Zhou Wenzhong, the People's Republic of China's ambassador to the United States, presented a lecture on "U.S. and China Relations" Tuesday evening at the Fitzpatrick Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences.
President Richard Brodhead introduced the talk, saying that relations between the United States and China were once "defined by a refusal to interact," but have come far in the area of diplomatic relations since then.
In his lecture, Zhou discussed the nuclear armament of North Korea, questions regarding human rights in China, China's policy on environmental issues, the economic exchange between the two countries and U.S.-China relations regarding Taiwan.
He outlined China's policy on the nuclear testing in North Korea, saying China is fully opposed to the testing.
"Our objective is very clear-the denuclearization of North Korea," Zhou said, adding that China has a commitment to reasoning with the country diplomatically.
Zhou also discussed human rights, saying that the United States and China have different views on the issue because of their varying cultural backgrounds.
He added that both countries must "seek common ground while resolving differences."
Environmental protection has also become an important issue for both countries and the world, Zhou said.
"[China] cannot do this in isolation, and must do this in cooperation with other countries," Zhou said, adding that he is dedicated to striking a balance between development and the environment.
Zhou also discussed the two countries' mutually beneficial economic interaction, which brings tangible benefits to both China and the United States.
"The China and U.S. relationship should and can become a fine example of relationships between countries," he said.
Zhou acknowledged there are still problems between the two countries, but said it is natural for them to exist and hopes the countries will work toward eliminating them.
In a question-and-answer session following the talk, Zhou urged Chinese students in the United States to do well and encouraged American students to study abroad.
"We hope there will be more Americans going to study in China and work in China," he said.
Sophomore Nicholas Kurtzman said he was glad that Zhou did not try to avoid any touchy subjects regarding U.S.-China relations but wished the speaker had spent more time addressing certain issues.
"He seemed to shy away from societal issues, but otherwise I thought he did very well," freshman Daniel Neff said.
Both Neff and Kurtzman said Zhou's speech at Duke would help to encourage cooperation between the University and Chinese universities.
"I think the fact that we are communicating with some of their top leaders will help us to think more about what we can do to better relationships with universities in China and possibly even cooperate with them," Kurtzman said.
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