Paul Evans

Professor Emeritus
Areas of Expertise

About

Paul Evans (PhD with distinction Dalhousie University 1982) retired from UBC in June 2023 after 43 years of university teaching. He is currently Professor Emeritus.

His academic appointments have been as follows:

  • Assistant Professor, Acadia University, 1980-81
  • Assistant, Associate and Professor, Department of Political Science, York University, 1981-97;
  • Director, University of Toronto – York University Joint Centre for Asia Pacific Studies, 1991-96;
  • Visiting Professor, Asia Center, Harvard University, 1997-99;
  • Acting Director, Liu Institute for Global Issues, 2004-5;
  • Director, Institute of Asian Research, 2008-11;
  • Visiting Professor at the University of Hong Kong, 2011 and 2013;
  • Visiting Professor and Head of the International Academic Advisory Panel to the School of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University, 2013-16.

Between 2005 and 2008, he was seconded from UBC to serve as the Co-CEO and Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. And between 2020 and 2023 he held the HSBC Chair in Asian Research at UBC.

A regionalist rather than country specialist, he has held visiting fellowships at the Australian National University (1988); National Chengchi University in Taiwan (1989); Chulalongkorn University (1989); the East-West Center (1995); and the National Institute for Research Advancement in Tokyo (1999) and spoken at more than fifty universities and think tanks across the region.

An advocate of cooperative and human security, he has been studying and promoting policy-related activity on track-two security processes and the construction of multilateral institutions since 1988.  He was a co-founder of the Council for Security Cooperation in Asia Pacific (CSCAP), the Canadian Consortium on Human Security, and the co-founder of the Canada-Korea Forum.  He has directed exchange and partnership projects with fifteen research institutes in Asia and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs funded by governments and foundations in Canada, Japan, the United States, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia.  Between 1990 and 2002 he organized two dozen meetings involving participants from North Korea.

He is currently a Canadian representative on the ASEAN Regional Forum’s Experts and Eminent Persons Group.

A member of the Global Council of the Asia Society in New York, he also sits on the editorial boards of The Pacific Review, the Chinese Journal of International Politics, the China Quarterly for International Strategic Studies, and Mexico y la Cuenca del Pacifico.

His graduate and undergraduate teaching at UBC focused on Global China and World Order.

The author or editor of seven books, his first was a biography of John Fairbank, his most popular the two editions of a lexicon of Asia Pacific security terminology (with David Capie), and his most recent “Engaging China: Myth, Aspiration and Strategy in Canadian Policy from Trudeau to Harper,” published in 2014.

His recent writings and media commentaries have focused on Canada-China relations, Asian security dynamics, and the emergence of techno-nationalism as a defining force in regional affairs.  Some of them are available here and on his blog. His condensed academic CV is available here, and his complete academic CV is available here.

He is married to Catherine Evans and they plan to remain resident in Vancouver.

His retirement message to the UBC community can be viewed below:

 


Teaching


Publications

Selected Publications

[Books | Reports | Essays | 中文著作 ]

Books

Engaging ChinaEngaging China: Myth Aspiration and Strategy in Canadian Policy from Trudeau to Harper. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With David Capie, The Asia-Pacific Security Lexion, 2nd revised and expanded edition.Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2007, pp.xv, 248.
With David Capie, The Asia-Pacific Security Lexicon. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2002, pp.xv, 224. [Translated into Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Mongolian, Thai, and Vietnamese]
The Asia-Pacific Security Lexicon (2nd Edition)        The Asia-Pacific Security Lexicon

Beyond Boundaries - A Report on the State of Non-Official Dialogues on Peace, Security & Cooperation in South AsiaWith Navnita Chadha Behera and Gowher Rizvi, Beyond Boundaries: A Report on the State of Non-Official Dialogues on Peace, Security and Cooperation in South Asia. Toronto: Joint Centre for Asia Pacific Studies, 1998, pp.315.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Studying Asia Pacific SecurityEditor and Contributor, Studying Asia Pacific Security: The Future of Research, Training and Dialogue Activities. Toronto: Join Centre for Asia Pacific Studies, 1994, pp.388. “Preface” (with Jusuf Wanandi), pp.1-3 and “The Dialogue Process on Asia Pacific Security Issues: Inventory and Analysis,” pp. 297-318.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reluctant Adversaries - Canada and the People's Republic of China 1949-1970 With B. Michael Frolic, co-editor and contributor, Reluctant Adversaries: Canada and the People’s Republic of China, 1949-1970. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1991, pp.xii, 288. “Introduction,” pp.3-17 and “Epilogue: Canadian Recognition Initiatives, 1958-68,” pp.65-69. Chinese translation published by the Tianjin University Press, 1996.

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Fairbank and the American Understanding of Modern ChinaJohn Fairbank and the American Understanding of Modern China. New York and Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1988, pp.xiv, 366. Chinese translation published by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, 1995.

 

 

 

Reports

The Future of Canada’s relationship with China,” with Wendy Dobson, Institute for Research on Public Policy, November 2015.
(for PDF version of this report, click here.)

With Don Campbell and Pierre Lortie, Securing Canada’s Place in Asia: Means, Institutions and Mechanisms, Task Force Report to the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, 52 pp., 6 September 2012.

With Xiaojun Li, “Canadian Public Attitudes on China and Canada-China Relations: Report of Collected Data,” and “Pragmatism Amidst Anxiety: Canadian Opinions on China and Canada-China Relations,” IAR Reports, 17 October 2017, available at https://iar.ubc.ca/publications/reports/

With Xiaojun Li and Pascale Massot, “October 2019 National Survey Results and Findings of Canadian Public Attitudes on China and Canada-China Relations,” 31 October 2019, 10 pp., https://sppga.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/10/Full-Report-Website.31oct19.pdf; “Full Results of Third National Survey,” 31 October 2019, 70 pp.; https://sppga.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/10/Full-Findings.30oct19-1.pdf; “Comparison with Previous Surveys (Select Questions), 31 October 2019, 10 pp., https://sppga.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/10/Final-Report.comparisontables.31oct19.pdf.  All available along with links to three previous surveys at IAR Reports, https://sppga.ubc.ca/research-impact/publications

 

Selected Essays

Canada-China Relations and the Evolving Roles of Universities: Towards Partnerships 2.0.” in Ruth Hayhoe, et al., eds., “Canadian Universities in China’s Transformation: An Untold Story (McGill-Queens University Press, 2017).

Techno-Nationalism in China-US Relations: Implications for Universities,” East Asian Policy, Vol. 12, No. 2, April/June 2020, pp. 80-92.

Ralph Cossa and Paul Evans,  The ASEAN Regional Forum at 25: Moving Forward or Still Standing?  – Issues & Insights Vol. 19, Working Paper #7. July 22, 2019, 37 pages.

Middle Powerism in the 21st Century: Mission Impossible?“, Global Asia, Vol. 11, No.1, Spring 2016.

Co-operative Security 2.0,” with Chen Dongxiao, Global Asia, Cover Story, Vol.11, No.1, Spring 2016.

Close Encounters: How Best to Deal with a Rising China,” Literary Review of Canada, July-August 2015.

Scholars and Policymakers: Asian Pacific Experiences with Policy Dialogues,” in Lowenthal and Bertucci, eds., Narrowing the Gap: Scholarly, Policy Makers and International Affairs, July 2014.

Human Security and East Asia”, in Martin and Owen, eds., The Routledge Handbook of Human Security Routledge 2014, pp. 272-82

Between Truth and Power: Kim Kyung-Won, 1936-2012,” in Han Sung-Joo, editor,Thoughts and Wishes of a Liberal: Writings of Dr. Kim Kyung-Won, Seoul: Joong An Books and Company, 2013, pp. 36-58.

A Farewell to Trans-Pacific Cosmopolitanism?  On the Passing of Robert Scalapino, Kim Kyung Won and Yamamoto Tadashi,” Global Asia, Vol. 8, No. 4, Winter 2013, pp. 83-88.

Dancing with the Dragon,” lead essay in the Literary Review of Canada, April 2013.

Historians and Chinese World Order: Fairbank, Wang and the Matter of ‘Indeterminate Relevance’,” in Zheng Yongnian, ed., China and International Relations: The Chinese View and the Contribution of Wang Gungwu.  London: Routledge: July 2010.

Asian Power Shift: Ready or Not”, in Fen Hampson and Paul Heinbecker, eds., Canada Among Nations 2009-2010: As Others See Us.  Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press, 2010, pp. 115-22.

 

Recent Presentations

“What Does it Mean to be a Friend of China”, presentation to the Canada-China Friendship Society in Ottawa, 15 June 2020.  https://ccfso.org/notice-of-webinar/

Testimony to the Special Parliamentary Committee on Canada-China Relations, by video conference, 24 February 2020. https://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/CACN/Meetings

Navigating the US-China Confrontation: Lessons from John Fairbank and the 1950s,” featured lecture, Institute of East Asian Studies Colloquium, University of California at Berkeley, 3 December 2019.

 

Media Appearances

In the Media

 

Recent Opinion Pieces

“Canada Contemplates the Harsh Realities of One World Two Systems,” East Asia Forum, 26 July 2020.      https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2020/07/26/canada-contemplates-the-harsh-realities-of-one-world-two-systems/

“Canada Caught in the Vortex of US-China Techno-nationalism,” East Asia Forum, 26 February 2019, https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2019/02/26/canada-caught-in-the-vortex-of-us-china-techno-nationalism/.

“Canada is Caught in the Middle of a China-US Tech War,” Globe and Mail, 10 December 2018, https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-america-is-already-at-war-with-china-can-canada-really-remain-neutral/

 

中文著作

61680b08ff08480f96a9053a2bb2c245

新型大国关系:机遇与挑战 [New Type of Great Power Relations - Opportunities and Challenges]理解和运用“保护的责任”原则:走向一致 [Interpreting and Applying the Responsibility to Protect: Paths to Common Ground]”, 新型大国关系:机遇与挑战 [New Type of Great Power Relations: Opportunities and Challenges], February 2015.

 

 

 

 

 

 

诠释与落实“保护的责任”:通往共同点的途径 [Interpreting and Applying the Responsibility to Protect: A Path to Common Ground]”, 国际政治研究[The Journal of International Studies (Peking University)], Summer 2014.

人的安全与东亚:回顾与展望 [East Asia and Human Security:Review and Prospects]”, 世界经济与政治 [World Economics and Politics], June 2004. 

新开端:加拿大与中华人民共和国(1949-1970)
“新开端:加拿大与中华人民共和国(1949-1970)[Reluctant Adversaries: Canada and the People’s Republic of China, 1949-1970], 河南人民出版社, September 1995.

 

 

 

 

 

 

费正清看中国“费正清看中国 [John Fairbank and the American Understanding of Modern China]”, 上海人民出版社, May 1995.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work in Progress or Forthcoming

The second instalment to the biography of John Fairbank published in 1988 [here] looking at his influence and meaning 30 years after his death in an era of US-China confrontation.

Ongoing public opinion studies of Canadian views on China and Canada-China relations as well as mainstream media narratives and English and Chinese language social media coverage.


Current Courses

UBC Blogs – Paul Evans

Paul Evans currently offers two seminars, one on “Global China and World Order,” and a second on “Canada and Global Asia,” as well as leading a Global Policy Project for the Masters of Public Policy and Global Affairs graduate program.

  • GPP 591D, “The Global Challenge of Global China: Policy Aspects”, an integrated graduate/undergraduate seminar. Fall Semester 2018.
    To view the syllabus, click here.
  • Political Science 460C, “Global China in a Changing World Order”, a seminar for 4th-year undergrads in the International Relations Program. Fall Semester 2020.

Past Courses

Undergraduate
Introduction to Politics (Acadia)
Introduction to Canadian Politics (Acadia)
Introduction to International Relations  (Acadia, York)
Government and Politics of China (York)
Comparative Foreign Policy Analysis (York)
International Relations Theory (York)
China’s Rise and Asia’s Future (HKU)
China and World Order (HKU)
Singapore’s Foreign Policy (SMU)

Graduate
International Relations Theory (York)
International Relations of Eastern Asia (York)
Sino-Canadian Relations (York)
Pacific Trade and Security (York)
American Foreign Policy (York)
New Institutionalism in Asia (Harvard, UBC)
Asia Pacific Policy: Methods and Perspectives (UBC)
Asia Pacific Policy: Security and Media Modules (UBC)
Global China and World Order (UBC, HKU)


Paul Evans

Professor Emeritus
Areas of Expertise

About

Paul Evans (PhD with distinction Dalhousie University 1982) retired from UBC in June 2023 after 43 years of university teaching. He is currently Professor Emeritus.

His academic appointments have been as follows:

  • Assistant Professor, Acadia University, 1980-81
  • Assistant, Associate and Professor, Department of Political Science, York University, 1981-97;
  • Director, University of Toronto – York University Joint Centre for Asia Pacific Studies, 1991-96;
  • Visiting Professor, Asia Center, Harvard University, 1997-99;
  • Acting Director, Liu Institute for Global Issues, 2004-5;
  • Director, Institute of Asian Research, 2008-11;
  • Visiting Professor at the University of Hong Kong, 2011 and 2013;
  • Visiting Professor and Head of the International Academic Advisory Panel to the School of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University, 2013-16.

Between 2005 and 2008, he was seconded from UBC to serve as the Co-CEO and Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. And between 2020 and 2023 he held the HSBC Chair in Asian Research at UBC.

A regionalist rather than country specialist, he has held visiting fellowships at the Australian National University (1988); National Chengchi University in Taiwan (1989); Chulalongkorn University (1989); the East-West Center (1995); and the National Institute for Research Advancement in Tokyo (1999) and spoken at more than fifty universities and think tanks across the region.

An advocate of cooperative and human security, he has been studying and promoting policy-related activity on track-two security processes and the construction of multilateral institutions since 1988.  He was a co-founder of the Council for Security Cooperation in Asia Pacific (CSCAP), the Canadian Consortium on Human Security, and the co-founder of the Canada-Korea Forum.  He has directed exchange and partnership projects with fifteen research institutes in Asia and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs funded by governments and foundations in Canada, Japan, the United States, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia.  Between 1990 and 2002 he organized two dozen meetings involving participants from North Korea.

He is currently a Canadian representative on the ASEAN Regional Forum’s Experts and Eminent Persons Group.

A member of the Global Council of the Asia Society in New York, he also sits on the editorial boards of The Pacific Review, the Chinese Journal of International Politics, the China Quarterly for International Strategic Studies, and Mexico y la Cuenca del Pacifico.

His graduate and undergraduate teaching at UBC focused on Global China and World Order.

The author or editor of seven books, his first was a biography of John Fairbank, his most popular the two editions of a lexicon of Asia Pacific security terminology (with David Capie), and his most recent “Engaging China: Myth, Aspiration and Strategy in Canadian Policy from Trudeau to Harper,” published in 2014.

His recent writings and media commentaries have focused on Canada-China relations, Asian security dynamics, and the emergence of techno-nationalism as a defining force in regional affairs.  Some of them are available here and on his blog. His condensed academic CV is available here, and his complete academic CV is available here.

He is married to Catherine Evans and they plan to remain resident in Vancouver.

His retirement message to the UBC community can be viewed below:

 


Teaching


Publications

Selected Publications

[Books | Reports | Essays | 中文著作 ]

Books

Engaging ChinaEngaging China: Myth Aspiration and Strategy in Canadian Policy from Trudeau to Harper. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With David Capie, The Asia-Pacific Security Lexion, 2nd revised and expanded edition.Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2007, pp.xv, 248.
With David Capie, The Asia-Pacific Security Lexicon. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2002, pp.xv, 224. [Translated into Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Mongolian, Thai, and Vietnamese]
The Asia-Pacific Security Lexicon (2nd Edition)        The Asia-Pacific Security Lexicon

Beyond Boundaries - A Report on the State of Non-Official Dialogues on Peace, Security & Cooperation in South AsiaWith Navnita Chadha Behera and Gowher Rizvi, Beyond Boundaries: A Report on the State of Non-Official Dialogues on Peace, Security and Cooperation in South Asia. Toronto: Joint Centre for Asia Pacific Studies, 1998, pp.315.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Studying Asia Pacific SecurityEditor and Contributor, Studying Asia Pacific Security: The Future of Research, Training and Dialogue Activities. Toronto: Join Centre for Asia Pacific Studies, 1994, pp.388. “Preface” (with Jusuf Wanandi), pp.1-3 and “The Dialogue Process on Asia Pacific Security Issues: Inventory and Analysis,” pp. 297-318.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reluctant Adversaries - Canada and the People's Republic of China 1949-1970 With B. Michael Frolic, co-editor and contributor, Reluctant Adversaries: Canada and the People’s Republic of China, 1949-1970. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1991, pp.xii, 288. “Introduction,” pp.3-17 and “Epilogue: Canadian Recognition Initiatives, 1958-68,” pp.65-69. Chinese translation published by the Tianjin University Press, 1996.

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Fairbank and the American Understanding of Modern ChinaJohn Fairbank and the American Understanding of Modern China. New York and Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1988, pp.xiv, 366. Chinese translation published by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, 1995.

 

 

 

Reports

The Future of Canada’s relationship with China,” with Wendy Dobson, Institute for Research on Public Policy, November 2015.
(for PDF version of this report, click here.)

With Don Campbell and Pierre Lortie, Securing Canada’s Place in Asia: Means, Institutions and Mechanisms, Task Force Report to the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, 52 pp., 6 September 2012.

With Xiaojun Li, “Canadian Public Attitudes on China and Canada-China Relations: Report of Collected Data,” and “Pragmatism Amidst Anxiety: Canadian Opinions on China and Canada-China Relations,” IAR Reports, 17 October 2017, available at https://iar.ubc.ca/publications/reports/

With Xiaojun Li and Pascale Massot, “October 2019 National Survey Results and Findings of Canadian Public Attitudes on China and Canada-China Relations,” 31 October 2019, 10 pp., https://sppga.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/10/Full-Report-Website.31oct19.pdf; “Full Results of Third National Survey,” 31 October 2019, 70 pp.; https://sppga.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/10/Full-Findings.30oct19-1.pdf; “Comparison with Previous Surveys (Select Questions), 31 October 2019, 10 pp., https://sppga.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/10/Final-Report.comparisontables.31oct19.pdf.  All available along with links to three previous surveys at IAR Reports, https://sppga.ubc.ca/research-impact/publications

 

Selected Essays

Canada-China Relations and the Evolving Roles of Universities: Towards Partnerships 2.0.” in Ruth Hayhoe, et al., eds., “Canadian Universities in China’s Transformation: An Untold Story (McGill-Queens University Press, 2017).

Techno-Nationalism in China-US Relations: Implications for Universities,” East Asian Policy, Vol. 12, No. 2, April/June 2020, pp. 80-92.

Ralph Cossa and Paul Evans,  The ASEAN Regional Forum at 25: Moving Forward or Still Standing?  – Issues & Insights Vol. 19, Working Paper #7. July 22, 2019, 37 pages.

Middle Powerism in the 21st Century: Mission Impossible?“, Global Asia, Vol. 11, No.1, Spring 2016.

Co-operative Security 2.0,” with Chen Dongxiao, Global Asia, Cover Story, Vol.11, No.1, Spring 2016.

Close Encounters: How Best to Deal with a Rising China,” Literary Review of Canada, July-August 2015.

Scholars and Policymakers: Asian Pacific Experiences with Policy Dialogues,” in Lowenthal and Bertucci, eds., Narrowing the Gap: Scholarly, Policy Makers and International Affairs, July 2014.

Human Security and East Asia”, in Martin and Owen, eds., The Routledge Handbook of Human Security Routledge 2014, pp. 272-82

Between Truth and Power: Kim Kyung-Won, 1936-2012,” in Han Sung-Joo, editor,Thoughts and Wishes of a Liberal: Writings of Dr. Kim Kyung-Won, Seoul: Joong An Books and Company, 2013, pp. 36-58.

A Farewell to Trans-Pacific Cosmopolitanism?  On the Passing of Robert Scalapino, Kim Kyung Won and Yamamoto Tadashi,” Global Asia, Vol. 8, No. 4, Winter 2013, pp. 83-88.

Dancing with the Dragon,” lead essay in the Literary Review of Canada, April 2013.

Historians and Chinese World Order: Fairbank, Wang and the Matter of ‘Indeterminate Relevance’,” in Zheng Yongnian, ed., China and International Relations: The Chinese View and the Contribution of Wang Gungwu.  London: Routledge: July 2010.

Asian Power Shift: Ready or Not”, in Fen Hampson and Paul Heinbecker, eds., Canada Among Nations 2009-2010: As Others See Us.  Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press, 2010, pp. 115-22.

 

Recent Presentations

“What Does it Mean to be a Friend of China”, presentation to the Canada-China Friendship Society in Ottawa, 15 June 2020.  https://ccfso.org/notice-of-webinar/

Testimony to the Special Parliamentary Committee on Canada-China Relations, by video conference, 24 February 2020. https://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/CACN/Meetings

Navigating the US-China Confrontation: Lessons from John Fairbank and the 1950s,” featured lecture, Institute of East Asian Studies Colloquium, University of California at Berkeley, 3 December 2019.

 

Media Appearances

In the Media

 

Recent Opinion Pieces

“Canada Contemplates the Harsh Realities of One World Two Systems,” East Asia Forum, 26 July 2020.      https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2020/07/26/canada-contemplates-the-harsh-realities-of-one-world-two-systems/

“Canada Caught in the Vortex of US-China Techno-nationalism,” East Asia Forum, 26 February 2019, https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2019/02/26/canada-caught-in-the-vortex-of-us-china-techno-nationalism/.

“Canada is Caught in the Middle of a China-US Tech War,” Globe and Mail, 10 December 2018, https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-america-is-already-at-war-with-china-can-canada-really-remain-neutral/

 

中文著作

61680b08ff08480f96a9053a2bb2c245

新型大国关系:机遇与挑战 [New Type of Great Power Relations - Opportunities and Challenges]理解和运用“保护的责任”原则:走向一致 [Interpreting and Applying the Responsibility to Protect: Paths to Common Ground]”, 新型大国关系:机遇与挑战 [New Type of Great Power Relations: Opportunities and Challenges], February 2015.

 

 

 

 

 

 

诠释与落实“保护的责任”:通往共同点的途径 [Interpreting and Applying the Responsibility to Protect: A Path to Common Ground]”, 国际政治研究[The Journal of International Studies (Peking University)], Summer 2014.

人的安全与东亚:回顾与展望 [East Asia and Human Security:Review and Prospects]”, 世界经济与政治 [World Economics and Politics], June 2004. 

新开端:加拿大与中华人民共和国(1949-1970)
“新开端:加拿大与中华人民共和国(1949-1970)[Reluctant Adversaries: Canada and the People’s Republic of China, 1949-1970], 河南人民出版社, September 1995.

 

 

 

 

 

 

费正清看中国“费正清看中国 [John Fairbank and the American Understanding of Modern China]”, 上海人民出版社, May 1995.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work in Progress or Forthcoming

The second instalment to the biography of John Fairbank published in 1988 [here] looking at his influence and meaning 30 years after his death in an era of US-China confrontation.

Ongoing public opinion studies of Canadian views on China and Canada-China relations as well as mainstream media narratives and English and Chinese language social media coverage.


Current Courses

UBC Blogs – Paul Evans

Paul Evans currently offers two seminars, one on “Global China and World Order,” and a second on “Canada and Global Asia,” as well as leading a Global Policy Project for the Masters of Public Policy and Global Affairs graduate program.

  • GPP 591D, “The Global Challenge of Global China: Policy Aspects”, an integrated graduate/undergraduate seminar. Fall Semester 2018.
    To view the syllabus, click here.
  • Political Science 460C, “Global China in a Changing World Order”, a seminar for 4th-year undergrads in the International Relations Program. Fall Semester 2020.

Past Courses

Undergraduate
Introduction to Politics (Acadia)
Introduction to Canadian Politics (Acadia)
Introduction to International Relations  (Acadia, York)
Government and Politics of China (York)
Comparative Foreign Policy Analysis (York)
International Relations Theory (York)
China’s Rise and Asia’s Future (HKU)
China and World Order (HKU)
Singapore’s Foreign Policy (SMU)

Graduate
International Relations Theory (York)
International Relations of Eastern Asia (York)
Sino-Canadian Relations (York)
Pacific Trade and Security (York)
American Foreign Policy (York)
New Institutionalism in Asia (Harvard, UBC)
Asia Pacific Policy: Methods and Perspectives (UBC)
Asia Pacific Policy: Security and Media Modules (UBC)
Global China and World Order (UBC, HKU)


Paul Evans

Professor Emeritus
Areas of Expertise
About keyboard_arrow_down

Paul Evans (PhD with distinction Dalhousie University 1982) retired from UBC in June 2023 after 43 years of university teaching. He is currently Professor Emeritus.

His academic appointments have been as follows:

  • Assistant Professor, Acadia University, 1980-81
  • Assistant, Associate and Professor, Department of Political Science, York University, 1981-97;
  • Director, University of Toronto – York University Joint Centre for Asia Pacific Studies, 1991-96;
  • Visiting Professor, Asia Center, Harvard University, 1997-99;
  • Acting Director, Liu Institute for Global Issues, 2004-5;
  • Director, Institute of Asian Research, 2008-11;
  • Visiting Professor at the University of Hong Kong, 2011 and 2013;
  • Visiting Professor and Head of the International Academic Advisory Panel to the School of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University, 2013-16.

Between 2005 and 2008, he was seconded from UBC to serve as the Co-CEO and Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. And between 2020 and 2023 he held the HSBC Chair in Asian Research at UBC.

A regionalist rather than country specialist, he has held visiting fellowships at the Australian National University (1988); National Chengchi University in Taiwan (1989); Chulalongkorn University (1989); the East-West Center (1995); and the National Institute for Research Advancement in Tokyo (1999) and spoken at more than fifty universities and think tanks across the region.

An advocate of cooperative and human security, he has been studying and promoting policy-related activity on track-two security processes and the construction of multilateral institutions since 1988.  He was a co-founder of the Council for Security Cooperation in Asia Pacific (CSCAP), the Canadian Consortium on Human Security, and the co-founder of the Canada-Korea Forum.  He has directed exchange and partnership projects with fifteen research institutes in Asia and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs funded by governments and foundations in Canada, Japan, the United States, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia.  Between 1990 and 2002 he organized two dozen meetings involving participants from North Korea.

He is currently a Canadian representative on the ASEAN Regional Forum’s Experts and Eminent Persons Group.

A member of the Global Council of the Asia Society in New York, he also sits on the editorial boards of The Pacific Review, the Chinese Journal of International Politics, the China Quarterly for International Strategic Studies, and Mexico y la Cuenca del Pacifico.

His graduate and undergraduate teaching at UBC focused on Global China and World Order.

The author or editor of seven books, his first was a biography of John Fairbank, his most popular the two editions of a lexicon of Asia Pacific security terminology (with David Capie), and his most recent “Engaging China: Myth, Aspiration and Strategy in Canadian Policy from Trudeau to Harper,” published in 2014.

His recent writings and media commentaries have focused on Canada-China relations, Asian security dynamics, and the emergence of techno-nationalism as a defining force in regional affairs.  Some of them are available here and on his blog. His condensed academic CV is available here, and his complete academic CV is available here.

He is married to Catherine Evans and they plan to remain resident in Vancouver.

His retirement message to the UBC community can be viewed below:

 

Teaching keyboard_arrow_down
Publications keyboard_arrow_down

Selected Publications

[Books | Reports | Essays | 中文著作 ]

Books

Engaging ChinaEngaging China: Myth Aspiration and Strategy in Canadian Policy from Trudeau to Harper. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With David Capie, The Asia-Pacific Security Lexion, 2nd revised and expanded edition.Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2007, pp.xv, 248.
With David Capie, The Asia-Pacific Security Lexicon. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2002, pp.xv, 224. [Translated into Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Mongolian, Thai, and Vietnamese]
The Asia-Pacific Security Lexicon (2nd Edition)        The Asia-Pacific Security Lexicon

Beyond Boundaries - A Report on the State of Non-Official Dialogues on Peace, Security & Cooperation in South AsiaWith Navnita Chadha Behera and Gowher Rizvi, Beyond Boundaries: A Report on the State of Non-Official Dialogues on Peace, Security and Cooperation in South Asia. Toronto: Joint Centre for Asia Pacific Studies, 1998, pp.315.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Studying Asia Pacific SecurityEditor and Contributor, Studying Asia Pacific Security: The Future of Research, Training and Dialogue Activities. Toronto: Join Centre for Asia Pacific Studies, 1994, pp.388. “Preface” (with Jusuf Wanandi), pp.1-3 and “The Dialogue Process on Asia Pacific Security Issues: Inventory and Analysis,” pp. 297-318.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reluctant Adversaries - Canada and the People's Republic of China 1949-1970 With B. Michael Frolic, co-editor and contributor, Reluctant Adversaries: Canada and the People’s Republic of China, 1949-1970. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1991, pp.xii, 288. “Introduction,” pp.3-17 and “Epilogue: Canadian Recognition Initiatives, 1958-68,” pp.65-69. Chinese translation published by the Tianjin University Press, 1996.

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Fairbank and the American Understanding of Modern ChinaJohn Fairbank and the American Understanding of Modern China. New York and Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1988, pp.xiv, 366. Chinese translation published by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, 1995.

 

 

 

Reports

The Future of Canada’s relationship with China,” with Wendy Dobson, Institute for Research on Public Policy, November 2015.
(for PDF version of this report, click here.)

With Don Campbell and Pierre Lortie, Securing Canada’s Place in Asia: Means, Institutions and Mechanisms, Task Force Report to the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, 52 pp., 6 September 2012.

With Xiaojun Li, “Canadian Public Attitudes on China and Canada-China Relations: Report of Collected Data,” and “Pragmatism Amidst Anxiety: Canadian Opinions on China and Canada-China Relations,” IAR Reports, 17 October 2017, available at https://iar.ubc.ca/publications/reports/

With Xiaojun Li and Pascale Massot, “October 2019 National Survey Results and Findings of Canadian Public Attitudes on China and Canada-China Relations,” 31 October 2019, 10 pp., https://sppga.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/10/Full-Report-Website.31oct19.pdf; “Full Results of Third National Survey,” 31 October 2019, 70 pp.; https://sppga.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/10/Full-Findings.30oct19-1.pdf; “Comparison with Previous Surveys (Select Questions), 31 October 2019, 10 pp., https://sppga.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/10/Final-Report.comparisontables.31oct19.pdf.  All available along with links to three previous surveys at IAR Reports, https://sppga.ubc.ca/research-impact/publications

 

Selected Essays

Canada-China Relations and the Evolving Roles of Universities: Towards Partnerships 2.0.” in Ruth Hayhoe, et al., eds., “Canadian Universities in China’s Transformation: An Untold Story (McGill-Queens University Press, 2017).

Techno-Nationalism in China-US Relations: Implications for Universities,” East Asian Policy, Vol. 12, No. 2, April/June 2020, pp. 80-92.

Ralph Cossa and Paul Evans,  The ASEAN Regional Forum at 25: Moving Forward or Still Standing?  – Issues & Insights Vol. 19, Working Paper #7. July 22, 2019, 37 pages.

Middle Powerism in the 21st Century: Mission Impossible?“, Global Asia, Vol. 11, No.1, Spring 2016.

Co-operative Security 2.0,” with Chen Dongxiao, Global Asia, Cover Story, Vol.11, No.1, Spring 2016.

Close Encounters: How Best to Deal with a Rising China,” Literary Review of Canada, July-August 2015.

Scholars and Policymakers: Asian Pacific Experiences with Policy Dialogues,” in Lowenthal and Bertucci, eds., Narrowing the Gap: Scholarly, Policy Makers and International Affairs, July 2014.

Human Security and East Asia”, in Martin and Owen, eds., The Routledge Handbook of Human Security Routledge 2014, pp. 272-82

Between Truth and Power: Kim Kyung-Won, 1936-2012,” in Han Sung-Joo, editor,Thoughts and Wishes of a Liberal: Writings of Dr. Kim Kyung-Won, Seoul: Joong An Books and Company, 2013, pp. 36-58.

A Farewell to Trans-Pacific Cosmopolitanism?  On the Passing of Robert Scalapino, Kim Kyung Won and Yamamoto Tadashi,” Global Asia, Vol. 8, No. 4, Winter 2013, pp. 83-88.

Dancing with the Dragon,” lead essay in the Literary Review of Canada, April 2013.

Historians and Chinese World Order: Fairbank, Wang and the Matter of ‘Indeterminate Relevance’,” in Zheng Yongnian, ed., China and International Relations: The Chinese View and the Contribution of Wang Gungwu.  London: Routledge: July 2010.

Asian Power Shift: Ready or Not”, in Fen Hampson and Paul Heinbecker, eds., Canada Among Nations 2009-2010: As Others See Us.  Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press, 2010, pp. 115-22.

 

Recent Presentations

“What Does it Mean to be a Friend of China”, presentation to the Canada-China Friendship Society in Ottawa, 15 June 2020.  https://ccfso.org/notice-of-webinar/

Testimony to the Special Parliamentary Committee on Canada-China Relations, by video conference, 24 February 2020. https://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/CACN/Meetings

Navigating the US-China Confrontation: Lessons from John Fairbank and the 1950s,” featured lecture, Institute of East Asian Studies Colloquium, University of California at Berkeley, 3 December 2019.

 

Media Appearances

In the Media

 

Recent Opinion Pieces

“Canada Contemplates the Harsh Realities of One World Two Systems,” East Asia Forum, 26 July 2020.      https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2020/07/26/canada-contemplates-the-harsh-realities-of-one-world-two-systems/

“Canada Caught in the Vortex of US-China Techno-nationalism,” East Asia Forum, 26 February 2019, https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2019/02/26/canada-caught-in-the-vortex-of-us-china-techno-nationalism/.

“Canada is Caught in the Middle of a China-US Tech War,” Globe and Mail, 10 December 2018, https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-america-is-already-at-war-with-china-can-canada-really-remain-neutral/

 

中文著作

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新型大国关系:机遇与挑战 [New Type of Great Power Relations - Opportunities and Challenges]理解和运用“保护的责任”原则:走向一致 [Interpreting and Applying the Responsibility to Protect: Paths to Common Ground]”, 新型大国关系:机遇与挑战 [New Type of Great Power Relations: Opportunities and Challenges], February 2015.

 

 

 

 

 

 

诠释与落实“保护的责任”:通往共同点的途径 [Interpreting and Applying the Responsibility to Protect: A Path to Common Ground]”, 国际政治研究[The Journal of International Studies (Peking University)], Summer 2014.

人的安全与东亚:回顾与展望 [East Asia and Human Security:Review and Prospects]”, 世界经济与政治 [World Economics and Politics], June 2004. 

新开端:加拿大与中华人民共和国(1949-1970)
“新开端:加拿大与中华人民共和国(1949-1970)[Reluctant Adversaries: Canada and the People’s Republic of China, 1949-1970], 河南人民出版社, September 1995.

 

 

 

 

 

 

费正清看中国“费正清看中国 [John Fairbank and the American Understanding of Modern China]”, 上海人民出版社, May 1995.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work in Progress or Forthcoming

The second instalment to the biography of John Fairbank published in 1988 [here] looking at his influence and meaning 30 years after his death in an era of US-China confrontation.

Ongoing public opinion studies of Canadian views on China and Canada-China relations as well as mainstream media narratives and English and Chinese language social media coverage.

Current Courses keyboard_arrow_down

UBC Blogs – Paul Evans

Paul Evans currently offers two seminars, one on “Global China and World Order,” and a second on “Canada and Global Asia,” as well as leading a Global Policy Project for the Masters of Public Policy and Global Affairs graduate program.

  • GPP 591D, “The Global Challenge of Global China: Policy Aspects”, an integrated graduate/undergraduate seminar. Fall Semester 2018.
    To view the syllabus, click here.
  • Political Science 460C, “Global China in a Changing World Order”, a seminar for 4th-year undergrads in the International Relations Program. Fall Semester 2020.

Past Courses

Undergraduate
Introduction to Politics (Acadia)
Introduction to Canadian Politics (Acadia)
Introduction to International Relations  (Acadia, York)
Government and Politics of China (York)
Comparative Foreign Policy Analysis (York)
International Relations Theory (York)
China’s Rise and Asia’s Future (HKU)
China and World Order (HKU)
Singapore’s Foreign Policy (SMU)

Graduate
International Relations Theory (York)
International Relations of Eastern Asia (York)
Sino-Canadian Relations (York)
Pacific Trade and Security (York)
American Foreign Policy (York)
New Institutionalism in Asia (Harvard, UBC)
Asia Pacific Policy: Methods and Perspectives (UBC)
Asia Pacific Policy: Security and Media Modules (UBC)
Global China and World Order (UBC, HKU)