Live webcast sparks discussion about China’s imports and exports

On Tuesday, Oct. 24, a live webcast took place at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship on Riverfront Drive.

This is the second year that the Business Department at Minnesota State University, Mankato has held the webcast.

The webcast was called “CHINA Town Hall: Local connections and National Reflections,” and was sponsored by the National Committee on U.S. and China Relations.

This year, former Ambassador Susan E. Rice spoke for the webcast. It was shown in Mankato and more than 80 other locations nationwide.

Amy Linde, director of communication and events at the College of Business, explained what a webcast is.

“They have one speaker in one place to basically make the speaker go live to a certain number of people and certain locations that have been pre-approved,” she said. “Everybody across the nation at these sites will be watching and sitting in their seats listening to her at the same time and then engaging in conversation. There are hashtags, too, where they encourage people to submit questions live, interact in conversation. So, it’s kind of an interactive experience.”

After the webcast, Susan Shifflett provided a local perspective on the issue. Shifflett, the country manager for East Asia for the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, spoke about soy production and agriculture in relations with China.

“We have a lot of business people in agriculture attending. There’s a lot going on with exports and imports in China. There’s different regulations on food and food’s really important,” Linde said. “Some countries have tighter restrictions, some have less restrictions. But [Shifflett is] going to break it down because at the end of the day, food is the most important thing; you need it to feed a growing population. So how do we manage that relationship to get the food that’s demanded in China to China, and the food that’s grown in China back to the U.S.?”

So many people were interested in this event that there was a waiting list. Linde hopes to have a bigger location next year.

If you missed out on this event, the Business Department will be holding more events in the future that will give people a global perspective. There will be an event on Nov. 13 with a professor of accounting who’s from Egypt.

“He’s going to talk about the Middle East, Islam politics and business,” Linde said.

Linde explained the importance of events like these and why people should attend them.

“Everything global is important. The world we live in now is all interrelated,” she said. “The more we can learn and talk about and have meaningful conversations about what’s happening around the globe, the better it is. It’s really vital to be more knowledgeable about what’s happening everywhere.”