Students, faculty and other visitors will get the opportunity to attend an international forum with presentations by three ambassadors this Thursday.

The Asian Pacific Security Forum, held by the College of Sciences and the Public Policy Institute, will include a number of events, including two panel discussions, a reception and a keynote address.

Raymond Burghardt, chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan, and Charles B. Salmon Jr., foreign policy director of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies of the US Pacific Command, will be presenting at 7:30 p.m. in the Dvorak Concert Hall of the Doudna Fine Arts Center.

Burghardt will be speaking on the topics of security of Pacific Asia and the 2011 APEC Summit.

At the end of the presentations, Perry Shen, Taiwan consul general in Chicago, will join Burghardt and Salmon for a question and answer session.

John Faust, emeritus professor of political sciences and co-author of the book “China in World of Politics,” said in his opinion, the biggest concerns that Americans should have about China are dealing with trade and investments.

Faust, who has traveled to China several times, said he thinks it is important for students come and to be informed.

“Of all of the other developed countries, our people are probably less informed,” Faust said.

He also said students should become more aware of how China’s growing economy will affect jobs since American companies have outsourced to Asia.

Edmund Wehrle, associate professor of history, also agrees that the economy is an issue worth being explored.

“We’re dealing with some very important economics issues and security issues that will shape the future,” Wehrle said.

Wehrle said students should be more informed and become more aware of the world around them and on what is happening in Asia because of our country’s financial ties.

Another reason why students should attend the forum is because they will get news straight from the sources.

Ping Chen, director of the Public Policy Institute, hopes students will take advantage of getting to speak with authoritative speakers on Asia.

“We are very fortunate to have people, who actually make the policy, to come to our campus,” Chen said.

He said people ask ‘why not have professors, instead of an ambassador, speak about Asia.’ The difference, he said, is that professors are getting their information from news and online sources, but hearing the news from the people making change is a rare occurrence at Eastern.

“We get the news and these guys are making the news,” Chen said. “The whole idea is we are bringing somebody who’s actually influencing decision making on the part of the United States government.”

Conferences like this one have been held in past years on the Middle East and Europe.

Sam Bohne can be reached at 581-7942 or shbone@eiu.edu.