Asia Society President and CEO Kevin Rudd Speaks at Fletcher

Kevin Rudd, President and CEO of the  Asia Society, spoke to Fletcher School students, faculty, staff, and alumni at a talk moderated by Professor Kelly Sims Gallagher on Wednesday, March 20, 2022, in the ASEAN Auditorium.

Rudd spoke about his new book THE AVOIDABLE WAR: The Dangers of a Catastrophic Conflict between the US and Xi Jinping's China. Written, Rudd says, due to the failures of diplomacy between the two countries, the relationship between the US and China, two of the world’s superpowers, is particularly strained at this time.

Rudd is an expert in the field, and has lived in and worked with China for more than 40 years. Also fluent in Mandarin, Rudd is one of a few people that has worked closely with the Chinese government over the last several decades and can offer insight into the political leaders and policies in the country.

Rudd said he hopes the book will reduce the risk of accidental war and believes that a non-lethal strategy between China and the US is quite possible.

Before fielding numerous questions from students and alumni in the audience, Rudd said he believes China is willing to work with the US towards creating climate change policies and the Chinese people want many of the same things Americans want.

“What I love about China is also actually what I love about America. It’s the huge emphasis on the importance of family, a huge emphasis on the importance of education, and the huge emphasis on the importance of enterprise. When you see all those things at work in both cultures it’s quite phenomenal to see. If you guys actually got together, God knows what you could do for the planet,” Rudd said.

Copies of his book THE AVOIDABLE WAR: The Dangers of a Catastrophic Conflict between the US and Xi Jinping's China are on sale here.

Watch the entire talk on YouTube.