18th ASN Conference – World War II 80 Years On: Remembrance and Reassessment in U.S.-China Relations

Session One

December 3, 09:00-11:00 Beijing | December 2, 20:00-22:00 Washington DC

Opening Remarks

Julia Chang Bloch

Executive Chair and Founder of U.S.-China Education Trust

Keynote: War Memory and History Writing in China and the West

Rana Mitter

S.T. Lee Professor of U.S.-Asia Relations, Harvard University

Professor Mitter will discuss the conceptualization and writing of China’s war of resistance against Japan as part of Western World War II historiography, expounding on the changes and evolution in academic research and public memory. Drawing on his scholarship, Mitter will explore the extent of cooperation between China and the United States in defeating Japan in the Asia-Pacific Theater and also unpack the significance of the differences in war memory along with its implications for the current bilateral relationship.

Fireside Chat

Rana Mitter

S.T. Lee Professor of U.S.-Asia Relations, Harvard University

Wang Dong

Professor of International Studies, Peking University

In this conversation, leading academics from both sides of the Pacific will discuss how World War II is taught, remembered, and commemorated in the United States and China. They explore the political, cultural, and educational factors that shape divergent historical narratives and consider whether shared historical understanding is possible – or even necessary – for managing contemporary relations.

Panel One: Remembering WWII Across the Pacific – Memories and Legacies

This panel brings together cultural historians, filmmakers, and experts to examine how institutions and individuals preserve and present the story of U.S.-China wartime cooperation. Panelists will discuss how documentary films, museum exhibitions, and literature shape public understanding of the alliance, and explore the challenges of keeping this history alive for new generations amid contemporary geopolitical tensions.

Melinda Liu

Beijing Bureau Chief, Newsweek

Moderator

Emily Matson

Professorial Lecturer, Elliott School of International Affairs; Adjunct Lecturer, Georgetown University Department of History

Panelist

Zhao Mei

Deputy Editor-in-Chief
of the American Studies,
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Panelist

Shirley Sun

Filmmaker,
Vinegar Joe (General Stillwell in China)

Panelist