Press director and diplomat of Taipei’s economic and cultural office to offer talk on Taiwan’s emergence

The Department of Political Science and International Relations and the Asian Studies Program at the State University of New York at New Paltz will host Tony Ong, diplomat and director of the press division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York (TECO-NY), at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, in Lecture Center 102, to give a talk on Taiwan.

Mr. Ong will give a public lecture, titled “Taiwan’s Relationship with China and the USA: The Unique Position of an East Asian Democracy.” Mr. Ong will provide a brief history of Taiwan’s emergence as an important East Asian example of democratization, its complex relationships with China and the United States, and prospects for the future of Taiwan-U.S. relations and cross-Strait relations.

“Taiwan has historically played a very significant role in the critical China-U.S. relationship,” said Jonathan Schwartz, professor of the departments of Political Science and International Relations, “and the talk will address Taiwan’s continuing role in the politics, economics and security of East Asia and the world.”

Mr. Ong has spent more than a decade overseas and has headed several press divisions as a career information officer, most recently that of TECO-San Francisco. He will draw upon his unique experience in the practice of public diplomacy in a talk that is sure to provide an enlightening perspective on these multifaceted issues, said Schwartz.

The talk, which is free and open to the public, will include time for a question-and-answer period. For more information, please contact Jonathan Schwartz at schwartj@newpaltz.edu or Donna Siebert at siebertd@newpaltz.edu or (845) 257-3545.