Natanael Ulien, TLM/ITED ’20

EAST ASIA PRACTICUM (CHINA & JAPAN)

Group picture at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

This trip was an eye opener about the East Asia area; I had the opportunity to enjoy part of the culture and at the same time attend lectures from top officials and academia of both Japan and China. We started our seminar with a visit to one of the shrines, which is a very controversial place. It was great to see what it was about. The next day we went to the National Defense Institute, which was heavily guarded in my opinion. We went to the parliament of Japan where we learned about the governmental structure and had a personal view about the rise of North Korea. We learned as well about the challenges in the Sino-Japan relationship and how important it is for both countries to have good diplomatic ties. The last important meeting we had in Japan was a brief from one of the WTO representatives who taught us about the importance of US coming back to the table for the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the bilateral relationship between the US and Japan. 
China was a little different than Japan; in the latter it was about keeping the world at peace, don’t disturb the market, and try to keep the world food market stable. However, China’s representatives were more about China first. It was more about getting recognition in the world as a world power but establish their own rules that don’t fall under the current world order. It was a very controlled environment with police in every corner and building. 

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