Duke-UNC China Leadership Summit
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Previous Summits

2022 Conference
March 25-27, 2022
Theme:
A New World Order? The Sino-U.S. Battle for Global Leadership

In the wake of the ongoing pandemic and worsening ties between the U.S. and China, many have wondered what the future looks like for the Sino-U.S. relationship and the world. Rather than using the pandemic as an opportunity to find common ground and solve an issue plaguing us all, China and the U.S. have only grown more competitive and increasingly view global relations as a zero-sum game. Many wonder if irreparable harm has been done to relations between China and the U.S. Is there a way to create a more open, objective, and stronger U.S.-China relationship? Would it even be possible? These are the questions we hope to explore at 2022 CLS summit: A New World Order? The Sino-U.S. Battle for Global Leadership.
Denis Simon
Admiral Dennis C. Blair
Consul General Melissa J. Lan
Jonathan Woetzle
Yanzhong Huang
Denis Simon
Minister Quan Jing
Alison Friedman
Cecilia Han Springer
Emily Feng
Kaiser Kuo
Leland Lazarus
Louisa Greve
Nong Hong
Taisu Zhang
Bingchun Meng
Weiming Tang
Edmund Malesky *
Alex Wang *
* These speakers were not able to attend the summit due to time conflict.

2021 Conference
March 19-21 & 26-28, 2021
Theme: Reversing the Tide? The U.S. and China in 2021 and Beyond

In the wake of the ongoing pandemic and worsening ties between the U.S. and China many have wondered what the future looks like for the Sino-U.S. relationship and the world. As the U.S. and China push further away from one another politically and as the rest of us keep away from one another for safety, distance has become the new normal. Eliminating the threat of COVID-19 will take time, but it will happen and life will return to a semblance of normality. But what will it take to remediate relations between China and the U.S.? Is there a way to create a more open, more objective, and stronger U.S.-China relationship? Would producing such a result be desirable? Furthermore, would it even be possible? These are the questions we hope to explore at the summit: Reversing the Tide? The U.S. and China in 2021 and Beyond. (*Due to the impact of COVID-19, this year’s summit was entirely virtual.)
Bruce W. Jentleston
Denis Simon
Dennis C. Blair
Hua Yang
Jiqiang Zhang
Keith Bradsher
Margaret Myers
Maria Repnikova
James Heller
Paige Xu
Qiang Zha
Sean Sylvia
Tong Zhao
Zhiqun Zhu


​2020 Conference
February 21-23, 2020
Theme: Reframing China: Past, Present, Future
​

Entering its 10th anniversary, the conference this year will be themed "Reframing China: Past, Present, Future". At a time when the rhetoric in Washington towards Beijing increasingly employs the framework of great-power rivalry, we seek to examine the profound underlying changes in the bilateral relationship. More importantly, we want to encourage CLS attendees to go beyond the headline narratives and pursue a deeper view of China that understands how the country’s complex historical, cultural and societal conditions shape where we stand now. The three days of the conference will focus on “past,” “present” and “future” respectively to develop a holistic and nuanced perspective on China and U.S.- China relations.
Stephen A. Orlins
Ryan Hass
Avery Goldstein
Yukon Huang
Denis Simon
Tashi Rabgey
Yingyi Ma
Barbara Finamore
Teng Biao
Lenora Chu
Maria Adele Carrai
Jeremy Smith


​2019 Conference
March 22-24, 2019
Theme: China's New Norms

The past year has encapsulated some of the most significant developments in the US-China relationship's forty-year history. From the US-China trade war to China's rapid expansion of the Belt and Road Initiative to consolidation of political power within the Chinese Communist Party, recent events have provided ample opportunities for China-watchers to consider the standards emerging alongside China's increasingly dominant political and global prowess. These new norms not only serve as a testament to China's enormous transformation, but also carry massive policy implications for international actors, both in terms of their domestic politics and international policy towards China in light of these changes. Given the scale of Chinese engagement within the global community-particularly with the US-few actors will go unaffected as a result of these emerging standards. 
Jessica Teets
Lina Benabdallah
Joanna Chiu
Michael C. Davis
Kechang Fang
Ashley Johnson
Matt Turpin
Jude Blanchette
Benjamin Creutzfeldt
David Wertime
Ginny Kamsky

2018 Conference

March 23-25, 2018
Theme: China's Global Engagement

​
Over its eight year history, the Duke-UNC China Leadership Summit has explored a diverse range of topics in US-China relations. The notion of engagement has always been an implicit yet crucial aspect of our conference, and it is vital for any stable diplomatic relationship. From hosting President Nixon in the first US Presidential visit to China in 1972, to the announcement of the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s engagement with the world, whether economic, civil, or political, has been the cornerstone of its success and a symbol for its contributions to our world. This year, by exploring topics such as China’s increased FDI into Africa, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and its rising presence in UN Peacekeeping, we would like to take a deep dive into the notion of engagement and examine how China engages with other international actors. Likewise, engagement is also of vital importance for all young China-watchers, and we hope that this year’s conference will prepare our delegates to think about the ways in which, they, as future leaders, can impact and contribute to global affairs in the coming decades.
Melanie Manion
Bonnie Glaser
Yukon Huang
David Shinn
Kaiser Kuo
Matt Ferchen
Nong Hong

2017 Conference

April 7-9, 2017
Theme: China as a Responsible Stakeholder

Keynote Speeches:
Suisheng Zhao, "A revisionist stakeholder: China challenge to the U.S.-led world order"
Chuck Eesley, "Rural entrepreneurship:  The story of Alibaba and e-commerce"
Joseph Nye, "Will the liberal order survive?"
Thomas Christensen, "U.S.-China relations and regional security"

Joseph Nye
Suisheng Zhao
Thomas Christensen
Emily Feng
David Shinn
Cheryl Brown
Kaiser Kuo
Joanna Lewis
Charles Eesley
Yaqiu Wang

2016 Conference

April 7-9, 2016
Theme: China's Soft Power in the 21st Century Global Order

​​Soft power describes the ability of a country to influence others without employing force or coercion. From Confucius Institutes to educational exchanges, from think tanks to the export of Chinese art and media, China’s recent push for soft power highlights its understanding that power is multifaceted. A legitimate world leader is not only able to push with military and economic dominance, but also pull with cultural and ideological appeal. Like other world leaders throughout history, China also faces many obstacles in its bid for soft power: problems like its aggressive military actions in the South China Sea disputes and failure to liberalize domestically pose threats to China’s perceived legitimacy and popularity abroad. How does soft power play a role in China’s most vital foreign policy objectives? What are the challenges and opportunities China faces, both domestically and internationally, in its bid for non-coercive leadership?
David Shambaugh
Julia Chang Bloch
Liz Carter
Jeremy Goldkorn
Jim Sasser
Tom Manning
Wayne Morrison
Stanley Rosen
Jessica Beinecke
Liu Kang
Abdullah Khurram

2015 Conference

February 20-22, 2015
Theme: U.S. and China Grand Strategy in Asia Pacific, Africa, and Beyond

First of all, what do we mean by grand strategy? Some narrowly define grand strategy in terms of national security and military concerns. Others define it more broadly to incorporate technological, economic, and political considerations. For us, grand strategy is the fundamental awareness and articulation of a state's foreign policy -- what type of world it seeks to build and what resources it will use to operate in that world.
​At CLS 2015, we seek to explore how the US and China are using both hard and soft power to assert their influence around the world, particularly in the Asia Pacific and Africa. Where are they competing, and where are they collaborating? Where are they operating in distinct spheres? We hope these discussions will lead us to a greater understanding of each country’s underlying “grand strategy”. On a broader level, how do these developments reflect China’s rise as a global superpower? Will China remain what David Shambaugh calls a “partial power” or embrace a more involved role as a global leader? More importantly, what should be the US response to China’s rise?

Aaron Friedberg
Dan Blumenthal
Deborah Bräutigam
David Shinn
Taisu Zhang
Jonathan Landreth
Samuel Li Shing Hong
Abdullah Khurram
Lawrence Liu
Margaret C. Lee
Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga
Christina Larson
Joanna Lewis

2014 Conference

March 28-30, 2014
Theme: Chinese Dream: Local Realities and Global Implications
Bonnie Glaser
David Shambaugh
Jenny Chan
Angela Beibei Bao
Isaac Stone Fish
Kate Kaup
Damien Ma
Rachel Wasser
Paul Haagen
David Wertime
Emerson Niou
Xue Lan Rong
Yong Cai
Pengfei Li
Jason West

2013 Conference

April 5-7, 2013
Theme: Sustainability
Thomas Christensen
Peter A. Coclanis
Elizabeth Sasser
Thomas Fingar
Hanling Yang
Robert Hall
Mark Laabs
Marc Ross
Yan Song
Yukon Huang
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