The Asian Institute is proud to announce three students affiliated with the Asian Institute have been selected to intern at the Canadian missions in Beijing and Shanghai. Vivian Wei and Michel Marion will work at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, and Agnivesh Mishra at the Canadian Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai.

Through these internships, the students will acquire an in-depth understanding of the functioning of an Embassy and Consulate, and how Canada’s public diplomacy is put into practice. With China’s growing presence in the international scene, this opportunity allows our country’s next generation of leaders and thinkers to deepen their understandings and awareness about the institutional links and diplomatic relations between Canada and China.

The Asian Institute and the Munk School wish these three students the best of luck to gain the necessary foundations for successful careers.

Vivian Wei graduated from the University of Toronto in June 2011 with a specialization in International Relations focusing on security issues in East Asia. With a keen interest in foreign cultures, Vivian studied conflict resolution and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and participated in a supplementary overseas learning experience in Serbia and Bosnia. She is thoroughly enjoying her internship in the Political Section at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, and plans to pursue a career in law or with the Canadian Foreign Service.

Michel Marion graduated last June with a specialization in East Asian Studies, a major in Asia-Pacific Studies and a minor in History. Throughout his undergraduate career Michel was greatly involved in student politics as he strove to promote Asian studies at the University of Toronto. With a particular interest in Korean colonial history, his passion allowed him to travel extensively across Asia, participating on two Asian Institute sponsored delegations to Taiwan and Chengdu. He plans on returning to the Asian Institute as a MAPS student in September

A message on the ground from Agnivesh Mishra –

Hello there, my name is Agnivesh Mishra (aka Agni/ ‘Huo’ in Chinese) and I am currently working as a Foreign Policy and Diplomacy Service (FPDS, previously the PERPA) Intern for the Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai. I am a recent graduate from the University of Toronto with a Bachelors Degree in Economics and Political Science. At present, I am also at the midst of completing my M.A in Political Science (International Relations) at the University of Waterloo. Since my research interest deals with Asian emerging economies such as China and India, I decided to apply for this exciting position with DFAIT. I have always been fascinated by the political, economic, cultural and spiritual traditions of Asian countries such as China and India, and have pondered over the question of whether there is something as concrete as ‘Asian values’. I believe that this experience with DFAIT can help enrich my knowledge on such topics, and enhance my understanding of some of the major issues in fields such as International Political economy and International Relations. It is also an exciting time to be here since the Canadian Prime Minister is planning a visit around the second week of February.

P.S. Just FYI, if you don’t speak Mandarin when you first arrive in China, I urge you to master ‘Chinglish’. Trust me, it helps!