Journalist Cheng Lei and the University of Melbourne’s Professor of Contemporary Chinese Studies Anthony J. Spires explore the domestic and global tensions shaping China’s future.
China’s growing influence is reshaping the global landscape, with far-reaching implications for economics, technology and international relations. As alliances shift and tensions evolve, understanding China’s ambitions – and how its people and the world are responding – has never been more vital.
Join journalist Cheng Lei (A Memoir of Freedom) and the University of Melbourne’s Professor of Contemporary Chinese Studies Anthony J. Spires (Everyday Democracy) for a timely conversation about China’s place in the world today. Drawing on Cheng’s experiences reporting from inside the country and Spires’ research into Chinese politics and society, they will explore the forces shaping the nation’s domestic and global trajectory.
For this inaugural event in our new Scholarship to Society series, Cheng and Spires examine questions of power, democracy and influence – and what a new world order might mean for Australia. With host Associate Professor Louisa Lim, Deputy Director at the Centre for Advancing Journalism.
Presented in partnership with Melbourne Public Humanities Initiative, Faculty of Arts, the University of Melbourne
Event and Ticketing Details
Dates & Times
Tickets
Location
Accessibility
Accessible toilets available
Assistive Listening
Auslan interpreting available by-request
Companion tickets available
Registered Assistance Animals welcome
Wheelchair accessible
For information regarding accessibility at The Wheeler Centre, click here.
Please notify us of all access requirements when booking online so we can assist you with your visit. If you require further information, please contact ticketing@wheelercentre.com.
Additional Notes
Participants will be signing books after the event.

Melbourne was designated the world’s second UNESCO City of Literature in 2008. As part of this global network, we strive to support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, a set of 17 goals designed to promote fairness, health and environmental sustainability worldwide. 
This event addresses Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
Featuring

Cheng Lei
Cheng Lei is an Australian Chinese journalist who has worked in the media for over twenty years. From her start in finance, to covering China during its economic rise starting in the early 2000s, even during her ...

Anthony J. Spires
Anthony J. Spires is Professor of Contemporary Chinese Studies at the University of Melbourne and Deputy Associate Dean, International for China, in the Faculty of Arts. His research focuses on the development ...

