From July 23rd to 26th, 2024, China Institute of International Studies and the Stimson Center jointly organized the 21st China-U.S. Young Scholars’ Dialogue in Washington, D.C. The theme of this year’s dialogue is “U.S.-China Relations at 45: Searching Directions through Dialogues”. President Chen Bo and Brian Finlay, President of the Stimson Center, attended the conference and delivered opening remarks.
President Chen Bo pointed out that this year marks the 45th anniversary of China-U.S. diplomatic relations. Both history and reality of the bilateral relations have proved that China and the U.S. benefit from cooperation and suffer from confrontation. The two countries should handle the relationship with a sense of responsibility for history, for the people and for the world. And the two countries need to enhance communication, manage differences, and expand possible cooperation, under the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, so as to promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations. We hope that through the dialogue, scholars from China and the U.S. will better understand each other's concerns, find ways to handle differences, put people-to-people exchanges into practice, and provide more intellectual support for improving bilateral relations.
President Finlay said that the U.S. needs to engage with friends and partners around the world, and communication and dialogues between China and the U.S. are of great significance to both governments and the people. It is believed that scholars from both sides will be able to explore the nature of U.S.-China relations, where it’s going, points of frictions and prospects for cooperation through candid exchanges, and will find more opportunities embedded in the bilateral relations, and resolve challenges.
The Dialogue brings together 14 mid-career scholars from think tanks and institutions, including China Institute of International Studies, Renmin University of China, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, Fudan University, as well as the Stimson Center, the Asia Group, U.S. Institute of Peace, Center for a New American Security, and Quincy Institute. Participants exchange ideas on the topics of “Debating Perspectives”, “Managing Differences,” and “Possible Cooperation”.
During the Dialogue, the Chinese scholars delegation also visited RAND Corporation, American Enterprise Institute, Cato Institute, and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and attended a seminar in New York with young scholars from local think tanks, media and universities, thanks to the co-organization of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and Asia Society Policy Institute.
The China-U.S. Young Scholars' Dialogue Project was initiated by CIIS in 2011. Its annual/biannual dialogue has been held for 21 rounds. The project has grown into an important platform for intellectual exchanges among mid-career scholars from China and U.S. think tanks.