On April 19, 2016, an English research report press conference on U.S.-China Relations in Strategic Domains was held in Washington D.C., by the Institute for China-U.S. People-to-People Exchange of Peking University and the famous think tank National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR). This report is the achievement of joint collaboration between the Institute and NBR. The project assembled scholars from dozens of top research institutes and think tanks in China and the United States. The report took one and a half years to complete following three seminars and extensive research and consultations. The report was co-edited by Wang Dong, Professor of the School of International Studies of Peking University and Executive Deputy Director of the Institute for China-U.S. People-to-People Exchange of Peking University, and Travis Tanner. It is divided into six chapters covering the issues of six strategic domains in U.S.-China relations: nuclear, space, networks, marine, military-to-military and people-to-people exchange respectively. Each chapter was co-authored by a Chinese and an American writer. The report conducts deep research on the issues of the six strategic domains, offers a systematic analysis framework and proposes policy suggestions for expanding cooperation and managing differences in each domain, representing the most comprehensive and cutting-edge thinking on major strategic issues of mainstream academic circles and policy communities in China and the United States so far. After its release, the report caused a major stir in the academic circles and policy community of the United States, and has been hailed as “landmark” research.
The conference on April 19 was addressed by Professor Jia Qingguo, Dean of the School of International Studies of Peking University and Executive Director of the Institute for China-U.S. People-to-People Exchange of Peking University, and Roy Kamphausen, Senior Vice President of NBR. After that, Wang Dong, Chinese Director of the project and Executive Deputy Director of the Institute for China-U.S. People-to-People Exchange of Peking University, introduced the background, purpose, research methods and significance of the report, then hosted a panel discussion on “General Background of China-U.S. Relations”, which was attended by experts from both China and the United States. Major General Yao Yunzhu, Chinese Senior Consultant of the project from the Academy of Military Sciences, PLA, China, Professor Jia Qingguo from Peking University, Professor Robert Sutter, American Senior Consultant of the project and Director of the Asian Project at George Washington University, and Professor Bruce Macdonald from the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University, gave speeches respectively.
Professor Jia Qingguo delivered a speech
Later, Travis Tanner hosted a panel discussion on “U.S.-China Relations in Strategic Domains: Space, Networks and Nuclear”. Zhang Tuosheng, Chinese Senior Consultant of the project and Director of the Academic Committee of the China Foundation for International Strategic Studies, Professor Jia Qingguo from Peking University, Adam Segal, American author of the report and Senior Researcher from the Council on Foreign Relations, Elbridge Colby, Senior Researcher from the Center for a New American Security, and Brian Weeden, Senior Researcher from the Secure World Foundation, spoke on the issues of nuclear, networks and space respectively.
Admiral Samuel Locklear, former Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, was specially invited to deliver a speech at the luncheon. In his speech, Admiral Samuel Locklear highly praised the academic standards and policy implications of the report, then offered his congratulations on the important contributions of the Chinese and American scholars in research on China-U.S. relations. After that, Admiral Samuel Locklear reviewed the development of military relations between China and the United States in his tenure, introduced the Asia-Pacific Policy of America, and offered proposals regarding current military relations between China and the United States, and the South China Sea dispute.
The panel discussion in the afternoon centered on “China-U.S. Relations in the International System and Governance”. It was hosted by Tiffany Ma, Director of the Research Department of NBR. Professor Jia Qingguo, Chinese Senior Director of the program and Dean of the School of International Studies of Peking University, Professor Zhu Yinghuang, former Editor-in-Chief ofChina Dailyand member of the Foreign Policy Advisory Group, and Ben Shobert and Nadege Rolland, senior researchers of NBR, delivered excellent speeches respectively.
The conference was attended by about 150 Americans from academic circles, the policy community and the government. It also attracted dozens of mainstream media reporters from both China and the United States to make extensive coverage.
Around the release of the report, the Institute for China-U.S. People-to-People Exchange of Peking University and NBR delivered a briefing to the governments and relevant departments of Congress, including the United States National Security Council, Department of State, Department of Defense, Congressional U.S.-China Working Group and Senate Armed Services Committee, which was highly valued and praised. Susan Thornton, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian Affairs, said that every person in her office needed a copy of the report.
The American scholars who participated in the project came from famous American think tanks and research institutes such as NBR, 100,000 Strong in the Americas, Council on Foreign Relations, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, United States Institute of Peace, East-West Center, Center for a New American Security, Atlantic Council, Asia-Pacific Security Strategy Research Center, George Washington University, Johns Hopkins University and the Marine Corps University of the United States. The Chinese scholars who participated in the project came from famous domestic institutions and think tanks such as Peking University, Renmin University of China, China-United States Exchange Foundation, Academy of Military Sciences, PLA, China, National Defence University, PLA, China, Naval Research Institute, China Foundation for International Strategic Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Institute of International and Strategic Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, Pangoal Institution and China Center for Contemporary World Studies. During the preparation of the report, the team members also offered a briefing session and conference to the United States Indo-Pacific Command and relevant Chinese research departments, and listened to suggestions.
This project gathered the wisdom of the experts and scholars from first-class think tanks and universities in China and the United States, established a cooperative team of Chinese and American scholars, and put forward a report through in-depth discussion and research, providing a road map and intellectual support for the construction of a new type of power relations between China and U.S. This report is a major achievement in the joint research of Chinese and American academic circles and policy communities, representing that the research achievements of Chinese academic circles and think tanks are beginning to have a real impact on the policy-making of the United States, which is of great significance for promoting the construction of a new type of China-U.S. relations. It is also a major breakthrough for Chinese academic circles and think tanks in enhancing their international speaking rights. The two sides plan to launch the Chinese version of the research report later this year and publish the research results in the form of Chinese and English essays collection.
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