Einladung der Ernst-Reuter-Gesellschaft und des Konfuzius-Instituts zum Hybrid-Vortrag in Englisch: Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. William C. Kirby, Harvard University „Why are we so afraid of China? The internal sources of Western Anxiety“
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
die Ernst-Reuter-Gesellschaft der Freunde, Förderer und Ehemaligen der Freien Universität Berlin e.V. und das Konfuzius-Institut an der Freien Universität Berlin laden Sie herzlich zum Vortrag vom Herrn Prof. Dr. William C. Kirby, Harvard University, „Why are we so afraid of China? The internal sources of Western anxiety“ ein.
Die Veranstaltung findet am Freitag, den 13. November 2026, um 16:00 Uhr im Hybrid-Format statt.
Der Vortrag findet auf Englisch statt, Fragen können auch auf Deutsch gestellt werden.
Für die Teilnahme in Präsenz:
Konfuzius-Institut an der Freien Universität Berlin
Goßlerstraße 2-4, 14195 Berlin
Raum 203 (großer Hörsaal)
Für die Online-Teilnahme:
Link: https://fu-berlin.webex.com/fu-berlin/j.php?MTID=m0194e65588bb55cf259d8515adcf5c95
Webinar-Nummer: 2791 945 4104
Webinar-Kennwort: DjbqmFfD463
Lecture (Hybrid)
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. William C. Kirby, Harvard University
Why are we so afraid of China? The internal sources of Western anxiety
Date: Friday, 13 November 2026, 16.00 h
Organized by the Ernst Reuter Society of Friends, Sponsors, and Alumni of Freie Universität Berlin e.V. and the Confucius Institute at Freie Universität Berlin
Why are we so afraid of China? It is a simple question, but one that, as Professor William C. Kirby argues, now shapes many aspects of American and European policy. Why? The source of Washington’s (and now Europe’s) anxiety is not simply China’s size, its political system, or its military ambitions. Rather, it is China’s remarkable success in building indigenous technological capabilities across multiple strategic industries simultaneously. The West is confronting a competitor that has evolved from assembling the world’s products to inventing them. Understanding how that transformation occurred, and what it means for our collective future, is the central purpose of this talk.
William C. Kirby is T. M. Chang Professor of China Studies at Harvard University and Spangler Family Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School. He is a Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor and serves as Chair of the Harvard China Fund and the Harvard Center Shanghai. Professor Kirby holds degrees from Dartmouth College, Harvard University, and (Dr. Phil. Honoris Causa) from the Freie Universität Berlin and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. A historian of modern China, his work examines China’s business, economic, and political development in an international context. His current research projects include case studies of contemporary Chinese businesses and a book examining how Chinese business strategy is being remade amid growing geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China. His latest books include Can China Lead? (Harvard Business Review Press); China and Europe on the New Silk Road (Oxford University Press); and, most recently, Empires of Ideas: Creating the Modern University from Germany to America to China (Belknap Press of Harvard University Press). He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
For in-person attendance:
Confucius Institute at Freie Universität Berlin
Goßlerstraße 2–4, 14195 Berlin
Room 203 (Lecture Hall)
For online attendance:
Link: https://fu-berlin.webex.com/fu-berlin/j.php?MTID=m0194e65588bb55cf259d8515adcf5c95
Webinar ID: 2791 945 4104
Passcode: DjbqmFfD463