May 2021 e-Newsletter

With the United States and China accounting for 40 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, avoiding the worst consequences of climate change will require concerted action by both countries. In the first program of a new series on Sino-American cooperation on climate change and the environment, the National Committee held a virtual discussion with Public Intellectuals Program fellows Angel Hsu, Jonas Nahm, and Alex Wang, moderated by China energy expert Joanna Lewis, on April 22, 2021.

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

Event video | Event podcast

At this critical juncture in the U.S.-China relationship, the National Committee's Annual Members Program will feature an in-depth discussion with Thomas Donilon, former National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama. Mr. Donilon will reflect 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 will introduce the program and President Stephen Orlins will moderate.

​​​​​​



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

In a new report, The United States, China, and Taiwan: A Strategy to Prevent War, Ambassador Robert Blackwill (Council on Foreign Relations) and Professor Philip Zelikow (University of Virginia) present their prescription for a U.S. policy toward Taiwan that would sustain the political balance that has preserved peace in cross-Strait relations for the last fifty years. They warn that Taiwan may become a global flashpoint, and propose that the United States should promote Taiwan’s autonomy and dynamism as a free society, rather than alter the U.S. policy approach at the risk of further escalating tensions with China. They joined the National Committee for a conversation on the report's key findings, moderated by leading Taiwan authority Shelley Rigger (Davidson College), on April 30, 2021.

Event video | Event podcast

In 1971, an American and a Chinese ping pong player exchanged gifts following a chance encounter during a competition in Japan. After this unlikely interaction, the U.S. national table tennis team was invited to China and became the first American group to visit the country in decades. While there, the U.S. Table Tennis Association extended an invitation for a Chinese team to visit the United States as guests of the USTTA and the National Committee; thus “Ping Pong Diplomacy” was born.

On April 28, 2021, the National Committee hosted a virtual 50th anniversary celebration and discussion of this historic exchange, featuring NCUSCR Vice President Jan Berris, who worked on the visit and accompanied the Chinese ping pong delegation on its travels; Judy Hoarfrost, a former United States table tennis champion who was the youngest member of the U.S. team that went to China and who also traveled with the team in the United States; and Doug Spelman, a retired foreign service officer and academic who served as an interpreter for the Chinese team. The conversation was moderated by Alex DeAngelis, a staff member at the Committee on Scholarly Communication with the People’s Republic of China for much of the 1970s, who then moved to the National Science Foundation, based in Washington and Beijing.

Event video | Event podcast

While violence toward Asian Americans has long existed in the United States, the community has faced racist violence and hate crimes at a much higher rate over the last year. Between March 2020 and February 2021, Stop AAPI Hate reported 3,795 hate incidents nationwide. Experts argue this phenomenon has been fueled by Sinophobia, anti-China foreign policy, and xenophobic political rhetoric unleashed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

On April 12, 2021, the National Committee held a virtual two-part program in which Jessica J. Lee and Ian Shin discussed the impact of anti-China political rhetoric on the current domestic U.S. climate, and Congresswoman Judy Chu addressed anti-Asian racism through legislative change.

Event video | Event podcast | Key Takeaways



During its Two Sessions held in early March 2021, the National People’s Congress passed a resolution that would change the electoral system for Hong Kong’s Legislative Council and the Chief Executive, to ensure that only “patriots” could serve, and to block “foreign interference.” The new measure builds on the National Security Law that went into force on June 30, 2020. What are the implications for the rule of law in Hong Kong, as well as for Hong Kong-Mainland, U.S.-Hong Kong, and U.S.-China relations?

The National Committee conducted a virtual program on April 8, 2021, with Hualing Fu, dean and professor of law at the University of Hong Kong, who reflected on the significance of recent policy changes in Beijing regarding Hong Kong.
​​​​​


Top U.S. trade and transatlantic experts Claire Reade (Center for Strategic & International Studies; former assistant USTR for China Affairs) and Theresa Fallon (Centre for Russia Europe Asia Studies) joined the National Committee for a closed-door briefing for Members of Congress on the EU-PRC Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI). The experts assessed CAI’s geopolitical implications, especially for the United States, contextualized CAI within China’s evolving trade and investment strategies and deals, and offered up corresponding policy options to advance and protect U.S. interests.

Interview: Jan Berris on Ping Pong Diplomacy

Now Hiring: Development Assistant