The U.S.-China Dialogue, an off-the-record gathering of leading citizens of China and America, was the first formal instance of Track II (not official government to government) diplomacy in the Sino-American relationship. Started in September 1984, the Dialogue was held another ten times before coming to an end in 2002.

The Dialogue had a fundamental and simple objective: to enable its participants to gain from each other’s perspective and knowledge in order to grow more comfortable with each other. The ultimate goal was to establish a foundation for achieving greater understanding and easier communication about challenges in the relationship.

The agenda for the inaugural Dialogue, held at the Tarrytown Conference Center outside New York City, included the global strategic situation, the U.S.-China relationship, the international economic situation and the problems of technology transfer. While many differing points of view were aired in the course of spirited discussions, the atmosphere at both the formal and informal sessions was invariably warm and friendly. By the conclusion of the meeting, the Chinese had already invited the group to continue the Dialogue in China the following fall.

The Dialogues generally followed the same format: three days of discussions followed by three to five days of travel for the visiting delegation, including meetings with senior government leaders. The pre- and post-conference schedule in 1984 took the delegation to San Francisco, New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. Attesting to the importance given to both the project and the Chinese participants, the group met in Washington with, among others, Vice President George H.W. Bush, Secretaries George Schultz and Casper Weinberger, National Security Council staff director Robert McFarlane, and Senators Howard Baker, Alan Cranston, Frank Murkowski, and Ted Stevens.