On July 22, the Committee of 100 held a Speakers Forum at the U.S. Capitol Building on “Testing the New Model for Major Power Relations: The U.S.–China Relationship on the Eve of President Xi Jinping’s State Visit.” The event was co-hosted with the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress, which works with former members to educate about the role of Congress, assist Congress in its international relations, and support emerging democracies abroad.
Ambassador Connie Morella, former Representative for Maryland’s 8th congressional district, welcomed the packed audience of former Members of Congress, C-100 members, Congressional staff, members of the diplomatic corps, and other distinguished stakeholders. This event is generously supported by the J.T. Tai Foundation.
The panel discussion was moderated by David Ignatius of The Washington Post and featured four distinguished panelists: C-100 advisor and former Ambassador to China Stapleton Roy, Jeffrey Bader of the Brookings Institution, Rudy deLeon of the Center for American Progress, and Robert Manning of the Atlantic Council. Speakers examined differing interpretations of the “New Model for Major Power Relations,” proposed by President Xi in 2013, and the potential implications for U.S.-China relations, the Asia Pacific, and the international community. Ambassador Roy emphasized that policymakers must consider the broader impact of U.S.-China relations, noting “U.S.-China policy is much bigger than simply U.S.-China relations; it’s directly related to the question of success or failure of our policy in East Asia.” Dr. Bader suggested that a “slogan” such as the new model may not be very useful, given the complexity of U.S.-China relations, but underscored the need for a “coherent framework” for the relationship. Mr. deLeon argued that because the U.S. and China are “countries with different political institutions, cultural traditions, and economic systems,” it is essential that they find opportunities to collaborate. Mr. Manning proposed that the U.S. and China cooperate on a major strategic issue, and specifically on promoting peace and stability in the Middle East.
Henry Tang, C-100 co-founder and governor, gave closing remarks on the history of C-100 and highlighted the growing field of Chinese investment in the U.S. C-100 members Clarence Kwan, Michael Lin, and Jeremy Wu also participated in the briefing. Following the panel discussion, guests thanked the Committee of 100 and USAFMC for hosting the high-impact event. A senior Congressional staff member remarked, “I spoke with several people about their impression of [the July 22] event and the speakers’ remarks. Like me, they were impressed and thought the Committee of 100 held a very informative event.”
For more information on this event, please refer to the Executive Summary.
