New U.S.-China investment report, upcoming events, digital media highlights, and more from the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.
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June 2021 e-Newsletter

 
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
  
New Report: Two-Way Street 2021 Update

Direct investment flows between the United States and China form an integral part of the economic integration between the two countries. Since 2016, the National Committee has partnered with Rhodium Group to track investment flows and their impact on the U.S. and Chinese economies.

The Two-Way Street 2021 Update was released at a special May 19, 2021 launch event featuring report author Thilo Hanemann (Rhodium Group), Anna Ashton (US-China Business Council), and Timothy Stratford (Covington & Burling LLP Beijing) to discuss the report and provide an outlook for 2021. Key findings include:

  • U.S.-China tensions and pandemic disruptions sank foreign direct investment (FDI) between the two countries in 2020 to the lowest point since 2009, and recovery may be hindered by continuing frictions.
  • U.S. FDI in China dropped by one-third in 2020 to $8.7 billion, its lowest level since 2004, while U.S. venture capital investment dropped by half, falling below China's U.S. VC investments for the first time in history.

​​Read the report | Event video | Event podcast | Key takeaways


 
UPCOMING EVENTS
 

SMES and U.S.-China relations

​​​​​​Middle-Class Shanghai

CCP at 100

Please continue to check our website for more information about upcoming programs. 


 
DIGITAL MEDIA
   
Jacob J. Lew

China's Belt and Road Initiative

What is China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and how should the United States respond? National Committee Chair and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew explains BRI’s key implications for the United States at a recent NCUSCR public event.

Watch the 2-minute clip | Watch the full program
 

Tsu Jing


China’s Science-Fiction Universe

Industry and political leaders in China are capitalizing on science fiction’s unique ability to inspire the public and project a vision of the future that features China as a global innovation leader. Experts Aynne Kokas, Jing Tsu, and Yilin Wang explore how the sci-fi genre can both reflect China’s present and shape its future.

Watch the 5-minute interview | Listen to the podcast

Jacob J. Lew


Major Power Rivalry in East Asia

National Committee Director and Public Intellectuals Program Fellow Evan Medeiros (Georgetown University) discusses in an interview with NCUSCR President Stephen Orlins how growing frictions and conflict prevention are becoming increasingly central to America’s China policy, as competition takes precedence in the policy framework.

Watch the 30-minute interview | Listen to the podcast

Zhengzhen Tan

Smart City Experiments: Redefining the Concept of City [Chinese Subtitled]

MIT’s Zhengzhen Tan discusses the development of China’s pioneering smart city project, Xiong’an New Area, and explains how it serves as an example for building smart cities from scratch in a holistic way, including redesigning the structure of government and the legal framework, and balancing efficiency and privacy. Ms. Tan is the executive director of the Sustainable Urbanization Lab at the MIT Center for Real Estate.

Watch the 3-minute clip on iQiyi | Follow us on iQiyi

MORE VIDEOS AND PODCASTS
  

 
VIRTUAL EVENTS
  

The United States, China, and Taiwan

The National Committee's Annual Members Program featured an in-depth discussion with Thomas Donilon, former National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama, on May 25, 2021. Mr. Donilon reflected on emerging challenges and opportunities, the Biden administration's evolving China policy, and what we might expect from the Chinese government in response. National Committee Chair Jacob J. Lew introduced the program and President Stephen Orlins served as the moderator.

Higher education and U.S. China relations

The downturn in U.S.-China relations has strained once robust educational and research ties. On May 21, 2021, the National Committee hosted a virtual program featuring Public Intellectuals Program fellows Mary Gallagher (University of Michigan), Margaret Lewis (Seton Hall University), and Rory Truex (Princeton University), in conversation with Jacques deLisle (University of Pennsylvania), as they discussed current issues and what lies ahead in Sino-American academic relations.

This program was held in partnership with the Penn Project on the Future of US-China Relations, sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for the Study of Contemporary China.

Event video | Event podcast

Smart Cities in the U.S. and China

In recent years, smart city technology has become increasingly present in our lives. With more than 70 percent of the world's population expected to live in cities by 2030, the implications are significant. What are the most recent developments in the field? How can the United States and China work together to shape standards for this technology and encourage greater smart city innovation?

On May 10, 2021, the National Committee hosted a virtual program with Zhengzhen Tan (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Sarah Tatsis (Blackberry), as they discussed smart cities and areas for potential cooperation in a conversation moderated by urban planning expert and PIP Fellow Weiping Wu (Columbia University).

Event video | Event podcast | Key takeaways

China's BRI

According to a recent report published by the Council on Foreign Relations, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), President Xi Jinping’s signature foreign policy undertaking and the world’s largest infrastructure program, poses a significant challenge to U.S. economic, political, climate, security, and global health interests.

On May 4, 2021, the National Committee hosted a virtual program with report co-chairs Secretary Jacob J. Lew and Admiral Gary Roughead and co-authors Jennifer Hillman and David Sacks, where they discussed recommendations for an effective United States response to BRI.


​​Event video | Event podcast | Key takeaways

SUBSCRIBE TO EVENTS
  

 
RESOURCES


Resources from Public Intellectuals Program Fellows

​​​​​

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Committee’s sixth cohort of Public Intellectuals Program fellows have found creative ways to conduct public outreach through online resources:

  • Keisha Brown, Tennessee State University, co-authored “Teaching China Through Black History”, which outlines key resources and moments in history of Black connections with China. The list can be found here.

  • Kelly Hammond, University of Arkansas, created a resource list of important writing and media coverage on Xinjiang. Her list can be found here.

  • Jonas Nahm, Johns Hopkins SAIS, has organized essential reading on the topic of China’s environmental policies. His list can be found here.

Get the latest content from NCUSCR PIP Fellows by following #PIPfellow on Twitter.


 

 
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The National Committee on United States-China Relations is the leading American, non-partisan public affairs organization devoted exclusively to building constructive and durable relationships between the United States and Greater China. The Committee creates opportunities for informed discussion and reasoned debate about the issues of common interest and concern to the United States, mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

© 2021 National Committee on United States-China Relations, Inc.


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