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World Affairs Council of Greater Houston

China, the US and Who Will Lead The World: Ambassador David Rank

August 26, 2021 @ 07:00 PM to August 26, 2021 @ - 08:00 PM
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About the event: 

As evidenced by recent photo of China’s Foreign Minister posing with the political leader of the Taliban and the Chinese offer of ‘friendly cooperation with Afghanistan’, China has once again shown that it is very willing to step in at any moment or place around the world, where the U.S. might be seen as stepping back.

With its many years of massive economic growth, a greatly expanded and modernized military, its alternative paradigm for governing, and its willingness to develop markets and invest tens of billions of dollars around the world, China is a global leader and influencer, perhaps unlike any nation in history.

While the U.S. is certainly a major economic, military and political force in the world, its capacity to shape and impact global events is being challenged by a Chinese model backed by massive funding, few requirements for human rights or environmental issues, and a political system which is attractive to many autocratic regimes.

The growing global rivalry between the U.S. and China will shape the world on a wide array of issues, such as: how the rules for international trade will be defined; the South China Sea and freedom of navigation; the treatment and surveillance of minority groups, such as the Uighurs; the competition for vital energy resources and key rare earth metals; the future of North Korea; and the outlook for democratic voices in Hong Kong, Taiwan and elsewhere in the years to come.

About the speaker:

Fmr. Acting U.S Ambassador to China

Ambassador David Rank spent 27 years as a State Department Foreign Service Officer, including his final assignment as Deputy Chief of Mission and as the Charge’ d’Affaires (acting Ambassador) at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. In addition to six Foreign Service assignments in greater China (three in Beijing, two at the American Institute in Taiwan and one at the U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai), he served at the U.S. embassies in Kabul, Athens, and Port Louis (Mauritius).

In Washington, he worked in the office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP), the State Department Korea desk, as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, and as a Fellow at Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy. In 2015 he received the State Department’s Distinguished Honor Award for his role in the release of the only American service member held by the enemy in Afghanistan. He is also the recipient of the American Foreign Service Association’s Sinclaire Award for the study of languages and their related cultures.

He now serves as the head of the China practice at The Cohen Group, a global business strategy consultancy. Dave also teaches at the Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and is a Senior Fellow at the Energy Policy Institute of the University of Chicago (EPIC) and at the U.S. Institute of Peace. He speaks Mandarin Chinese, French, Dari and Greek. He and his wife, Mary, have three children.

Ticket Information

Members- 8/26/21
$20.00
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Location: Amegy Bank Tower - 1717 W Loop S, Houston, TX 77027 Please log in to get tickets
Non-Members -8/26/21
$35.00
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Location: Amegy Bank Tower - 1717 W Loop S, Houston, TX 77027
Virtual (Member & Non-Member) – 8/26/21
$20.00
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Students and Educators – 8/26/21
Free
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Event registration closed.
 

Date And Time

August 26, 2021 @ 07:00 PM to August 26, 2021 @ - 08:00 PM
 

Registration End Date

August 26, 2021
 

Location

Amegy tower, 1717 West Loop South, Houston, TX 77027, USA
 

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