China 101 2021 offered a 7-part series throughout June and July to provide unique insight into the critically important U.S.-China relationship. Featuring speakers with firsthand knowledge of China — its culture, its people, and its policies — the 2021 series focused on seven key areas of interest to U.S. policymakers and their advisors. Designed to increase awareness and understanding, the one-hour sessions offer staff the opportunity to hear from and interact with diverse experts from on and off the Hill. The 2021 China 101 Congressional Briefing Series connected Congressional staff with academic, government, and business leaders with direct experience and expertise on U.S. policy toward China and Chinese domestic activities.
This series was open exclusively to Congressional staff. If you are a staffer interested in this series, please email china101@usasiainstitute.org to receive information on how to access audio and video recordings of any of the briefings on our China 101 Password Protected page.
SUMMER 2021 SESSIONS
Session 1 | Monday, June 7, 2021 |1:00 - 2:00 pm EDT: Understanding China: Its Past, Leaders, Political System, and Policies
In the opening session of the 11th annual China 101 Congressional Briefing Series, Robert Daly, the Director of Kissinger Institute on China and the United States, Wilson Center, joined the US-Asia Institute for a discussion about recent changes in the US-China relationship, especially in regard to the recent change in US leadership. Robert highlighted key US policy differences and similarities between the Biden and Trump administrations in their approach to countering China, as well as the current confusion for both the US and China as they navigate their next steps and attempt to clearly define their objectives towards each other. After Robert gave his initial remarks, Moderator Chris Fenton, CEO of Media Capital Technologies and Trustee at the US-Asia Institute, guided a Q&A session that touched on issues such as the dynamic of the US-China-Taiwan relationship, the role of the US government in assisting corporations’ attempts to counter China, and the recent rise in anti-Asian violence and racism caused by a shift in anti-Chinese rhetoric.
Session 2 | Monday, June 14, 2021 |1:00 - 2:00 pm EDT: US-China Economic Interconnectivity: Where Do We Go From Here?
In the second session of the 11th annual China 101 Congressional Briefing Series, David Dollar, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Mary Lovely, Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, and Anna Ashton, Vice President of Government Affairs at the US-China Business Council, joined the US-Asia Institute for a discussion about China’s domestic economic challenges, US-China economic relations, and how the US can best approach international economic policy going forward. The panelists highlighted two main imperatives for the US: multilateral engagement on economic issues and ensuring an export market in China for American businesses. In pursuit of these goals, the panelists discussed and suggested better coordination with allies and active US involvement in the World Trade Organization, particularly greater utilization of the dispute settlement procedure.
Session 3 | Monday, June 21, 2021 |1:00 - 2:00 pm EDT: US-China Defense and Security Issues: Rebalancing Force Posture in Asia
In the third session of the 11th annual China 101 Congressional Briefing Series, Tony Cordesman, Ph.D., Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Michael Swaine, Ph.D., Director of the East Asia Program at the Quincy Institute and Darryl Nirenberg, Partner at Steptoe & Johnson LLP, joined the US-Asia Institute for a discussion about defense and security issues that face the US and China in their competition for influence in Asia. The panelists went into detail on the specific security threats for both nations and the changes in Chinese military and defense spending initiatives in recent years that have led to its exponential military growth. The speakers also discussed how the United States could alter its strategy and respond to Chinese military expansion and influence. Finally, both speakers highlighted key regions of tension, such as Taiwan and the South China Sea, that may exacerbate tensions in the future.
Session 4 | Monday, June 28, 2021 | 1:00-2:00pm EDT: US-China Technological Divide
In the fourth session of the 11th annual China 101 Congressional Briefing Series, Scott Kennedy, Senior Adviser and Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Mark Magnier, US Correspondent at the South China Morning Post, joined the US-Asia Institute for a discussion about the US-China technological divide. In his keynote remarks, Dr. Kennedy first addressed four common myths held by Americans about US and Chinese foreign policy in the areas of trade and technology competition. In light of the Innovation and Competitiveness Act recently passed by the US Senate, Dr. Kennedy also gave four suggestions for how Congress can harness the great potential of the act to ensure that R&D investments are effective, and the US remains competitive. In the Q&A portion of this event, the Dr. Kennedy and Mr. Magnier discussed semiconductors and other sectors of US-China competition in tech, data management and corporate regulation, and ways in which the US can further strengthen its competitive position.
Session 5 | Monday, July 12, 2021 | 1:00 - 2:00 pm EDT: Difficult Conversations: An Overview of Xinjiang
In the fifth session of the 11th annual China 101 Congressional Briefing Series, Heather Fischer, Senior Advisor for Human Rights at Thomson Reuters Special Services, Dahlia Peterson, Research Analyst at the Center for Security and Emerging Technology, and Blake Harden, Vice President of International Trade at the Retail Industry Leaders Association joined the US-Asia Institute for a discussion about China's policies and practices regarding Xinjiang and the implications for US engagement with the region. This discussion was moderated by Thomas Lum, a Specialist in Asian Affairs at the Congressional Research Service. Dr. Lum opened the meeting with an overview of the Uyghur people and the ongoing crisis in Xinjiang. Dahlia Peterson then talked about the evolution of surveillance technology, focusing on the IGOP data platform used in Xinjiang to track Uyghurs and other minorities. Heather Fischer discussed labor trafficking and the steps taken by the US to address this issue. Finally, Blake Harden overviewed the Xinjiang supply chain and the difficulties companies face in ensuring their own supply chain is free of forced-labor. In the Q&A portion of this event, Dr. Lum and the speakers discussed the importance of US-produced AI chips in Chinese surveillance tech, the role multilateral cooperation plays in addressing this issue, and why many countries are reticent to condemn China.
Session 6 | Monday, July 19, 2021 | 1:00 - 2:00 pm EDT: China’s Climate Goals: From Green Recovery to Sustainable Future
In the sixth session of the 11th annual China 101 Congressional Briefing Series, Jennifer Turner Ph.D., Director of the China Environment Forum & Manager of the Global Choke Point Initiative at the Wilson Center, Shi Yuzhi, Environmental lawyer & American University Humphrey Fellow, and Jane Leggett, Specialist In environmental and energy policy at the Congressional Research Service, joined the US-Asia Institute for a discussion about the China’s energy and climate goals. The panelists discussed the history of public engagement with climate issues in China, resulting environmental initiatives, China’s most important environmental aims and laws, and the history of US-China cooperation/parallelism on climate change. In the Q&A portion of this event, the panelists discussed the benefits and drawbacks of cooperation versus competition between the US and China on this issue, the Carbon Border Tax recently proposed by Democrats, and the use of nuclear power in China.
Session 7 | Monday, July 26, 2021 | 9:30-10:30 am EDT: An Update on Hong Kong
In the seventh and final session of the 11th annual China 101 Congressional Briefing Series, Hualing Fu, Professor of Law at the University of Hong Kong, Ying Chan, Master of the University of Hong Kong’s Shun Hing College, and Al Reyes, Professor and Director of Knowledge Dissemination at the University of Hong Kong’s Asia Global Institute, joined the US-Asia Institute for a discussion about recent political dynamics in Hong Kong, focusing in particular on the Hong Kong National Security Law passed in June 2020. During their remarks and the Q&A portions of the event, the panelists discussed the impetus behind the passage of the NSL, the impact of the NSL on criminal law, business, the press, and the “one country, two systems” principle, and the future trajectory of the HK-China relationship.
