On February 4, Brookings convened a high-level roundtable with Tsinghua University in Beijing. The meeting brought together top minds from the United States and China to address three primary topics: medical and research cooperation, vaccine development and distribution, and cross-border travel and global collaboration for public health progress.
And on March 1 at 8:00 AM EST, the China Center will host a public webinar examining opportunities for U.S.-China collaboration on COVID-19 prevention and treatment.
"The more that U.S. China policy reflects the views of the American public and aligns with the approaches of America’s allies, the harder it is for Beijing to wait out pressure and avoid adjustments to its own behavior." As part of the Brookings Blueprints for American Renewal & Prosperity project, David Dollar and Ryan Hass lay out four critical steps to respond to the China challenge.
In a report published by the Paul Tsai China Center at Yale Law School, Paul Gewirtz, Ryan Hass, Susan Thornton, Robert Williams, Craig Allen, and David Dollar explore how the United States and Europe can work together to address key obstacles posed by China's rise. The paper includes actionable recommendations on technology issues, human rights, climate change, and more.
In "Stronger," Ryan Hass examines the state of the U.S.–China relationship and charts a new path for America focusing on its existing advantages. Hass argues that while competition will remain the defining trait of the relationship, both countries will continue to be impacted—for good or ill—by their capacity to coordinate on common challenges that neither can solve on its own.
As the Biden administration begins to formulate its strategy for Southeast Asia, it ought to consider the findings and policy recommendations that appear in this new volume from editor Jonathan Stromseth and a team of regional experts.
Fighting COVID-19.Diana Fu contends that Xi Jinping effectively mobilized Chinese civil society to combat the virus in concert with the Chinese Communist Party, and civil society responded as a cohesive body.
Economic policies in Asia. "To sustain U.S. power and influence in Asia, the Biden administration should enhance economic engagement with the region — particularly in Southeast Asia, which has become a hotbed of strategic rivalry between Beijing and Washington," write David Dollar and Jonathan Stromseth.
Biden’s first foreign policy address. Ryan Hass says that President Biden signaled "that he views China as a central challenge, but not a burning issue that eclipses all other concerns...To respond effectively, Biden argued, America will need to rebuild leverage."
In the news
How will U.S.-China relations look during Biden’s presidency? Susan Thornton spoke with CNBC, saying Joe Biden appears to want to engage China from "a position of strength." She added that the Biden approach to China "will be back to first principles, back to familiar diplomacy, and back to processes, which will be good for the U.S.-China relationship, but it’s going to be a slow start."
How is China thinking about bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies? David Dollar told Bloomberg that right now most countries' "whole effort is defensive,” adding that central banks are “trying to get back into the key position to control currency and the money supply.” China, by contrast, has been perhaps the most proactive country, conducting real-world trials of a digital yuan, partnering with the SWIFT global transactions system, and cracking down on payment services like Jack Ma’s Alipay to reassert supremacy over its currency.
What will be the U.S. posture towards Taiwan? NPR asked Ryan Hass how the Biden administration would compare to the Trump administration on Taiwan. "I think it's important just for us to keep in mind that nobody has called the Chinese jack-booted thugs in the past week. Nobody has referred to COVID-19 as 'the Kung Flu' or 'the China Virus,'" Hass said, adding that that goes for Taiwan policy too. "My expectation is that there won't be the same sort of daily height decibel level of love from Washington to Taipei."
About the China Center
The John L. Thornton China Centerdevelops timely, independent analysis and policy recommendations to help U.S. and Chinese leaders address key long-term challenges, both in terms of U.S.-China relations and China's internal development.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brookings Institution campus in Washington, D.C. is currently closed and all events are virtual only. For more information on the Institution's response, read our full guidance here.
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