All Events

Asialink is delighted to invite you to an exclusive opportunity to hear from two preeminent political theorists working on contemporary China. Professor Daniel A. Bell and Assistant Professor Pei Wang will each provide insight the Chinese political system and its leadership style.

How to make sense of China's political system?

In China, the political system aims to select and promote public officials with superior ability and virtue. This ideal -- known as "political meritocracy" (贤能政治）-- is deeply rooted in China's political culture and continues to inform the present day political system. There is a large gap between the ideal and the highly imperfect reality, but Daniel A. Bell will argue that the ideal of political meritocracy is the appropriate standard to judge China's political progress and regress.

The Leadership Myths that Shape U.S. and Chinese Power

The competition between the USA and China spans many levels. The USA embraces the hero archetype influenced by ancient Greek ideals. In contrast, China, deeply influenced by Confucian culture, maintains the significant role of the father archetype even under Communist leadership. Through this comparison, Pei Wang will illuminate how archetypal narratives continue to shape power dynamics in the twenty-first century.

Following the formal presentations, former Australian Ambassador to China Geoff Raby AO will moderate a Q&A session.

The Queensland Future School Leaders Program offers Year 5 students a unique opportunity to develop essential leadership, communication and teamwork skills.
Aligned with the Civics and Citizenship curriculum and completed during class time in Term 4, this facilitated program enables participants to collaborate online with peers from across the Asia-Pacific region. Together, participants will navigate and positively respond to the challenges experienced by our rapidly changing and diverse societies.

Through this program, participants not only enhance their self-awareness, analytical, creative-thinking and leadership abilities; they also develop the global competence and intercultural understanding needed to form meaningful relationships in an increasingly interconnected world.

Learning Objectives 
•    Improve personal leadership skills such as critical and creative thinking, collaboration, and empathy.   
•    Encourage effective communication skills through active participation, intercultural understanding, understanding diverse perspectives, and presenting ideas. 
•    Strengthen global citizenship through international engagement and addressing global issues.
•    Utilise design thinking framework and tools to develop solutions to local, school-based challenges.

This exclusive face-to-face forum is open to schools that demonstrated outstanding engagement in the 2025 Emerging Leaders Forum (ELF) online program. Participating schools must have attended all three ELF program days and submitted a project via Padlet. The forum provides an opportunity for student leaders to connect, share their learning, and deepen their leadership skills in a university setting.

To support balanced representation, a mix of ELF Primary and Junior Secondary schools will be included.

Help our young leaders build skills in intercultural communication, teamwork, and leadership and connect with students from international schools from Asia and the Pacific.