National Committee on U.S.-China Relations

06/01/2026

Are Middle Eastern governments choosing between China and the United States?

Associate professor Chuchu Zhang of Fudan University's School of International Relations and Public Affairs joins the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations to explain how Middle Eastern countries — particularly oil-producing economies — are strategically diversifying their partnerships across major powers rather than making an either/or choice. China's role as an industrial powerhouse with enormous energy demand makes it a key economic partner, but Gulf states are also deepening ties with the United States, European countries, South Korea, India, and others.

▶️ Watch the full interview: https://www.ncuscr.org/video/why-china-cares-about-the-middle-east/

05/30/2026

What does China's relationship with the Middle East actually look like today?

It goes well beyond energy. Cooperation now encompasses renewable energy, electric vehicles, the digital economy, and significant two-way investment. Sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar have invested in Chinese industries — including electric vehicles and lithium-ion batteries — while China has become a major investor across the region.

The economic interdependence between these two parts of the world is deeper today than ever before.

▶️ Watch the full interview: https://www.ncuscr.org/video/why-china-cares-about-the-middle-east/

05/29/2026

In 1972, NCUSCR's Jan Berris stood on the tarmac as the Chinese table tennis delegation arrived for a historic eight-city tour of America. Last month, she spoke at the 55th anniversary commemoration of Ping Pong Diplomacy in Beijing, signaling 55 years of personal commitment to the U.S.-China relationship.

As we celebrate NCUSCR's 60th anniversary, Jan's story captures what makes people-to-people exchange endure: real people showing up, decade after decade.

See more coverage of the event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDu3t5RDYgI

05/28/2026

With the Trump-Xi summit now behind us, NCUSCR President Steve Orlins sat down on May 18 with Kyle Chan (Brookings), Elizabeth Economy (Hoover Institution), and Zongyuan Zoe Liu (Council on Foreign Relations) for Trade Wars, Tech Rivalries, and the Long Game in U.S.-China Relations — a discussion taking stock of what the summit revealed and what comes next for trade, technology, and the bilateral relationship.

Watch the full recording: https://www.ncuscr.org/video/trade-wars-tech-rivalries-and-the-long-game-in-u-s-china-relations/

What questions do you think the summit left unanswered?

05/27/2026

The National Committee believes that forthright dialogue between American business, policy, and civic leaders and senior Chinese government leaders benefits Americans and creates opportunities to promote U.S. interests.

Senior leaders from the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR) and the US-China Business Council (USCBC) had an off-the-record meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi today in New York. American business, civic, and academic leaders had a candid exchange on the current state of U.S.-China relations and issues shaping the bilateral relationship, including trade, agriculture, economic engagement, geopolitical tensions, and the broader global environment.

05/27/2026

In the wake of the Trump-Xi summit, a new survey of 2,000 Chinese citizens, conducted by The Carter Center and Emory University, offers useful context on how the Chinese public views Beijing's foreign partnerships. The data show support for continued economic cooperation with Russia even when both countries face sanctions — but firm opposition to any People's Liberation Army involvement in Ukraine. As Carter Center researcher Nick Zeller puts it: this is "the limit of the no-limits partnership, and it's military."

The full interview examines what Chinese citizens think about the United States, Taiwan, trade, and China's regional relationships.

▶ Full interview: https://www.ncuscr.org/video/what-china-actually-thinks-inside-the-numbers-on-america-taiwan-and-war/

05/25/2026

A core argument from Beijing has long been that the Chinese public would not accept negotiating away territorial claims. New survey findings from The Carter Center and Emory University suggest otherwise: 43% of respondents would support negotiating in the South China Sea if the Philippines reduced military cooperation with the United States, and another 43% if Manila ended its U.S. mutual defense treaty. Renard Sexton of Emory University describes this as the public "significantly deviating from the government line."

Following the May 14–15 Trump-Xi summit, this conversation looks at Chinese public opinion across U.S.-China relations, Taiwan, trade, and regional issues.

▶ Full interview: https://www.ncuscr.org/video/what-china-actually-thinks-inside-the-numbers-on-america-taiwan-and-war/

05/22/2026

Following the May 14–15 Trump-Xi summit, the longer-term Taiwan question remains. The 2027 "Davidson Window" — the idea that Beijing may be preparing for military action against Taiwan by that year — has shaped a great deal of U.S. policy planning. But new survey data from The Carter Center and Emory University suggests the domestic groundwork isn't being laid: twice as many Chinese respondents say using force against Taiwan would make things worse as say it would make things better. Renard Sexton of Emory University argues this is a costly signal worth watching.

▶ Full interview: https://www.ncuscr.org/video/americans-shifting-views-on-china-in-recent-years/

05/19/2026

New Pew Research Center data shows that American views of China have grown somewhat more positive over the past several years, with 27 percent holding a favorable opinion today, up from around a 14 percent low in 2023.

In a new interview, Pew associate director Laura Silver joins NCUSCR President Steve Orlins to discuss what the data shows: declining "enemy" framing, partisan divergence, shifting views on trade, and the multiple factors that may be driving the change.

Watch here:

Pew Research Center’s Laura Silver discusses a March 2026 report showing that American views of China have grown somewhat more positive in the past several years.

05/18/2026

Livestreaming now!

NCUSCR brings 3 leading China experts together with NCUSCR President Steve Orlins to assess what the Trump-Xi summit reveals about where the bilateral relationship is headed.

Watch: https://www.ncuscr.org/livestream/