Sophia University Institute of Comparative Culture Lecture Series 2022 

The rise of China and what it means for democracies in East Asia

Dr. Alexander Goerlach

29 March 2023, 18:00--20:00 

Room 301, 3F Building 10, Sophia University Yotsuya Campus 

No registration necessary, In-person only

No other place like The Western Pacific highlights the challenges and dangers for the free world stemming from an autocratic China. Under Xi Jinping's rule the claim that the "rejuvenation of the nation" will only be complete and fulfilled once Taiwan is made a province of the People's Republic has everyone on their toes: Taiwan itself, of course, and its most powerful ally, the United States of America. Also, Taiwan's neighbours and friends, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines, have announced higher military spending. At the same time, they deepened their relationship with the United States. The AUKUS treaty with Australia, the new Indo-Pacific strategy by the Biden administration highlight the American leader's vision for a "League of Democracy" that pushes back an axis of dictatorships under the supremacy of the People's Republic of China. Will the free, democratic world prevail in the end?  

Holding PhDs in linguistics and in comparative religion, Alex Goerlach's work focuses on liberal democracies, inclusive societies, and the media's role therein. After three years at Harvard University as a visiting scholar, he was invited to the University of Cambridge, where he further explored how new technologies will serve democratic societies and be abused by autocrats. In 2021, he joined the Internet Institute at University of Oxford expanding this scope. Since August 2022 he is a visiting scholar to the Philosophy Department at New York University. Having lived in Taiwan and Hong Kong, this region of the world has become a focus point and example for the questions he tackles academically.

This event is organized by Sven Saaler (Professor of History, Sophia University).

Sophia University Institute of Comparative Culture: https://www.icc-sophia.com/ 

https://www.icc-sophia.com/post/the-rise-of-china-and-what-it-means-for-democracies-in-east-asia