From February 4 to 6, 2021, experts at the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS), Tsinghua University, attended the Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue and Defense Information Sharing Meeting at the invitation of their host, the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC). CISS participants included its Academic Committee member YAO Yunzhu, Senior Fellow and China Forum expert ZHOU Bo, and Research Fellow LI Chen.

At the Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue, more than 40 academics and experts from China, the US, Russia, Japan and South Korea commented on topics including “Strategic and Diplomatic Developments over the Past Year and Prospects Post-Pandemic,” “US Policy Considerations in Transition,” “US-China-Russia Relations,” “Regional Economic Transformation, Trade Relations and Post-Pandemic Recovery,” and “The Korean Peninsula.”

At the Defense Information Sharing Meeting, discussions centered around topics including “Assessing the State and Prospects of US Defense Posture and Alliance Relations in Northeast Asia: US and Regional Perspectives,” “Maritime Dimensions of the Quad,” and “US-China Military Cooperation and Competition,” in which the results from the 2020-21 Defense Transparency Index were presented. Over 20 specialists and scholars from China, the US, Russia, Japan, and South Korea took part in the discussions.

Other international participants included Susan Shirk, IGCC Director Emeritus; Tai Ming Cheung, IGCC Director; Vasily Kashin, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies, Higher School of Economics, Russia; Satoshi Morimoto, former Minister of Defense of Japan; Fumio Ota, former Director of Japan’s Defense Intelligence Headquarters under the Ministry of Defense; Go Kyung-guk, Head of Northeast Asia Policy Division, Ministry of National Defense, Republic of Korea; and Choi Kang, Vice President of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.

The two sessions were structured around the “changes” and “constants” in the international security landscape. Discussants believe that as Biden took office and works toward the continuation of some of his predecessor’s policies, the future direction remains to be seen. However, it is foreseeable that the US will reconstruct a stronger partnership network, place emphasis on maintaining a free and open international order in the Indo-Pacific region, and reinforce the Quad. This would worsen China-US strategic suspicion and competition, and ripple across other regional security issues. Meanwhile, panelists acknowledged the progress of regional economic cooperation in East Asia against the backdrop of the pandemic, stressing that the region remains the powerhouse of the global economy. They also pointed to, nevertheless, the risk of a potential China-US decoupling and its spillover effects.

Established in 1982, IGCC aims to conduct research on international security, economic development and environmental issues, and to develop solutions to the most profound global security challenges. Among its programs, the Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue involves high-level policymakers, defense ministry officials and researchers from China, Japan, North and South Korea, Russia, and the United States. It seeks to reduce the risk of military conflict in the region and to lay the groundwork for multilateral cooperation in Northeast Asia. The Defense Information Sharing Study Project consists primarily of military and defense officials, who are increasing transparency and building confidence through exchanges.