The Cornell Program on Ethics and Public Life (EPL) will launch The Rise of China, a major series of lectures Jan. 30 on the politics and ethics of the rise of China. Leading figures from the United States, China and the United Kingdom, will speak at Cornell, including the chief economist of the World Bank.

The first speaker, David Kang, professor of international relations and business and director of the Korean Studies Institute at the University of Southern California, will speak on the impact of China's rise on international relations and regional stability; he will also address Korea in his Jan. 30 talk.

All lectures in the series will be held at 4:30 pm in Cornell's Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium in Goldwin Smith Hall.

"The rise of China is at the center of every issue of global importance, and each of these visitors has an influential, controversial view of this great transformation," says Richard Miller, EPL director.

"For example, Kang emphasizes the international role of the distinctive cultures and histories of China and other East Asia countries. He will argue that regional stability will not be a function of the balance of power: The key issue is whether China can develop a set of values and beliefs that other East Asian countries will accept and find legitimate. If he is right, the rise of China may not be the threat to regional stability that the Obama administration seems to suppose."

Other series' dates and speakers, who also will lead seminars and meet informally with faculty and students working on the topic, are:

The series is part of a major expansion of the interdisciplinary activities of the Program on Ethics and Public Life, whose mission is to promote mutual learning across disciplinary lines on the ethical implications of public policies, technologies, economic initiatives, and social and political processes.

"We are using Cornell's strengths to create a world-class center for interdisciplinary learning about topics of vital public importance," says Miller, noting that the fall 2012 series will focus on issues of equality, liberty and democracy that will be raised by the presidential campaigns.

Linda B. Glaser is staff writer for the College of Arts and Sciences.