yun has also interned at China Radio International, the most prominent international radio company in China. The internship provided her the opportunity to look at international affairs from a media angle.

Yun graduated from the University of Sydney in April 2013 with a First Class Honours in Bachelor of International and Global Studies, majoring in Government and International Relations, and Economics. During her Honours year, she completed a 19,000-word thesis on Taiwan’s changing economic policymaking towards China Mainland. Her outstanding academic record has brought her many awards, including the 2009 International Merit Scholarship and the 2010 Academic Merit Prize. As a Chinese student in Australia, Yun has devoted herself to promoting cross-cultural exchange in her capacity as the International Student Intern at the University of Sydney Union. In 2012, she was awarded a University of Sydney Union Blue Award for her outstanding contribution to the student community. She is also a finalist of the University of Sydney Graduate Medal.

Yun hopes to work in an international organisation in the future, where she can continue promote mutual understanding and consensus building for China and the rest of the world.

‘Great Hall, University of Sydney’, image courtesy of nextapt via Flickr

Congratulations to the FASIC fellows! TAO Lina 陶丽娜 & ZHANG Lei 张磊

The ACYD congratulates this year's Foundation for Australian Studies in China (FASIC) Fellows:

TAO Lina / 陶丽娜

Lina Tao is a postgraduate research student at the School of Humanities, University of New South Wales, Australia. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies at Peking University in 2004. After graduating, she worked as a journalist and news editor at a Chinese daily newspaper, the Beijing Times (Jinghua Shibao). From 2008-12, she worked as a researcher and policy analyst at China Policy, a Beijing-based policy consultancy. She managed research projects on a wide range of social and policy issues with a particular focus on the power of Chinese social media and developed protocols and content for China Policy’s information system products.

Lina received an 'Excellent Students Award' and 'University Principal's Fund Research Award' as an undergraduate at Peking University. In 2013, she was awarded University International Postgraduate Award by UNSW. Her research project examines the intersections between the media, migration, and children in contemporary China. As an individual who had moved from rural to urban China and has now experienced a transnational movement to Australia, she is always fascinated by migrants’ journey and the media’s role in the populous mobility. Her research interest lies in migration, practice of journalism, media policies, and social media.

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ZHANG Lei / 张磊

ZHANG Lei joined the Australian Studies Centre at Renmin University of China in 2011 where he has organised a series of events promoting Australia. He has lead activities ranging from the RUC Australian Cultural Week, to Australia-oriented academic lectures, to managing the Centre’s blog focusing on current affairs in Australia.

As a MA candidate in Australian Studies program, his research interests include relation between Australia and the Asia-Pacific, Sino-Australia relationship and Australian Postmodern Literature. His current interests include re-positioning Australia in the Asia-Pacific in the new century, the implications of America’s rebalancing toward Asia on Australia, transnational Australian studies and transpacific studies. Zhang Lei has attended forums and conferences in South Korea, America and Europe. He finds it a great pleasure to meet new friends and share cutting-edge ideas.

Zhang Lei graduated with a BA in English from China Agricultural University with the Best Graduate Thesis Award and the Graduate Honor in 2011. During his undergraduate years, he served as the chair of the student union in the department for two terms and co-founded the International Communication and Cooperation Association at CAU.

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For information about the Foundation for Australian Studies in China, please click here.

Professor the Hon Gareth Evans AC QC to address ACYD

The ACYD is delighted to announce that Professor the Hon Gareth Evans AC QC, former Australian Foreign Affairs Minister, will address the delegates at the 2013 ACYD. Best known for initiating a new Asia Pacific regional economic and security architecture during his time as Foreign Minister the delegates will look forward to hearing his unique perspective on the Australia China relationship. To view his bio, please click here.

ACYD is now on Weibo (微博) + Wechat Verification

The Australia-China Youth Dialogue (ACYD) is now Weibo (微博). Become a guanzhu (关注, follower) today by searching "@ACYD中澳青年对话" in Sina Weibo. Also, to register for Wechat (微信), the ACYD needs your support! We need over 500 followers to qualify for an organisational account on Wechat. For those who have a Wechat account, please scan the special ACYD QR Code below. Go to 'Add Contacts' in your settings, press on 'QR Code', and then scan the QR Code below.

For more information on our Chinese social media platforms, please contact our Communications Coordinator, Christiana Liang on christiana.liang@acyd.org.au

Applications for the 2013 Australia-China Youth Dialogue Are Now Closed

Thanks to all those applicants who applied for this year's Australia-China Youth Dialogue to be held in Canberra and Melbourne. Applications for the 2013 ACYD are now closed. We are currently reviewing your applications, and will contact short-listed candidates by around mid-July. Please note that the Australia-China Youth Dialogue is staffed 100% by volunteers, so we are unable to provide specific feedback if your application is unsuccessful. If we are unable to offer you a place at this year's Dialogue, we strongly encourage you to apply for next year's ACYD in China and to get involved in the various ACYA group initiatives.

The Australia-China Youth Dialogue welcomes the University of Sydney's China Studies Centre as an Associate Partner

The Australia-China Youth Dialogue is proud to announce that the University of Sydney's China Studies Centre has come on board as an Associate Partner for the 2013 Australia-China Youth Dialogue. Professor Kerry Brown, the Executive Director of the China Studies Centre and Professor of Chinese Politics, stated that "the China Studies Centre at the University of Sydney are glad to support this years Australia China Youth Dialogue. Engaging young professionals and academics in China in their work and their lives is critically important, and building deeper links between the two countries is something we fully support and wish to see flourish."

For more information on the University of Sydney's China Studies Centre, please see: http://sydney.edu.au/china_studies_centre/

Keynote Address by Jing Ulrich at the 2012 Australia-China Youth Dialogue, China World Hotel

Jing Ulrich, JP Morgan’s Managing Director and Chairman of Global Markets, China, explains the measures being undertaken by Beijing to reenergize its economy, which no longer enjoys double-digit growth. Ulrich remains optimistic about the future of her country of birth, predicting a rebalancing of the economy as the spending power of the Chinese consumer grows.

Special thanks goes to Will McCallum from Asialink, University of Melbourne for the production of this video.

For those in China, please click here for the YouKu (优酷) embedded version.

2012 Australia-China Youth Dialogue Official Documentary

This is the official documentary for the 2012 Australia-China Youth Dialogue that was held in Beijing and Chengdu, China from 19-24 October 2012.

ACYD was founded to address these concerns, and promote frequent and meaningful engagement and more sophisticated cross-cultural understanding among Australian and Chinese youth. Since 2010, ACYD has brought young leaders from Australia and China together with key experts and decision makers to discuss key aspects of the bilateral relationship.

Special thanks goes to Will McCallum from Asialink, University of Melbourne for the production of this video.

For people in China please view the video here.

The Australia-China Youth Dialogue is now on Renren (人人网)

The Australia-China Youth Dialogue is now on Renren (人人网). For those people who have Renren accounts please '加为好友'! (add us as a friend!) Please go to: http://www.renren.com/601745756

Australia-China Youth Dialogue featured in Australian Educational International report

The Australia-China Youth Dialogue was featured in the Australian Education International (AEI) report: Expanding Our Horizon - Forty years of Australia-China collaboration and exchange in education, science and research. This report was launched by Prime Minister Julia Gillard in Beijing, and catalogues 40 years of Australia-China engagement.

The Australia-China Youth Dialogue was featured on page 24-25:

"The Australia-China Youth Dialogue has been held annually since  2010, and hosted in China every other year. The Dialogue is featured in more detail in chapter 7. Pohlner says, ‘The next generation of political, academic and business leaders in both Australia and China has the potential to be more globally connected and aware than any generation that preceded them.’ For Pohlner, ACYA signals a maturing of Australia-China relations. Generously supported by government, it remains a non-government enterprise operated entirely by people under the age of 35—born after the commencement of formal diplomatic ties—for the members’ benefit. As the interconnectedness of Australian and Chinese societies continues to deepen, this model will, Pohlner hopes, become a norm for engagement. ‘As an old Chinese proverb goes,’ says Jason Huang, ‘a good neighbour is better than a brother far off .’ A research assistant at Sun Yat-sen University’s Australian Studies Centre and a 2010 International Journalism graduate from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Huang is an activist on the Chinese side in boosting grassroots student ties between Australian and Chinese students. He was co-organiser of the Sino-Australian SME Summit in 2010 and earned an ACYD delegate place the following year. As ACYA cultural liaison officer in 2011, he coordinated translation of ACYA’s submission to the White Paper on Australia in the Asian Century. Huang says: 'Australia-China relations are profitable for both countries; it is easy to direct bilateral cooperation from the top. But it’s at the grassroots level that the biggest changes are possible—young Australian and Chinese students and professionals sharing ideas and forming deeper mutual understanding through independent dialogue.'"

And page 126-127 of the report:

"Through the ACYD (Australia-China Youth Dialogue), talented young people are developing innovative ideas while learning from those who shaped the present. Delegates embody a vision of a future based on constant interaction and communication. They are building strong professional ties and lasting friendships. The ACYD young leaders’ dialogue is held annually, alternately in Australia and China. It partners with the All-China Youth Federation and the China University Media Union as part of their Dialogue with the World program. Since its inception, ACYD has been supported by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Australian National University, the Capital M Group and the Australia-China Business Council. Rio Tinto, ANZ, the Australian Chamber of Commerce in China, and others have joined in supporting the Dialogue. From a large number of applicants, fifteen Australian and fifteen Chinese delegates aged 18-35 are selected each year to participate in the intensive five-day curriculum designed to challenge existing conceptions of important issues facing Australia and China and to encourage the delegates to engage with issues outside their comfort zone. Almost all delegates are bilingual. Each has at least one area of relevant expertise that ensures discussions throughout the week are engaging and fruitful. The intimacy of the group creates an intense experience and lasting relationships that will serve the bilateral relationship, as young professionals become established leaders. During the dialogue, delegates meet and discuss critical issues with prominent experts and leaders from each country. Past speakers have included Bob Hawke (former Prime Minister), Craig Emerson (current Trade Minister), Michael Kirby (former High Court Justice), Justin Lin (former Chief Economist of the World Bank) and Jing Ulrich (Chairman and Managing Director, JPMorgan). Delegates are selected from a variety of backgrounds and are next generation talent challenged by discussions on the full spectrum of Australia-China relations, from economic, geopolitical and governance issues to environment, culture and creative industries, sports, philosophy, business, and climate change to civil society and the rule of law. During ACYD, delegates explore a cross section of two cities: the capital city and a second city. These have included Shanghai, Sydney, Chengdu and, in 2013, Perth. In each location, discussions are held in varied and unusual venues—a key part of what makes the experience memorable. The 2011 ACYD delegates contributed to the Australia in the Asian Century White Paper. In 2012 delegates prepared a response to the White Paper, addressing ways young people from Australia and China can advance the goals it articulates. The increasingly powerful network cooperates closely with a number of partners in Australia, China and, recently, the United States. Working with these partners brings young professionals together with some of the most vibrant established leaders in Australia and China."

The report can be download from the Australian Education International website: https://aei.gov.au/News/Latest-News/Pages/Expanding-Our-Horizon.aspx