Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand 
why the old poets of China went so far
and high 
into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver

Dr. Tina Clemente in Utica College for the 2016 New York Conference on Asian Studies. 


Dr. Tina Clemente, Associate Professor at the UP Asian Center, presented a paper, “Economic Vulnerability to Chinese Sanctions: Implications for Inclusive Development in the Philippines” at the New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS) 2016 held from 23 to 24 September 2016 at Utica College in New York. Below is a modifed abstract of the paper:

“This paper aims to evaluate the vulnerability of the Philippine economy to sanctions by China  in  light  of heightening  tensions  in  the  South  China  Sea.  Drawing  on  multiple disciplines  and  information  sources (such as informant interviews and statistics), we frame  the notion  of vulnerability and  provide a precursory discussion of economic asymmetry as a perceived weak point in the bilateral relationship. We  engage the literature  on  economic  sanctions,  statecraft and security and engage in qualitative analysisand  game-theoretic analysis of a sanctions game. The study argues for  the  crucial  role of  inclusive development as the bedrock  of  national  security  and statecraft  that  fundamentally addresses economic vulnerability by enriching strategic choices.”

The paper is co-authored with Nona Pepito, Ph.D. Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics, ESSEC Business School, Asia Pacific Campus in Singapore. Dr. Clemente's presentation was supported by the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Philippine Social Science Council and the UP Asian Center."

The New York Conference on Asian Studies 2016 was hosted by Utica College, New York. The conference was “centered centered on the theme “Building Asia” to explore the multiplicity of cultures and experiences that are “Asia,” regardless of ideological, institutional, cultural, or geographic boundaries. We seek to expand the definition of “Asia” and how we have arrived at our understanding of its people, cultures, and societies.” The NYCAS is one of the regional conferences of the Association for Asian Studies.

For more information on NYCAS 2016, view the conference website and read the conference program.

Dr. Clemente teaches graduate courses at the UP Asian Center, including one on the social and economic development of China, one of three courses required for students majoring on the Middle Kingdom. She obtained her Ph.D. in Economics from the School of Economics, University of the Philippines Diliman. Her latest publication is "Understanding Economic Diplomacy between the Philippines and China," which appears in International Journal of China Studies. View her full faculty profile.


The UP Asian Center offers M.A. programs in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. The Center offers a Ph.D. program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. Get an overview of these programs. The Asian Center also houses a peer-reviewed, open-access journal, Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia. It has published several books and monographs, and hosts or organizes various lectures and conferences.