Thursday, November 8, 6:00–7:30 PM
Speakers: James Heimowitz, Guanpeng Dong
Event Fee: This is a private event. Attendance is by invitation only.
As the U.S.-China trade war heats up, Americans’ perceptions of China are turning increasingly negative. Not only are politicians criticizing China’s trade policies, economic development motives, and geopolitical agenda. China’s Confucius Institutes operating around the United States are under attack, too, and Chinese companies and students are being viewed as potential spies. Is all this rhetoric purely a function of U.S. and Chinese domestic policies and politics, or is China somehow getting its messaging wrong? What lessons from the PR manual could China learn, so as to present a more nuanced picture of China today?
Steven Guanpeng Dong, political scientist and communications professor, and James Heimowitz, president of China Institute, will lead a conversation with U.S. PR experts, Confucius Institute officials, and China watchers.
James Heimowitz went to China as a student before it opened to the West, and has formed deep relationships in China over several decades. Prior to joining CI, Mr. Heimowitz spent nine years at Hill + Knowlton Strategies, where he was CEO for Asia and Chairman, China. He spearheaded international PR for the Beijing Olympics; managed financial communications for the first RMB denominated IPO in Hong Kong; and advised many of the most successful MNC’s and JV’s in the region, including helping Chinese companies and SOEs face the challenges of entering new overseas markets.
Guanpeng Dong, a Professor of Media and Public Affairs and Provost for the Faculty of Professional Studies and Executive Program at Communications University in Beijing, is a 2018 Eisenhower Fellow. He has trained government officials, including DE official spokespersons of cabinet ministries, provincial governments and large state-owned enterprises. He has also served as official communications advisor for crisis management and large-scale events across various government bodies, including the Beijing Olympics, the Shanghai EXPO, and Hangzhou G20, as well as state visits by Chinese leaders to the U.S., Europe and Africa.