December 2016 GCC Insights Newsletter A Message from the Editor Hello GCCers! In this issue, we will give some updates on an MBA webinar opportunit

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December 2016 GCC Insights Newsletter

A Message from the Editor

Hello GCCers!

In this issue, we will give some updates on an MBA webinar opportunity, a letter by the President, a conference held by Johns Hopkins chapter, and the events held by Concordia chapter over the past several months. And as usual, we will feature a member in the GCC family in Humans of GCC.

Please check them out and keep in touch with us at sunan.qian@gccglobal.org or vico.deng@gccglobal.org, if you wish to be featured in the next issue.

Thank you!

Sunan Qian, Victoria Deng, Zeyuan Zhang
Insights Editors

GCC Central Management Team

Yansong Pang - President
Linqi Li - Senior Vice President
Lifan Zhang - Vice President of Development
Betty Liu - Vice President of Network
Jianxiong Zhang - Vice President of Alumni Affairs
Sunan Qian - Director of Marketing
Huan Lou - Director of Operations, HR and Finance
Marshall Ma - Director of Technology
Leah Zhang - Director of Public Relations

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Choosing an MBA: Why Location Matters (Sponsored by CEIBS and GCC)

CEIBS MBA Broch 2016

(Sponsored content) China Europe Int’l Business School (CEIBS) is providing an opportunity for GCC members and alumni who wish to study MBA programs.

CEIBS/GCC Webinar
Mon, Feb 6, 2017 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM PST

Including a sub-section of why potential applicants should consider returning to China to study over US business schools.

Speaker: Barbara Coward, MBA Consultant and CEIBS Marketing Executive

Event description: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/china-europe-intl-business-school-ceibs-mba-info-webinar-tickets-31237121070

Please join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/340992749

You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (872) 240-3212

Access Code: 340-992-749

First GoToMeeting? Try a test session: http://help.citrix.com/getready

Located at the epicentre of the economic development story of our time, the China Europe Int’l Business School (CEIBS) is the ideal launching pad for an international career. The CEIBS campus in Shanghai has seen future business leaders enrolling from over 70 countries to study the full time MBA programmes since its inception in 1994. Established as a joint venture between the Shanghai Government and the European Union, the ‘China Depth, Global Breadth’ mantra runs deeply through the world-class faculty, diverse student body and prestigious alumni network of 17,000+. With an increasing number of MNCs selecting Shanghai as their Asia HQ as well as numerous globalising Chinese companies, the CEIBS MBA places students at the heart of the action with world class case studies, a large array of networking events, strategy projects, and internship opportunities. CEIBS MBA consistently ranks in the Financial Times top 20 MBA programmes in the world, and is the #1 programme in Asia by BusinessWeek and Forbes. Students can take advantage of exchange programmes and overseas electives with 30+ top-tier partner schools, such as Wharton, Chicago Booth, London Business School, INSEAD, IESE etc. Join us for a campus visit or speak to our Admissions colleagues to discover more about our generous scholarship offerings and how a CEIBS MBA can give your career the China edge!

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Happy New Year from GCC Central Management

Dear GCC Chapter Presidents, Members, and Alumni,

Happy New Year from the Global China Connection Central Management Team! We just had another big snowfall in Minnesota, and hopefully as Chinese proverb suggests, we are promised a fruitful year full of harvests, joy, and achievements. As you are trying to lose your holiday weights, we know we still have a lot on our plates!

New Year

[GCC Central Management Team Celebrating 2017 New Year Together]

New Year is a time for retrospection and anticipation. Recently I came across a short story that I thought also applies to the work we do at GCC. After the tide ebbed, many fish that came ashore were caught on shallow water on the beach, and will soon die from dehydration. A little boy was walking along the seashore, throwing the fish back into the water, one at a time. A passerby sneered at the young boy, “There are thousands of fish in the puddles – it’s impossible for you to save all of them. Why bother and who cares?” The boy replied while picking up a fish and threw it into the sea: “This one cares… and this one, this one, and this one…” Compared with the huge tasks we face, the power of our central management team seemed so little. However, for those who continue reading our newspaper, providing us with enthusiastic supports, and needing our help, we will continue to service you to our best ability.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to send me an email at yansong.pang@gccglobal.org. 【LinkedIn】Thank you again for reading.

Happy connecting,
Yansong Pang, Linqi Li, Lifan Zhang, Sunan Qian, Betty Liu, Xiao Ma, and Huan Lou
Global China Connection

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Humans of GCC --- Jacob Hafey

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Jacob Hafey has become part of GCC since he was a freshman. Now he manages GCC Tufts chapter as Co-President along with Sarah Tse. During the first few weeks of college, Hafey had been looking for student organizations that are involved with Sino-U.S. relation, and GCC is one of them. In addition, the passion and ambition Hafey found in members of GCC at Tufts is also one of the reasons why he joined the GCC family. Besides, Hafey regards GCC not only as an organization but also as a social network where he could get to know like-minded students.

Ever since he joined GCC, Hafey has been aspiring to connect with chapters in the Boston area while maintaining active on campus. After spending the Fall 2016 semester in Hangzhou, Hafey is thrilled to return and to organize more diverse events on campus. Now Hafey is enthusiastic about business and politics and wants to hold more fabulous events in the Boston area.

As one of the attributes that attracted Hafey to the GCC family, GCC’s prior purpose is to form connections among people with ambitions, insights, and similar interests, and this goal requires a lot of effort from many people. As a faithful member of GCC, Hafey has been grateful for the commitment from every member, alumnus and alumna. He enjoyed every minute working at GCC at Tufts and it has become an integral part of his time in college.

Also, Hafey strongly encourages anyone who is interested in Sino-U.S. relation to join GCC, because GCC has been dedicating to establish connections between China and the U.S. in business and beyond. And GCC needs your participation and dedication to achieve its goal - to connect future leaders from all nations together and to assist them in developing the skills and friendships necessary to succeed.

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GCC at Johns Hopkins hosts inaugural conference on U.S.–China relations

By PETER JI on December 8, 2016
(Article originally posted on The Johns Hopkins News-Letter)

jhu1

COURTESY OF YAO LIN. Experts at the event discussed the China’s economic growth and America’s relationship with the country.

The Hopkins chapter of Global China Connection hosted a regional conference focusing on the rise of China, the domestic and international challenges that the Chinese communist leadership faces and the changing geopolitics of the East Asian region. The six-hour event featured experts in international studies, geopolitics and international affairs as well as student research presentations. The conference took place on Saturday in Hodson Hall.

Global China Connection is an international non-profit organization that connects colleges and universities to top leaders and academics on China issues.

Junior Lisa Xiao, chapter president of Global China Connection, gave the audience a few questions to consider at the conference’s outset.

“What was China’s motivation behind the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and how will it affect the U.S. relationship with AIIB member states?” she asked. “What are challenges to China’s economic development? What will China look like in 2050? How can we best draw on our education and intellectual stamina to play an impactful role in the community of international economics and politics?”

Frank Jannuzi, president and CEO of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, has also served on the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation is an organization promoting U.S. relations with Asian countries.

Jannuzi provided his insight on China’s recent economic prosperity. He was stunned by the country’s rapid growth after traveling to China over the past thirty years, and believes that Americans were too.

“China without question is the amazing story of 21st century: 2.5 billion people lifted out of poverty,” he said. “At first, the U.S. response to the rise of China has been welcome and facilitating. So cute, little China joining the world! Wait, we can make money. We can capitalize off of the growth of china. Then we looked around and said, ‘What if China doesn’t like the rules? What if they want to disagree with me?’”

The formation of the AIIB in 2015 is one example of China exporting its development strategy to other nations by funding infrastructure projects in developing nations. The AIIB currently has 57 members, while China holds the largest voting share with 26 percent of the vote.

Many experts view China’s creation of the bank as a response to the Western-dominated nature of other international banks like the IMF, World Bank and Asian Development Bank. Natalie Lichtenstein, one of the architects of the AIIB, said that the U.S. and Japan not joining the AIIB was a boon to China.

“In retrospect, I think it was a benefit to the AIIB, not a financial benefit,” she said. “So having the U.S. in would be great. I suspect that the U.S. has a lot more experience in organizing international treaty organizations.”

Jannuzi said that as the rate of economic growth in China slows, the Chinese Communist Party will have to begin tackling the problems that the growth has created in order to maintain political control.

jhu2

COURTESY OF YAO LIN. Foreign Service Officer David Brown elaborated on the implications of Trump’s recent phone call to Taiwan.

These include the environment, older demographics and income inequalities where the richest coastal provinces are ten times as wealthy as the poorer West. Ethnic unrest and government corruption are also tied to the growing income inequality.

Jannuzi believes that China is aware of all six problems and is working to correct them.

“They’re pushing One Belt One Road, pushing western development, investing in clean energy — they’re by far the largest investors in clean energy — and investing in health care and the social safety net,” he said.

Jannuzi also feels that China should loosen its Great Firewall, since the problems cannot be solved without freer spread of information.

“One of the biggest challenges China faces is control of information. You can’t keep some of the best minds in China without the free flow of information. You see this in the election of President Trump, the fake news, the slanted media coverage, the meddling by foreign countries… I don’t want to trivialize the threat to social stability through social media,” he said.

The experts discussed Trump’s recent phone call to Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-Wen and the role of Taiwan, which China considers a breakaway province, in U.S.-China relations. David Brown, a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. State Department in Asia, believes the call was a lack of understanding by Trump.

However, Jannuzi thinks it was a calculated move that signals Trump’s strong stance against China on trade.

“We’re uncertain about what President Trump will do with these issues,” Brown said. “He doesn’t have any foreign policy experience. He has appointed people, none of whom have experience with Asia. Last night, he agreed to make a phone call between the President of Taiwan and himself. Beijing sees this as a break of 40 years of tradition based on the agreement of 1978-79.”

Brown believes that although the China-Taiwan relations are fragile, neither side will do anything too provocative to the other. Both Tsai Ing-Wen and the general secretary of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping, like Donald Trump, are known as strong nationalists.

“I think there is reason to be optimistic that this cold peace will last for the foreseeable diplomats, which for former diplomats is two-to-three years. You can’t see much in the future beyond that,” Brown said. “I don’t think it is in either side’s interest to have the relationship deteriorate into a confrontation. Xi Jinping has great domestic problems, and he is consolidating his position for the 19th National Congress coming up. Tsai is not saying that she rejects the one China.”

Trump has also promised to reject the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on day one of office. The speakers said that this would likely embolden China in the South China Sea, where it is building military capacity.

Hopkins graduate student Hannah Gu said that the talk was heavily focused on China’s foreign relations. She hoped to hear more about Chinese industry.

“I thought it would talk more about Chinese industrial development. I think China is facing a problem now because many companies are moving factories to Southeast Asia, and China needs to think about how to switch its industry,” she said.

Prospective SAIS student Mayumy Rivera said that the talk helped her decide on whether to go into East Asian studies.

“I came with Mr. Brown. I did not know anything about this before, but he’s been really supportive of me into Asian studies, which I’m applying for next year. I think this was very informative,” she said. “I’ve not been aware of what’s going on in Asia, and this gets me back on track. These three speakers were very interesting, and they will get me back into what I want to do.”

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Fall 2016 Activity Summary Report of Concordia University Chapter at Montreal, Quebec

How to Start? Career 101

GCC1

28 October

Trying to give the greatest support to the first-year students and graduates, GCC Concordia invited three graduates to share their experience.

They gave advice about both school life and career, taught students how to build a resume and social network, offered some tips on Accounting as a major, and explained the DOs and DON’Ts in social occasions.

McGill & Concordia Chinese Debate

GCC Debate

12 November

The fierce debate stimulated students’ enthusiasm, and helped build a long-term friendship between McGill and Concordia chapters.

Business Seminar

GCC Seminar2

25 November

GCC at Concordia invited senior practitioners to discuss the topics about the financial and accounting industry. The activity included lectures of the guests, interactions with the audiences, social activities, and lucky draw. Thank you all for your active participation!

Christmas Dinner

21 December

Having lobsters and a party in a popular restaurant, we celebrated the Christmas early and enjoyed the happiness, which we hope could last through Christmas and the New Year. Merry Christmas!

GCC Christmas
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