(Author：Zhou Siyan）

From March 23^rdto 25^th, the 2018 Duke-UNC China Leadership Summit (CLS) was successfully held in Duke University andthe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the United States. Student Delegates Liu Jiachen from the School of Law and Shen Yuxi from the School of Foreign Languages and Literature attended the conference on behalf of Wuhan University.

Student Delegates at the summit

Under the theme of “China’s global engagement”, this year’s summit covers a wide range of topic including China’s increasing FDI in Africa, its rising presence in UN Peacekeeping, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, etc. “From hosting President Nixon in the first US Presidential visit to China in 1972, to the announcement of the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s engagement with the world, whether economic, civil, or political, has been the cornerstone of its success and a symbol for its contributions to our world,” the official website reads.

Liu Jiachen(left) and Shen Yuxi(right) at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

CLS is an annual conference co-host by Duke University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Some leading experts are invited to speak on topics of Sino-US relations at the summit. It provides a platform for students across the United States and all over the world to exchange perspectives and share with each other their opinions on issues of common concern.

The two WHUers took active participation at the summit. When it came to the most impressive topic, both of them mentioned “the Belt and Road Initiative”proposed by the Chinese government with the aim of regional cooperation and economic development.

“I take an particular interest in the way how translation influences the communication of a nation’s international policy. For example, the previous “the Belt and Road Strategy” was then changed into an “Initiative” because the inappropriate diction or rhetoric may cause misinterpretation from other countries. This can be the meaning of the summit featuring face-to-face exchanges. It not only gives me the opportunity to look at the world, but also let me know about our nation in the eyes of foreigners. American scholars and students do have more insights into China’s global engagement than I supposed,” said Shen Yuxi.

“You may never know the existence of stereotypes until you take actual part in the exchanges,” added Liu Jiachen, who had further communication with other participants after the summit, “I met an American girl whose teacher claimed that all the Chinese students had read through The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. And she was scared by her teacher’s words because they made her believe that reading a thick book was the first step to learn Chinese Actually, that’s not true. Moreover, such stereotype is not a single case. Therefore, I tried my best to picture the real situation so that she could understand contemporary China in a more authentic and comprehensive way.”

Liu also mentioned that self-confidence could be another treasure she obtained from the summit. Here, she was encouraged by the passionate and talkativeparticipants and tried to share her own observations more with others. “ I realized that the essence of exchange lies in exchange itself. This is an amazing experience.”

Shen Yuxi(left) and Liu Jiachen(right) at the summit

The summit attracts about 50 undergraduates from China and the United States who hope to deepen their understanding towards China and to contribute to a more productive bilateral relationship. Wuhan University has been taking part in CLS since 2013, and every year two delegates from Wuhan University will participate the summit at the invitation of Duck University.

(Photo by Liu Jiachen, Shen Yuxi)

(Edited by Xu Yumeng, Zheng Yayun, Shen Yuxi, Liu Jiachen and Liu Xiaoli)

quoted from http://en.whu.edu.cn/