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| Andrew Stewart |
By Andrew Stewart, Class of 2015
I had the opportunity to hear former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman speak at the University of Kentucky about leadership and American relations with China. For the first half of the lecture, Governor Huntsman spoke encouraging words directed towards the students and the younger generation. He encouraged students to find something they are passionate about and do their best at fostering that passion. He explained how our generation needs to take advantage of the ability to learn extensively about different cultures. Governor Huntsman emphasized that students need to understand the politics, economics and languages of other countries. Governor Huntsman pointed out that when he was around different universities in China, our peers in China are doing a great job of learning about our country, the politics, economics and culture of the US.
Governor Huntsman discussed ways to bring jobs and capital back to America by engaging with China from a position of strength to level the economic playing field in order to protect the US economy. Governor Huntsman placed much emphasis on the role of technology. He explained that advances in technology over the next few centuries will make a lasting impact throughout history, and changes in China over that period in terms of its trade policies, leadership changes and urbanization challenges, will be important to watch in the immediate years to come. The world is drastically different from past generations because of our ability to communicate easily worldwide. Governor Huntsman described how his 14-year old daughter, who was adopted from China, has the ability to talk to her friends in Beijing “seamlessly” through Skype and other technologies.
Governor Huntsman’s experience as former Ambassador to China made for this lecture to be very informative and enlightening. His understanding of Chinese culture is something that is lacking in our daily political structure. In order to improve our relations with China, the US needs a broader understanding of how China operates. We cannot solely rely on information given through news media, or gathered from various news data sources, but understanding China on the level that Governor Huntsman displayed. We should know Chinese history, culture and language. We need to understand Chinese leadership and how it came about. We need to understand why the Chinese are so far ahead of most, if not all of the world in their technological advances. I appreciate the opportunity greatly to go to China this summer through the McConnell Center because we are able to have direct contact with the culture that the US as a whole needs to have a deeper understanding of. I can make informed opinions about China, and how the country operates, through direct observations of the people, language, economy and culture that I will encounter this summer. Governor Huntsman is right; we need to understand the different aspects of other nations, and China should be on the top of that list.
Andrew Stewart, of Radcliff, Ky., is a junior McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. He is studying political science.