On September 25, a delegation of “Shanghai Nanjing Plus 2023” led by the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS) and The Johns Hopkins University - Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies (HNC) visited the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS) of Tsinghua University. The three parties jointly organized a seminar on “China-U.S. Relations: Perspectives from the Young Generation.” The seminar was chaired by Da Wei, Director of CISS, and joined by Chen Dongxiao, President of SIIS; Cong Cong, Chinese Co-Director of the HNC; Zhang Lirong, Secretary-General of China Forum, CISS; Dong Ting, Sun Chenghao, and Shi Yan, Fellows of CISS; and Feng Wei and Wen Jing, Postdoc Fellows of CISS.
The participating Chinese and foreign scholars discussed such topics as the current international order and China-U.S. relations, humanistic and youth exchanges between China and the U.S., the Ukraine crisis, economic and technological competition, China-U.S. anti-drug cooperation, and climate change.
The delegation consisted of 15 HNC graduates who stand out as professionals in the relevant fields in different countries in the U.S. and Europe. Young and middle-aged researchers from CISS had a warm exchange with the delegation members from the perspective of youth and the future.
Professor Da Wei, Director of CISS, said that we cannot simply understand the current China-U.S. relations by historical analogies. China and the U.S. need more narratives about shared values and should promote understanding and dispel misunderstandings by increasing dialogues and reducing accusations.
Professor Chen Dongxiao, President of SIIS, said that leading this delegation to interact with different institutions in Beijing and Shanghai aimed to get to know different cities in China and rebuild an honest dialogue between China and the U.S. He emphasized that this seminar was not a one-sided lecture, but a discussion of equality, exchange, and empathy (3E) between the two sides. He hoped that this connection would continue and expand to all fields. Overseas youth representatives also expressed great benefits.
The seminar was also joined by Xu Xiaolan and Ge Jieyi, Program Officers of the Office of SIIS International Cooperation and Exchanges; Zhang Chong, Assistant Research Fellow of Center for American Studies; Yu Yue from the Office; John Urban, Deputy American Co-Director of the HNC; Guo Ankang, Assistant to Chinese and American Directors of the HNC; Xia Yiqing, Head of Alumni Development; and student volunteers Gao Jie, Zhang Shenghe, Fu Jiapei, and Liu Zijing.
