Focus This Week: How do we keep engagement on track? - June 8, 2023

June 08, 2023

Focus This Week

A community space to discuss the China-U.S. relationship and beyond.

Dear Friends,

Ideas, debate, and openness are the cornerstones of our work at the China-United States Exchange Foundation. For the past 15 years, we have communicated these values in different ways, including through our digital platforms that inform our mission: to serve as a gathering point for trust, dialogue and understanding between the United States and China.

Today, I am excited to introduce to you Focus This Week, our new flagship weekly newsletter from the China-US Focus editorial team featuring videos, podcasts, and opinion by international thought leaders on the most consequential bilateral relationship today, including Joseph Nye, Larry Summers, Wang Jisi, and Ambassador Cui Tiankai. But my wish is that Focus This Week also creates communities with shared purpose—bringing people together in divided times.

By communicating with one another with integrity, honesty, and a commitment to the public interest, we can together help make peace, progress, and prosperity accessible to everyone. The people of the United States and China have the capacity and compassion to contribute their talents for the global good, and we are humbled to do our part to support that worthy goal.

I hope you enjoy our content on Focus This Week, and I encourage you to reach out to share your thoughts and reactions with us directly.

Warm wishes,

James Chau
President, China-United States Exchange Foundation

Focus Insights

How do we keep engagement on track?

Stephen Roach, a professor at Yale University, discusses how setting up a new joint secretariat could be key to keeping engagement between the world's leading economies on track.

Re-engaging — but how far?

David Shambaugh, a Gaston Sigur Professor of Asian Studies and Director of the China Policy Program at George Washington University, discusses the recent flurry of direct exchanges between the American and Chinese governments, after three months with no high-level contact.

Is the EU and U.S. shift to de-risking enough?

Wang Lei, an Assistant Research Fellow at the Institute of World Political Studies, CICIR, and Sun Ru, a Research Professor & the Deputy Director of CICIR, discuss the adjustments in European and American strategies that may lead to a return to normal relations with China.

Will NATO's eastward expansion cause conflict?

Ted Carpenter, a Senior Fellow with the Randolph Bourne Institute, discusses new efforts to expand the U.S. and Europe's influence in East Asia and its impacts in the region.

Quote of the Week

"The G7 Summit in Hiroshima does not represent a new crossroads in U.S. or Western core group policies toward China. Rather, it signifies the beginning of a new phase in U.S.-led competition."

Sun Chenghao

Fellow, Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University

Notable Number

The 2022 percentage of China's share in the world GDP. Read more from Yan Xuetong.

Beyond Our Shores

Want to learn more about the Chinese economy but don't know where to start? We're excited to highlight "The New China Playbook: Beyond Socialism and Capitalism," by Dr. Keyu Jin, associate professor of Economics at the London school of Economics.

In her book, Jin burrows deep into the mechanisms of a unique system, taking a nuanced, clear-eyed, and data-based look inside. From the far-reaching and unexpected consequences of China's one-child policy to the government's complex relationship with entrepreneurs, and from its boisterous financial system to its latest bout of techno-nationalism, Jin reveals the frequently misunderstood dynamics at play. China is entering a new era, soon to be shaped by a radically different younger generation.

Discover More

A look into cultural stories from our affiliate platform, The China Current.

Travel is making a comeback in China

Watch Video

As China continues to ease Covid-19 protocols, there's expected to be a resurgence in travel, tourism, and people-to-people exchange. The China Current takes a look at the impacts of the borders reopening and the first holiday locals were able to reunite with loved ones with lessened restrictions.

Community Connections

Join our digital community. Stay connected to China-US Focus by following us and sharing this newsletter on social media platforms.

Question of the Week

In our Focus Insights section, we shared an article from Stephen Roach discussing how China and the U.S. can keep engagement on track. We want to hear from you: what do you think must happen for Beijing and Washington to improve dialogue? Is this achievable, and something both sides should be aiming for?

Submit your thoughts to useditor@chinausfocus.com for a chance to be featured in next week's Focus This Week.

Comment from our Community

"Big event exchanges are a start. But getting back to people crossing back and forth across borders to meet other people… that's the heart and soul."

John Haukness

In response to "Reforming Sino-American Cultural Exchange for the Better," by Brian Wong

Interested in submitting an op-ed to China-US Focus? Contact
useditor@chinausfocus.com for more info.

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About Focus This Week

Prepared by China-US Focus editorial teams in Hong Kong and New York, this weekly newsletter offers you snap shots of latest trends and developments emerging from China and the U.S. every week. It is a community space to exchange thoughts and ideas about the China-U.S. relationship and beyond.

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