The China-Taiwan Cross-Strait Program

"Evaluating the regional/U.S. impact of the relationship"

The China-Taiwan Cross-Strait Program, supported by the C.T. and Jean Hsu Fund of the Global Connections Foundation, is housed in the Department of Political Science of the College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida. Established in 2008, it sponsors or co-sponsors public discussions featuring top speakers, panels and other meetings; encourages scholarship and research; and works with partners worldwide to explore the possibilities and evaluate the regional impact - as well as the effect on the United States - of cross-strait relations. The program is neutral and favors neither side. Rather, it aims to promote awareness, understanding and discussion of the key issues in the China-Taiwan relationship.

C.T. and Jean Hsu are principals of the C.T. Hsu Group, a globally active diversified company. They have supported UCF programs dealing with Asia, along with other international issues, for many years.

The China-Taiwan Cross-Strait Program Co-Directors

Roger Handberg
Department of Political Science
handberg@mail.ucf.edu
PH 302, 407-823-2608

John C. Bersia
Global Perspectives Office
jbersia@mail.ucf.edu
PH 202, 407-823-0688

The China-Taiwan Cross-Strait Program Advisory Board

• John C. Bersia, Special Assistant to the President for Global Perspectives, UCF (interim co-director)
• Amy Chua, John M. Duff, Jr. Professor of Law, Yale Law School, New Haven, Connecticut
• Gerrit Gong, Special Assistant to the President, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, and Senior Associate, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, D.C.
• Roger Handberg, Chairman, Department of Political Science, UCF (interim co-director)
• Jean Hsu, Principal, C.T. Hsu Group, Orlando, Florida
• Quan Li, Department of Political Science, UCF
• Jack McGuire, Associate Dean, College of Sciences, UCF
• Minxin Pei, Senior Associate, China Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington, D.C.
• Sibille Pritchard, President, Global Connections Foundation, and President, Florida-China Association
• Alvin Wang, Dean, Burnett Honors College, UCF
• Kate Zhou, Department of Political Science, University of Hawaii

The China-Taiwan Cross-Strait Program Events

2009-2010 - Selected Visitors, Speakers and Events Related to China and Taiwan

• Sheryl WuDunn, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and co-author of Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide (China's Transformation). A program conducted in cooperation with the Global Perspectives Office and other partners. October 20, 2009
• Minxin Pei, Tom and Margot Pritzker Professor of Government and Director of the Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies, Claremont McKenna College, and author of China's Trapped Transition: The Limits of Developmental Autocracy (China-Taiwan: The Next Step). A program conducted in cooperation with the Global Perspectives Office and other partners. February 18, 2010
• "Central Florida Global Forum 2010: Inside the Chinese and Indian Markets," UCF. A regional forum sponsored by UCF Global Perspectives Office, Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission and the Global Connections Foundation, in partnership with UCF College of Business Administration, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, C.T. Hsu and Associates, OCI Associates Inc., The India Program at UCF, The Anil and Chitra Deshpande Foundation, LarsonAllen LLP, Junior Achievement of Central Florida, Inc., UCF Political Science Department and UCF LIFE. April 6, 2010
• Alexandra Harney, investigative journalist and author of The China Price: The True Cost of Chinese Competitive Advantage (The Future of Chinese Manufacturing and the Global Economy). A program conducted in cooperation with the Global Perspectives Office and other partners. April 6, 2010

2008-2009 - Selected Visitors, Speakers and Events Related to China and Taiwan

• "America's Next President and the World," UCF. An international global issues conference in cooperation with the National Conference of Editorial Writers, The Anil and Chitra Deshpande Foundation, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, C.T. Hsu and Associates, LarsonAllen L.L.P., UCF Student Government Association, UCF College of Business Administration, UCF Diplomacy Program, UCF Middle Eastern Studies Program, The India Program at UCF, UCF Kurdish Political Studies Initiative, UCF Terrorism Studies Program, UCF Political Science Department, UCF International Services Center, UCF LIFE, Global Connections Foundation and other partners. November 6, 2008.
• Rob Gifford, NPR's China correspondent from 1999-2005 and currently NPR's London correspondent, and author of China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power. January 22, 2009.
• "Central Florida Global Forum 2009: Innovative Business Strategies for Turbulent Times," UCF. A regional forum sponsored by UCF Global Perspectives Office, Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission and the Global Connections Foundation, in partnership with UCF College of Business Administration, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, C.T. Hsu and Associates, OCI Associates Inc., The Anil and Chitra Deshpande Foundation, LarsonAllen LLP, Junior Achievement of Central Florida, Inc., UCF Political Science Department and UCF LIFE. April 9, 2009.
• Joan Johnson-Freese, Chair, National Security Decision Making Department, U.S. Naval War College (Heavenly Ambitions: America's Quest to Dominate Space; multiple presentations at UCF and in the community). May 19-21, 2009.