At present, Sino-U.S. relations are facing new opportunities and challenges in the new situation. Invited by the Institute For China-US People-to-People Exchange and the American Studies Center of Peking University, five famous American scholars led by Professor Michael Szonyi, the director of Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University, visited School of International Studies of Peking University on the morning of January 11th, 2018, and held a roundtable discussion with the teachers and students here on the subject of “China-U.S. Relationship in the New Era: New Opportunities and Challenges”. This roundtable discussion is the second lecture of the high-end series of Sino-American cultural exchanges in 2018.
The American scholars participating in round-table discussions included: Michael Szonyi, director of the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University, professor of political science at the Boston College; Robert Ross, researcher at Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University; Joseph Fewsmith, professor of international relations and politics at the Boston University's Paddy College, and Alanna Krolikowski, professor at the Chinese College of Alberta University. Professor Jia Qingguo, Dean of School of International Studies, Peking University and executive director of the Institute For China-US People-to-People Exchange of Peking University; Professor Zha Daojiong, Prof. Ding Dou, Associate Professor Jie Dalei, and Professor Zhao Longyue, dean of International Governance Innovation Research Institute, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies and theYunshanleading scholar, also participated in the discussion.
The seminar was moderated by Associate Professor Wang Dong, executive deputy Director of the Institute For China-US People-to-People Exchange. More than 20 students from School of International Studies and Yenching Academy of Peking University attended the seminar. During the seminar, the two sides spoke freely and conducted in-depth discussions on the Taiwan issue, Sino-U.S. economic and trade relations, and the impact of domestic politics on Sino-U.S. relations.
Firstly, the U.S. scholars who had just finished their visits to Taiwan and Xiamen put forward their own observations on the status quo of cross-strait relations and exchanged ideas with the teachers here. Then, both sides conducted in-depth exchanges on Trump's domestic and foreign policies and China-US relations. U.S. scholars believe that the domestic situation Trump facing is very grim, and issues such as “Russiagate” continue to exacerbate. If the congressional investigations and media accusations consume his main energy, he will not able to focus on China-US relations and the domestic economy. Chinese scholars believe that the election promises will drive Trump to the corner, so he must demonstrate strong man and tough posture. There is no fundamental difference between Trump’s attitude toward China and the American establishment. Trump's many policies are in fact a continuation of Obama's policy.
The roundtable meeting lasted two hours, and the entire discussion was in-depth and fruitful. Warm discussions revealed not only the complexity and challenges of Sino-U.S. relations but also new opportunities for that. A multi-perspective examination of the hot issues between China and the United States will greatly benefit the in-depth understanding of the influence of Taiwan, economic and trade, and domestic politics' on bilateral relations in the new era.
After the meeting, the two parties reached an initial intention to strengthen the academic exchanges and cooperation and establish a platform for institutional dialogue between Institute For China-US People-to-People Exchange of Peking University and Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University.