On the afternoon of January 15, 2019, the Dialogue with Top American Experts on China Issues in the High-end Lecture on People-to-People Exchanges between China and the United States jointly organised by the Institute for China-U.S. People-to-People Exchange of Peking University and the Institute of International and Strategic Studies of Peking University was held in the North Pavilion. Four top American experts on China issues, including Steven Goldstein, Researcher at Fairbank Centre for Chinese Studies of Harvard University, Joseph Fewsmith, professor of political science at Boston University, Thomas Christensen, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and professor at Columbia University, and Robert Ross, professor of political science at Boston College, attended the lecture themed "China-U.S. Relations: Challenges and Prospects". Chinese scholars attending the lecture included: Professor Wang Jisi, Dean of the Institute of International and Strategic Studies of Peking University, Wang Dong, Deputy Director of the Institute for China-U.S. People-to-People Exchange of Peking University, Jie Dalei, associate professor of the School of International Studies of Peking University, Lei Shaohua, assistant professor of the School of International Studies of Peking University, and Dr. Wu Shengqi of Beijing Foreign Studies University.
Before the start of the lecture, Prof. Wang Jisi expressed his sincere welcome to the four famous experts on China issues in his speech. Then, under the auspices of Jie Dalei, four American scholars had warm and in-depth exchanges with teachers and students of Peking University on the current situation, challenges and prospects of China-U.S. relations.
Four American scholars spoke first. In his speech, Steven Goldstein gave a more detailed account of their just-concluded trip to Taiwan. He also made a comprehensive analysis of Taiwan's recent political situation, the "nine-in-one" elections that just ended, the factional struggle within the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), and the changes in Tsai Ing-wen's political stand. After summarising the latest political development situation in Taiwan, Steven Goldstein put forward his own views on the trend of China-U.S. relations in the context of cross-strait relations in the new era. Joseph Fewsmith also made a detailed analysis of the political style and policy stand of Han Kuo-yu, a new Taiwan political figure, based on his feelings from the exchange in Taiwan, and explained the reasons for the Kuomintang's victory in this election. Joseph Fewsmith also elaborated on the political ideas and specific methods of Han Kuo-yu's future governance of Kaohsiung. Thomas Christensen made a detailed analysis and forecast of the recent political strategy adopted by the DPP and put forward his own views on the current development of cross-strait relations. Robert Ross analyzed the current situation of China-U.S. relations, saying that the current China-U.S. relations have many different characteristics from those in the past, and that China and the United States should better manage their differences in the future so as to maintain a more stable development of bilateral relations.
After the American scholars spoke, teachers and students from Peking University asked American scholars questions about the recent adjustment of U.S. policy toward Taiwan. After frank and in-depth discussions, Chinese and American scholars jointly believe that although China-U.S. relations are facing many more complex sub-issues that need to be regulated, maintaining the general trend of cooperation and stability in bilateral relations is in the fundamental interests of the two countries.
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