From June 5 to 7, co-hosted by Peking University and Stanford University, and organized by the Institute for China-US People-to-People Exchange of the Ministry of Education and the Stanford Center at Peking University (SCPKU), the 2016 China-United States University and Think Tank Forum was successfully held at the School of International Studies of Peking University and SCPKU. This forum was part of the seventh round of China-US High-level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE), held to fulfill the consensus on long-term investment in future people-to-people exchange reached by President Xi during his first state visit last September.
Themed “A New Global Political Order: Perspectives for China-US Cooperation”, this forum invited many experts and scholars to Peking University to focus on current China-US relations, analyze hot issues in global politics and economics, and discuss how to promote China-US cooperation and establish a new international political and economic order under the new situation. The experts and scholars participating in the forum came from the academic, political and business circles of China and the United States. During the three-day forum, the participants conducted thorough and heated discussions and exchanges of views in a warm atmosphere.
On the evening of June 5th, a reception and welcome dinner for the forum were held at the Lakeview Hotel. The dinner was hosted by Fan Shiming, Associate Dean of the School of International Studies of Peking University. Li Yansong, Vice President of Peking University and Director of the Institute for China-US People-to-People Exchange, delivered a speech in which he expressed his warmest welcome to the guests from China and the United States, as well as his earnest expectations for the forum. The guests from China and the United States held close discussions at the dinner.
Vice President Li Yansong delivers a speech at the welcome dinner
At 8:30 a.m. on June 6, the opening ceremony of the China-United States University and Think Tank Forum was held in the Qiulin Lecture Hall of the School of International Studies of Peking University. Li Yansong, Vice President of Peking University and Director of the Institute for China-US People-to-People Exchange, presided over the opening ceremony. Lin Jianhua, President of Peking University, delivered a speech in which he affirmed the importance of this forum for China and the United States, and warmly welcomed the experts and scholars from both countries.
President Lin Jianhua delivers a speech at the opening ceremony
At 9:00 a.m., Wu Jianmin, member of the Foreign Policy Advisory Group of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former Ambassador to France, and John Negroponte, former US Deputy Secretary of State and lecturer of the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs of Yale University, delivered keynote speeches that were presided over by Yuan Ming, Dean of Yenching Academy of Peking University. Themed “China-US Cooperation”, the speeches mainly discussed the main obstacles to current China-US cooperation, as well as the areas where China and the United States need to strengthen their cooperation in the face of global challenges.
Keynote speeches on “China-US Cooperation”
At 10:30 a.m., the meeting venue was transferred to SCPKU for a closed-door topic discussion. The discussion was presided over by Jia Qingguo, Dean of the School of International Studies of Peking University, and Dai Muzhen, Director of SCPKU. Ambassador Wu Jianmin and John Negroponte held in-depth discussions on hot issues facing China and the United States, such as the South China Sea dispute, China-US economic cooperation and the American Presidential Election.
Topic discussion of “China-US Cooperation”
At noon, Jin Liqun, President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, delivered a lunchtime speech which was hosted by Yao Yang, President of the National School of Development of Peking University.
President Jin Liqun delivers a speech
In the afternoon, another discussion on the theme of “China, US, Russia and the Global Order” was held at SCPKU. It was hosted by Guan Guihai, Executive Dean of the Institute of International and Strategic Studies of Peking University, and Tom Fingar, Professor of Stanford University. Michael McFaul, former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, He Yafei, former Deputy Director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council and former Vice Foreign Minister, and Wang Jisi, Dean of the Institute of International and Strategic Studies of Peking University, delivered keynote speeches respectively and discussed global order reform, the views of China, the United States and Russia on the global order, and Russia’s position in the global order.
Keynote speeches on “China, US and Russia, and the Global Order”
After that, the forum held three panel sessions themed “Comparison of Views on Global Change and Uncertainty between China and the US”, “China, the US and the Future Regional Order” and “Future China-US Relations” respectively. Su Ge, Dean of the China Institute of International Studies and former Ambassador to Iceland, Christopher Hill, former US Assistant Secretary of State, Li Cheng, Director of the John L. Thornton China Center of the Brookings Institution, Paul Haenle, Director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center, Stephen Krasner, Professor of the Department of Political Science of Stanford University, Chen Yonglong, member of the Foreign Policy Advisory Group and former Ambassador to Israel, Yang Jiemian, former Dean of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, Huang Renwei, Associate Dean of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, Jin Canrong, Associate Dean of the School of International Studies of Renmin University of China and others participated in the discussion.
“Future China-US Relations” of the Forum for Young Scholars
On the evening of June 6th, a formal dinner was held at the Lakeview Hotel and hosted by Wang Yizhou, Associate Dean of the School of International Studies of Peking University. Zhu Shanlu, Director of the School Affairs Committee of Peking University, attended and delivered a speech. Cai Wu, former Minister of Culture, member of the 12thCPPCC National Committee and Vice Director of the Foreign Affairs Committee, gave a speech in which he stressed the importance of strengthening cultural exchange between China and the United States, and expressed his hope for an inclusive and harmonious world that embraces diversity.
Zhu Shanlu delivers a speech
Cai Wu, Vice Director of the Foreign Affairs Committee and former Minister of Culture delivers a speech
On the afternoon of June 7, foreign guests went to the National Museum to participate in the plenary session of the China-US High-level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange. Vice Premier Liu Yandong and US Secretary of State John Kerry delivered speeches at the plenary session. During the plenary session, Hao Ping, Vice Minister of Education and the Chinese mechanism coordinator, and Richard Stengel, Deputy Secretary of State and the United States mechanism coordinator, respectively reported the results of their work and consultations. Hao Ping highly affirmed the China-United States University and Think Tank Forum, and reported it to the plenary session as the first important achievement. In the afternoon, panel sessions continued on such topics as “Potential Challenges in the Global Political Order”, “Comparison of Think Tanks and Policy-Making between China and the US” and “Opportunities and Challenges in China-US Economic Cooperation”. Yan Xuetong, Dean of the Institute of International Relations of Tsinghua University, Peter Salovey, President of Yale University, Long Yongtu, former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of China, Evan Feigenbaum, Vice President of the Paulson Institute of the University of Chicago and other participants delivered keynote speeches at their sessions and held discussions with the attending scholars form home and abroad.
Panel session: “Opportunities and Challenges for China-US Economic Cooperation”
At the end of the forum, Jia Qingguo, Tom Fingar and John Holden, Vice Dean of Yenching Academy of Peking University, summarized the process and results of the two-day forum, and expressed the prospects for future China-US relations and the world order.
Summary: Prospects for a new type of great power relationship
The China-United States University and Think Tank Forum lasted for three days and concluded successfully. This forum was an important meeting between China and the United States. The scholars present at the forum spoke positively and honestly, interacted enthusiastically and pragmatically, and put forward many pertinent suggestions for coping with challenges and improving relations in light of the in-depth discussions of various problems and challenges between the two countries. The success of the forum is of great significance for enhancing understanding and communication, and promoting cooperation and people-to-people exchange between China and the United States.
The forum was funded by the Ministry of Education and China-United States Exchange Foundation.
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