The Think Tank Lecture sponsored by Shanghai Academy was officially launched at China Financial Information Center on March 7. The first lecture was given by famous international relations expert Professor Yang Jiemian, an academic member of Shanghai Academy and former President of the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, on the theme “Opportunities and Challenges: China-US Relationship in the New Situation”.

Wen Xueguo, Executive Vice President of Shanghai Academy, presided over the activity. In his speech, Prof. Wen noted that as Shanghai Academy works to build a high-end think tank brand and a think tank communication platform, Think Tank Lecture is aimed to fundamentally implement the State-level requirements on think tank construction, pool wisdom from various sources, and promote rapid development of elite think tanks. Meanwhile, it will be opened to the public so as to promote dissemination of knowledge, think tank sharing, and public participation.

In his lecture, Prof. Yang first analyzed the US presidential election and characteristics of the Trump Administration. He thought that the US presidential election should be viewed in a comprehensive and dialectical way. On one hand, the election campaign was filled with farce and accidental factors, which exposed the hypocrisy of the US liberal democracy; on the other hand, the US strategic and policy rethink as reflected in the election, is worth noting. As for the influence of the Trump Administration on the world’s future landscape and the uncertainties in the China-US relationship, Yang considered that the general aspects of the China-US relationship should be identified, and the US foreign policies, while showing a general trend of contraction, are strengthening locally. The China-US relationship has two sides. The US views China as one of its rivals, but that doesn’t mean China presently is the No.1 threat to the US. China and the US face severe tests on several major issues, including the North Korean Nuclear issue, South China Sea issue, and on the Asia-Pacific security structure. When addressing the China-US relationship, China shall adjust its strategic posture, increase cooperation with both developing countries and developed countries to expand its “circle of friends”, avoid confrontation, and strengthen crisis management. Meanwhile, based on the One-China principle, China and the US shall define the relationship as one characterized by mutual respect and increased cooperation and move towards the general direction of “steady improvements”.

In the Q&A session, Prof. Yang Jiemian responded in some detail to questions such as “how should contemporary young people understand the China-US relationship more objectively”, interacting with the audience from time to time to generous applause.

The Think Tank Lecture was attended by more than 100 people from all walks of life, including white-collar workers from enterprises and public institutions, students, and international studies researchers, and met with a resoundingly positive social response.

Article by Xiang Jinmei, Shi Leilei

Photo by Lu Wenting