Foreign Policy Initiative hosts US-China town hall looking to improve pivotal economic relationships
Global politics is a complex game, one that can take decades of negotiations to progress, but one that can also be kicked off in just one conversation.
At a US Global Leadership Coalition Event, Arizona State University and Thunderbird School of Global Management Alumnus, Dominic Frattura and his former professor, Doug Guthrie, kicked off a very interesting conversation.
“Both Dominic and I are passionate about hard-edge policy analysis as a part of the teaching, training, and thought leadership Thunderbird brings to the sector,” Guthrie said. “We hatched a plan to form an Alumni-Faculty-Student club called the Thunderbird Foreign Policy Initiative.”
The Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI) stands by the same core values as Thunderbird, “emphasizing a global mindset that includes understanding the cultural nuances of different nations,” and according to founder Frattura “aim(s) to complement this education by creating a platform that brings foreign policy and global political realities into sharper focus for future global leaders.”
And right now, the FPI has a clear goal in mind for how and where to do that.
“US-China relations are at the worst point they have been in 30 years. We must work to improve the relations of the world’s two largest economies. And Phoenix is ground-zero for this discussion,” Guthrie claimed at the FPI’s first ever Oct. 7 US-China Town Hall meeting.
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Members of the Foreign Policy Initiative meet with director of the Council on Foreign Relation’s new RealEcon Initiative, Matthew Goodman, to discuss global trade at the Thunderbird School of Global Management.
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Professor Doug Guthrie addresses the "Leadership & Innovation Series - US-China Relations" alongside speakers Anumoy Chatterjee, John McKiel, Paul Dai and Alex Wolfgram.
Foreign Policy Initiative
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The Foreign Policy Initiative helps organize meet with Rahayu Saraswati, Indonesian Congresswoman-Elect, at the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations event.
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FPI Advisor Doug Guthrie shares the stage with Council on Foreign Relations President, Mike Froman, and Director of Studies Shannon K. O'Neil, at Thunderbird Foreign Policy Public Forum
Foreign Policy Initiative
Shortly after the initial meeting, and with this support, the FPI expanded to feature a wider array of alumni, students and faculty, including campus ambassador Kathleen Tate Mulligan.
“The discussions have attracted a diverse group of attendees," Mulligan said. “Thunderbird alumni, Americans with business experience in China, Chinese business-people, American-born Chinese individuals, Chinese investors in Phoenix, students, and representatives from Sister Cities and Global Ties.”
With bold discussions and diverse community support, the FPI’s sentiment caught the attention of Global Ties Arizona. As well as the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, who both wanted to support the club's effort.
John Lee, President of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, stated the historic business organization's enthusiasm for the project.
“We are excited about the opportunities to team up with the ever-growing ASU and Thunderbird for a series of U.S.-China Forums,” Lee said. “This collaboration is a result of the ASU and Thunderbird open policy in community relations and building collaborative community ties.”
The next US-China Town Hall is scheduled for Tuesday, December 3 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. MST. To RSVP for in-person or online attendance, visit here.