About this Course

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One of the most significant changes in the world in the past 30 years is the opening of China to the outside world and its engagement with that world. In the initial years of the opening, external forces influenced China’s economy, regional balances, bureaucracy, as well as the political authority of local leaders in the coastal areas. More recently, the world is feeling the effects of a rising China which seeks resources and talent from all around the globe and uses its financial wealth to strengthen its position in the world. This course tracks the opening of China up from 1978 until it joins the WTO, focusing on how the world affected China’s internal development. We then look at various aspects of China’s “going out strategy” — its search for energy, talent, as well as its relations with the United States and the states within the Asia-Pacific region. The instructor has been deeply engaged in research on all these topics, having lived in China during various stages of China’s opening to the outside world.
Course Overview video: https://youtu.be/7FpNL67EbE4

Learner Career Outcomes

25%

got a tangible career benefit from this course

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Approx. 13 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: French, Portuguese (European), Russian, English, Spanish

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.71/5 (7 Ratings)

David Zweig

Professor Emeritus of the Division of Social Science and Director of Center on China’s Transnational Relations

19,223 Learners

2 Courses

Learner Career Outcomes

25%

got a tangible career benefit from this course

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Approx. 13 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: French, Portuguese (European), Russian, English, Spanish

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week

1

Week 1

3 hours to complete

Orientation and Module 1: China’s Opening to the Outside World, 1978-2000

Before you start with the content for Module 1, please watch the Course Overview, review the Assignment and Grading page, and introduce yourself to other learners who will be studying this course with you.

3 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 83 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz

9 videos

Course Overview3m

0.1: Introduction to the Course - China and the World6m

1.1: Explaining China’s Opening to the World, 1978-2000: “Second Image Reversed” and “Relative Prices”12m

1.2: Explaining China’s Opening to the World, 1978-2000: Linkages, Leaders and Models7m

1.3: Visualizing China’s Opening: From Autarky to Mercantilism5m

1.4: Applying the Model to China’s Opening18m

1.5: Case Study: Rural Joint Ventures and the Local Alliance with International Capital14m

1.6: Case Study: China’s Decision to Join the World Trade Organization12m

1.7: Conclusion to the Two Cases3m

2 readings

Assignments and Grading10m

Module 1 Course Reading10m

1 practice exercise

Quiz 130m

Week

2

Week 2

2 hours to complete

Module 2: China’s Changing Relations with the World, 2000-2016

2 hours to complete

11 videos (Total 82 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

11 videos

2.1: International Structure: Realism and Constructivism11m

2.2 International Political Economy and National Power10m

2.3 Domestic Politics, Leadership and Foreign Policy2m

2.4 Sino-US Relations: The Most Important Bi-lateral Relationship in the World7m

2.5 Sino-Japanese Relations12m

2.6 Sino-Russian Relations3m

2.7 Relations with Taiwan and Hong Kong11m

2.8 China’s Regional Ties3m

2.9 China and ASEAN8m

2.10 China and the Korean Peninsula4m

2.11 China and Central Asia: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)5m

1 reading

Module 2 Course Reading10m

1 practice exercise

Quiz 230m

Week

3

Week 3

2 hours to complete

Module 3: China’s Global Search for Energy and Resources

2 hours to complete

10 videos (Total 81 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

10 videos

3.1 Going Out for Energy and Resources7m

3.2 China’s Energy Anxiety4m

3.3 China’s Strategies to Resolve Energy Anxiety8m

3.4 Key Chinese Actors in Energy Diplomacy and Their Roles5m

3.5 Key Actors Outside the Government9m

3.6 Case Study: Iran – Balancing Energy Needs and Support for Non-Proliferation7m

3.7 Case Study: Angola – Dealing with an Independent, Neutral and Tough Partner12m

3.8 Case Study: Australia – Energy Diplomacy with a U.S. Strategic Ally7m

3.9 Case Study: Australia’s Quixotic Policy Towards China – Trade’s Strategic Significance13m

3.10 Module Conclusion4m

1 reading

Module 3 Course Reading10m

1 practice exercise

Quiz 330m

Week

4

Week 4

3 hours to complete

Module 4: China’s Global Search for Talent and Technology, 1978-2016

3 hours to complete

15 videos (Total 93 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

15 videos

4.1: What Can States Do?5m

4.2: Explaining China’s Success7m

4.3 The History of the Policy4m

4.4: Improving Policy After Tiananmen8m

4.5: Bringing the Party Back In: The 1000 Talents Program (2002-2008)6m

4.6: The 1000 Talents Program6m

4.7: Evaluating 1000 Talents Policy and its Limits7m

4.8: Case Study: Academics and Universities9m

4.9: Academics and Universities: Current Reforms7m

4.10: Case Study: Scientists and the Chinese Academy of Sciences5m

4.11: The Need for Reform at the Chinese Academy of Sciences11m

4.12: Case Study: Entrepreneurs and the Municipal Governments6m

4.13: Entrepreneurs, Technology and the Search for Shortage3m

4.14: Case Study: The Diaspora Option – Serving China from Abroad2m

4.15: Module Conclusion1m

1 reading

Module 4 Course Reading10m

1 practice exercise

Quiz 430m

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Chinese Politics Part 2 – China and the World