On September 23, 2026, the North Courtyard 3:30 · "Surveying the World" country and area studies seminar on "Summit Diplomacy and China-US Relations" was held at the North Courtyard of Tsinghua University. The event was co-hosted by the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS), Tsinghua University, and the Tsinghua Center for Global Competence Development, and co-organized by the Tsinghua University Student Association for International and Strategic Studies (SAISS). Dr. Wang Zheng, Visiting Scholar at CISS, Professor at the School of Diplomacy and International Relations of Seton Hall University, and Director of its Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, was invited as the keynote speaker.

Dr. Wang Zheng analyzed the new structure and future trajectory of China-US relations. He pointed out that China-US relations have transcended the traditional bilateral framework, as both countries exert significant influence in the global economy, manufacturing, military affairs, and artificial intelligence, and that changes in the relationship will continue to shape the international landscape. In this context, summit diplomacy carries important strategic significance: high-level engagement not only embodies mutual respect but also helps send positive signals of easing and promote the establishment of more stable and sustained communication mechanisms.

On the basic features of current China-US relations, Dr. Wang Zheng proposed "three mutual impossibilities": China and the United States cannot exclude each other, cannot dominate each other, and cannot transform each other. He argued that, after trade frictions and prolonged strategic competition, both sides find it difficult to exclude the other entirely from their own development, cannot unilaterally dominate the other, and should gradually accept the reality of long-term coexistence. Looking ahead, Dr. Wang stressed the need to guard against "decline narratives" about each other's development and to avoid misjudging the resilience of major powers. The essential role of summit diplomacy, he argued, lies in providing strategic stability and political confirmation for the long-term coexistence of the two countries, and in fostering sustained communication and negotiation mechanisms.

Photo | Event scene

During the Q&A session, Dr. Wang Zheng engaged in in-depth discussion with the faculty and students present on issues including the U.S. withdrawal from certain international mechanisms, nuclear proliferation and disarmament, China-US trade and global supply chains, U.S. tariff policy, and China-US negotiation mechanisms. He noted that the current international order is undergoing adjustment and contestation, and that China-US relations still face considerable uncertainty, requiring the two sides to manage differences and preserve strategic stability through sustained communication and negotiation. The event concluded successfully in a lively atmosphere.

Photo | Student representatives presenting a gift to Dr. Wang Zheng

Photo | Group photo

The Tsinghua University Student Association for International and Strategic Studies (SAISS) was founded in December 2020. Relying on two centers—the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS), Tsinghua University, and the Tsinghua Center for Global Competence Development—it serves Tsinghua students aspiring to understand and develop strategic thinking and to pursue research and practice in foreign affairs and diplomacy, international exchange, global governance, and strategic planning. SAISS is committed to broadening global vision, cultivating strategic thinking, understanding China's national conditions, telling China's story well, and becoming a youth think tank built around "research," "communication," and "peer learning."