Chess pieces with USA and China symbols

2023 FORUM

The 2023 China Forum will focus on the theme of developing an enduring and effective China policy. The forum will feature thought leaders, policymakers, academics, business leaders, policy experts, journalists and military personnel from the U.S. in an in-depth, multi-day examination of three sets of interrelated issues.

The first set of issues will address what needs to be done to construct an enduring and effective policy toward China in political, economic, military and technological realms. The second set will explore what lessons can be drawn from the Cold War to reduce dangerous hostility and prevent military conflict. Finally, the third set of issues will consider what is required on the home front.

The forum will facilitate constructive debate on China in the U.S. and inform future policy discussions among key stakeholders in the bilateral relationship. The following questions related to this year’s theme will be explored at the forum:

  • What is our China thesis, and what is the best way for us to handle our China policy without harming our own people and interests?
  • How do China's domestic politics and policy actions shape our own set of decisions, and should the U.S. take the interests of other countries into account when crafting its China policy?
  • How effective are the U.S.'s recent policy restrictions and sanctions against China?
  • Is conflict between the U.S. and China inevitable, and at what scale? How can the U.S. military be an effective force of deterrence without provoking China into a military conflict?

Other questions that will be explored at the forum include:

  • What are the advantages of the One China Policy and its alternatives, and how do we evaluate the current administration's handling of Taiwan policy?
  • What should we make of China's pro-Russia neutrality, and how should we manage great power competition and current instabilities?
  • Can the two political parties in the U.S. come together behind a constructive policy to manage the China challenge?

The 2023 China Forum will be chaired by Susan Shirk, Stephen Hadley and Charlene Barshefsky. Participation in the forum is by invitation only, and Chatham House Rule will be applied throughout the forum, except for the public lecture, to ensure candid discussion.

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