In advance of the upcoming U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues (S&ED) and High Level Consultation on People to People Exchanges (CPE), Project Pengyou, JHU-SAIS China and the Committee of 100 co-hosted a speakers forum exploring the evolution of U.S.-China bridge-building since America’s founding on June 21, 2015.

The forum offered insight into both the historical, social, and political backdrop of Sino-American relations as well as the current issues as seen from Washington today. U.S.-China relations are a complex mix of multilateral diplomacy, intensified rivalry, and intertwined economies, making it critical to harness the unprecedented opportunities and challenges involved in people to people exchanges.

150 guests attended to hear from a number of speakers including Dr. Gordon H. Chang, Professor of History and Director of the Center for East Asian Studies at Stanford University; Scott Seligman, Historian, Author and ‘China Hand’; Madelyn Ross, Director of the Hopkins Nanjing Center Washington, D.C. and Associate Director of Johns Hopkins University SAIS China; Dr. Jeremy Wu, Washington D.C. Regional Co-Chair of the Committee of 100; Jesse Appell, Comedian; Hank Levine, Senior Adviser, Albright Stonebridge Group, and Holly Chang, Acting Executive Director at the Committee of 100 who concurrently heads the Project Pengyou initiative.