DURHAM, N.H. - The University of New Hampshire is the state's host site for the 10th annual China Town Hall, an international event that will focus on Sino-American relations and feature former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016, at 7 p.m. in Murkland Hall’s Richards Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

“China Town Hall: Local Connections, National Reflections” is a national day of programming designed to provide Americans across the United States and beyond the opportunity to discuss these issues with leading experts. The event features a live webcast by Kissinger, who as the U.S. national security advisor (1969-1975) was the first major American representative to meet with Chairman Mao Zedong in July 1971. That historic meeting eventually led to President Nixon’s unprecedented trip to the People's Republic of China in February 1972 and diplomatic recognition in 1979. Awarded the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize, Kissinger has written extensively on Sino-American relations, including “On China,” which analyzes the progress of China’s development through the centuries, with special emphasis on his interactions with Chinese leaders and their assertive nationalism.

“During his tenure as President Nixon’s national security advisor, Kissinger laid the foundation for our current relationship with China,” said Chris Reardon, associate professor of political science and co-founder of UNH's Asian studies program, who will moderate the event. “His insights continue to inform our current and future relations with China.” 

After the live webcast, Douglas G. Spelman will comment on Kissinger’s talk, as well as provide his personal insights on current Sino-American relations. Spelman received a bachelor’s from Oberlin College and his master’s and Ph.D. in history and East Asian languages from Harvard University. After several years teaching Chinese history at Bucknell University and managing student exchange programs in Taiwan and Hong Kong, in 1977 he joined the U.S. Foreign Service. From 2002-2005 he served as U.S. Consul General in Shanghai. Spelman retired in 2007 with the rank of Minister Counselor in the Senior Foreign Service. He is currently a senior advisor at the Wilson Center’s Kissinger Institute on China and the United States.

China Town Hall is sponsored by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, the UNH Department of Political Science, and the UNH Asian Studies program.

UNH is a leader in Asian studies in the state of New Hampshire. The university is home to the state's only Confucius Institute, a nonprofit educational institution that promotes Chinese language and culture. The university offers an undergraduate Asian studies program that provides students with advanced Chinese language classes and a deep knowledge about Asian peoples and their experiences in the United States. UNH's M.B.A. programs include an intensive, 10-day international business residency program in China. During the summer, UNH hosts the STARTALK Chinese Language Summer Camp, an immersive nonresidential program for middle and high school students focused on Chinese cultural and linguistic activities, including Mandarin Chinese preparation.