美中全球议题对话项目

The U.S.-China Student Dialogue has been the highlight of my sophomore year at Georgetown. For two years now, I have immersed myself in study of China through language, history, and even theology courses. However, the first-hand experience in culture, political/financial systems, and student perspectives has enriched my understanding of China in a way that would not have been possible without the in-person dialogues.

When we first arrived in Beijing, I was unsure of how the dialogues would unfold. I wanted to be mindful of what topics our Tsinghua counterparts would be willing to discuss and cautious to not break taboo. Yet what surprised me most was not our differing opinions, rather our similarities. In the time we spent together, we shared meals, coffee, and laughs with our new friends. More importantly, during our discussions we found that we agreed on 50%, if not more, of what we believed. Even in disagreement, we were able to understand our perspectives and work to find a productive solution. One example of this was a discussion on trade and economics, where we all agreed that neither China nor the United States were likely to return to their previous relationship when it came to critical sectors for national security. Yet, we were able to highlight other avenues for cooperation and collaboration; we discussed that neither nation looks favorably at a dependence on the other, yet agreed that interdependence in certain areas may actually be beneficial toward charting a path to cooperation and collaboration in the areas that truly matter.

Similarly, regardless of what topics we discussed we always agreed that more dialogue between the two nations was crucial going forward. We found this mirrored in our own experience. I never would have expected that a Tsinghua student would have read Rush Doshi’s The Long Game, nor that we would be able to discuss the Chinese perspective on U.S. thought on Chinese grand strategy over dinner. Similarly, I return home with a postcard that has “I will never forget that yesterday, a white woman discussed with an Asian man many topics on Chinese philosophy from the Analects to Legalists to TaoteJing and Zhuxi” written on it by my new friend Jack. I feel very strongly that our exchange, and student dialogues going forward, are critical to understanding each other and the future of U.S.-China relations.

In Hong Kong, my experience was revolutionized even further. While I have been studying Mandarin for two years now and learning about mainland China, Hong Kong was a place I was much less familiar with when compared to Beijing. Everything about the city exceeded my expectations and opened my world view. In my conversations with University of Hong Kong students, I gained a much more nuanced perspective on the status of Hong Kong and the identity of its residents.

For me, this trip had been my first time in Asia, but certainly not my last. In just eight days, I learned so much about China and Hong Kong. I will never forget the sights I saw in Beijing, the somewhat successful efforts at bargaining using my poor Mandarin skills, the meals featuring humongous lazysusans, the authentic dimsum, and the joy I felt sharing ice cream with new friends. The things I learned and perspectives I gained will stay with me forever; they will (and already have) impact my education and study going forward, making me a better student and future professional.

Ewa Tryniszewski (SFS'28) is a student at Georgetown University studying international politics with minors in Chinese and economics.