Given the opaque nature of the leadership changes prior the 20th Party Congress, the announcement of the composition of the Politburo and the Politburo Standing Committee will surely surprise many observers of Chinese elite politics. In conversation with National Committee President Stephen Orlins, Cheng Li provides fresh insights into the main surprises on the personnel front. In addition, Dr. Li discusses whether the appointments reveal any shifts in the balance of power and factional...

What does the 25th anniversary of the Hong Kong handover mean for the people of Hong Kong, the PRC, and the world? Much has changed since 1997, when sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from Great Britain to China. Through the lenses of language, politics, and identity, three leading experts discuss the relationship between Hong Kong and Mainland China, how it has evolved over the past 25 years, and what these dynamics tell us about Hong Kong today. The National Committee on U.S.-China...

The global electric vehicle (EV) industry has experienced enormous growth in recent years. The United States and China recognize that EVs are key to a carbon neutral future, yet a complex network of supply chains, differing government regulations, and disparate consumer acceptance pose challenges to this great opportunity. How will the United States and China scale up the infrastructure needed for EVs? Where can they cooperate in setting international EV standards? How can they work together...

The National Committee held its annual members program on May 24, 2022 featuring four National Committee directors, Paul Haenle, Ben Harburg, Elizabeth Knup, and Nancy Yao, who considered the past, present, and future of the bilateral relationship from the perspectives of business, think tanks, foundations, and cultural institutions.

After more than two decades of hostility, Ping Pong Diplomacy began a shift in the U.S.-China relationship towards exchange and engagement. In 1972, engagement was far from inevitable and, just as in 2022, anything but easy, with detractors on both sides. The National Committee hosted a virtual program on  April 18, 2022 with Pete Millwood and Jing Tsu as they reflected on the 50th anniversary of the Chinese ping pong team’s historic visit to the United States and its continued relevance to...

Beethoven in Beijing, a feature-length documentary, spotlights the explosive growth of classical music in China since the 1973 tour of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the first American orchestra to perform in the People’s Republic. At the invitation of U.S. President Richard Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, the orchestra used music to help dismantle 25 years of isolation between the two countries. Today, China is energizing the world of classical music with legions of young musicians,...

In the context of EU-Russia tensions and attention on security within Europe, what is the possibility of future trans-Atlantic cooperation on China and in the broader Indo-Pacific region? In an interview conducted on April 13, 2022, Ivana Karásková, a China and international relations scholar in Prague, discusses recent developments in EU-China relations and implications for the Sino-American bilateral relationship in a conversation with Matt Ferchen.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Shanghai Communiqué, the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, the National Committee on United States-China Relations, and the Committee of 100 welcomed members to attend a half-day forum held on February 24, 2022. Prominent representatives of the diplomatic, business, and academic communities will examine how people-to-people relations, economic cooperation, and diplomatic interactions have influenced the Sino-American...

With a strict zero-Covid policy and surge in export growth, China’s economy grew an impressive eight percent in 2021, yet uncertainty looms on the horizon. Nomura and Goldman Sachs both anticipate that China’s annual GDP growth will fall to 4.3 percent in 2022; some estimates are even lower. Both the promise of continued export growth and the threat of surging inflation raise critical questions in a very important political year for China. What are some potential obstacles Beijing could face...

Following years of trade frictions that have cost American jobs and lowered U.S. GDP, calls have increased for the Biden administration and Congress to strengthen the U.S. government's strategies and tools that address the "China challenge" and ensure ongoing American global leadership. U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (D-WA), co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional U.S.-China Working Group, has endeavored to answer this call, with an updated China White Paper offering a blueprint to enhance...

U.S.-China competition continues to re-shape the way the global economy is governed. After a significant overhaul of foreign investment screening regimes in the United States (e.g., FIRRMA) and globally, there is now legislation circulating the halls of Congress that would initiate additional screening for U.S. outbound investment to China and other countries of concern. Such legislation faces opposition from some industry groups, yet there appears to be support on the Hill and in the White...

How did the poor, isolated People’s Republic of China become the factory to the world? Shelley Rigger argues that the origins lie in Taiwan. In her new book, The Tiger Leading the Dragon, she describes the evolution of Taiwan’s influence from the period when Deng Xiaoping lifted Mao’s prohibitions on business in the late 1970s, allowing investors from Taiwan to collaborate with local officials in the PRC to transform mainland China into a manufacturing powerhouse. In the late 1980s, Taiwanese...

CNN host and best-selling author Fareed Zakaria was the featured speaker for CHINA Town Hall 2021, a national conversation on how the U.S.-China relationship affects our cities, towns, and communities. From supply chains to national security, new technologies to climate change, the future of both countries will be determined by their relations with one another and the global community. On October 19, 2021, the National Committee held a nationwide virtual event, including Q&A with one of...

In recent years, the U.S.-China relationship has deteriorated rapidly. Engaging China: Fifty Years of Sino-American Relations brings together leading China specialists to reflect on relations between the two countries over the last half-century and consider what might lie ahead. The contributors – academics, nongovernmental organization leaders, and former diplomats and government officials – analyze the relationship from a wide range of perspectives: political, diplomatic, economic, social,...

American rhetoric about Chinese students in the United States is growing increasingly hostile, causing some to re-think their overseas study plans. Some claim that Chinese students pose a national security risk; while a few may, it is important to recognize that the vast majority of Chinese students, pursuing studies in a wide range of fields, add greatly to U.S. campuses, local economies, and the country as a whole. On September 20, 2021 the National Committee hosted a virtual program with...

U.S.-China relations are arguably at their worst point since diplomatic recognition in 1979, and may be getting worse. In this environment, American researchers organized by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy and the American Friends Service Committee undertook a systematic audit of the U.S.-China Strategic & Economic Dialogue (S&ED) to see what benefits were expected from bilateral diplomacy in the past and whether those benefits were realized. The report that emerged...

Since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, five men have principally shaped the ruling Chinese Communist Party and the nation: Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, and Xi Jinping. During their decades of leadership, China, starting from a base of poverty and insularity, became a world power. In his latest book, China’s Leaders: From Mao to Now, David Shambaugh analyzes China’s contemporary history by studying the personal and professional experiences that...

The U.S. military is pulling out of Afghanistan, a process that should be complete by August 31. Both China and the United States face looming strategic challenges as a result. America’s presence has preserved a fragile balance of power in Central South Asia, benefitting both the United States and China. It has prevented terror activities from spilling over Afghanistan’s borders, as well as allowing for trade and facilitating the expansion of China’s BRI initiative into neighboring Pakistan....

What is happening across the Taiwan Strait? In March, Admiral Philip Davidson, then commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific (INDOPACOM), said in a hearing before Congress that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could take place within six years. His successor, Admiral John Aquilino, agreed that such an attack could occur sooner “than most think.” More recently, however, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Mark Milley, testified that he believes that China has little intention to take...

At the sixth month mark, the Biden administration’s China policy differs only slightly from that of the previous administration. Relatively easy policy initiatives that could have benefited the American people seem to be on hold. The Senate has passed the Strategic Competition Act of 2021 which, if it becomes law as written, will restrict how the Executive Branch can deal with China. On July 22, 2021, the National Committee hosted a virtual program with National Committee President Stephen...

Both the United States and China are seeing a rapid rebound from the economic damage brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The World Bank’s recent report forecasts GDP growth of 8.5 percent in 2021 for China, leading the world’s economic recovery. Does this bullish outlook accurately reflect the reality of China’s economic development in the second half of 2021 and beyond? What are potential obstacles Beijing could face from challenging issues such as weak domestic consumption, trade...

On July 8, 2021, The Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA), with assistance from the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, organized a multi-part event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dr. Henry Kissinger’s secret trip to China. The event took place at Beijing’s Diaoyutai State Guest House and featured live remarks by Dr. Kissinger and Vice President Wang Qishan. This video is an abridged version of the commemorative event, and includes the following components: ...

Approximately 20 to 33 percent of global trade passes through the South China Sea, and many of its land features are in dispute. In the last decade, tensions have escalated as China has grown increasingly assertive. Many in the international community perceive China to be violating international norms after it passed legislation this year allowing the China Coast Guard to fire on foreign vessels. What policies will the Biden administration adopt toward the region? Will tensions escalate? If...

The July 2021 centennial of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will be an important milestone in China, accompanied by media fanfare and celebration. As the Party promotes the story of its successes and accomplishments to its people and the world, what does it choose to minimize or ignore? Through the lenses of museums, traditional and new media, and political education in schools, we examined how China projects its image in a rapidly shifting global landscape. On June 24, 2021, the National...