Speaker: Na Fu, Postdoctoral Associate, the China Initiative and the Watson Institution for International and Public Affairs, Brown University Moderator: Nick R. Smith, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Urban Studies Program, Architecture Department, Urban Studies, Barnard College As industrial production decentralizes, rural China has become a new hub for networked manufacturing, blurring the boundaries between factory and home. Migrant workers like Mrs. Wang are returning to their hometowns to set up workshop-style facilities, driven by labor shortages, infrastructure improvements, and digital connectivity.…

This event will examine the implications of a second Trump administration for U.S.-Southeast Asian relations. In the aftermath of Donald Trump’s reelection, Southeast Asian states braced for a return to the transactional America First policy of his first administration. The United States promptly withdrew from global organizations and multilateral agreements such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the Paris Climate Agreement, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership while questioning the benefits of alliances like NATO and downgrading engagement with ASEAN. Washington also…