美中全球议题对话项目

In April 2025, New York Times opinion writer Thomas Friedman published a piece entitled “ I Just Saw the Future. It Was Not in America.” You can likely guess where Friedman saw the future: a sprawling Huawei campus –– Lianqiu Lake R&D Center — in Shanghai.

I wanted to test Friedman’s hypothesis — that China’s advanced manufacturing economy really does represent the future — for myself. The U.S.-China Student Dialogue presented an incredible opportunity to do this. Simultaneously, I was eager to do this while also interacting with Chinese peers, the future policymakers and business leaders who will define the future of the U.S.-China relationship.

Upon arriving in China, the societal integration of AliPay (a ubiquitous payment app) and the Shanghai-Beijing high-speed rail were both immediately impressive. Technology is integrated throughout society, and the sheer amount of infrastructure is astounding. Gazing across the Huangpu River at the nearly infinite row of gleaming skyscrapers, it is impossible not to marvel at China’s ability to rapidly build infrastructure at a massive scale.

It is also impossible to ignore the scale and effects of China’s property crisis. Outside of downtown Shanghai, we passed countless hollowed-out apartment complexes, devoid of residents and light. Quietly racing through the countryside en route to Beijing, dilapidated houses and factories dot the landscape. Throughout our trip, the property crisis was a looming giant, little discussed but clearly impactful.

In China, I learned that everything happens at scale, both the good and the bad. Immense economic development occurred at scale, and China’s middle class now sits at more than 400 million people. The real estate crisis has also occurred at scale, and crumbling buildings and half-built structures pockmark Shanghai and Beijing.

Surveillance, too, occurs at an immense scale. When we visited the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, it was palpable. Every light pole was covered in security cameras, and state security officials or local law enforcement officers patrolled nearly every corner.

Ultimately, China’s repressive political climate made dialogue with our Peking University peers difficult. While we bonded about our shared experiences as university students, dialogue about issues where the U.S. and China hold diametrically opposed views – such as Taiwan and artificial intelligence (AI) development – was virtually impossible.

However, the dialogue was still a meaningful experience, and I want to highlight my immense gratitude for our Peking University hosts’ kindness. The students who joined us in the Global Governance group were incredibly welcoming, taking time to show us around the campus, hosting us for lunch, and then joining our larger group for a tour of the Summer Palace. These interactions were the most meaningful part of the dialogue, and they demonstrated the power of personal relationships in shaping the future of the relationship between China and the U.S.

This leads me to where I began, with Thomas Friedman’s article. After my experience visiting China and participating in the U.S. - China Student Dialogue, I believe that Friedman is partially right about where the future lies.

China’s scalable manufacturing and economic capacity are immense, and it certainly will continue to be a peer competitor with the United States. However, the United States’ embrace of democratic norms, free speech, and political diversity is just as important to future success. While China may have a distinct advantage in scalable manufacturing, the U.S. is better positioned to avoid groupthink and make research breakthroughs because difficult political discourse is not just allowed, but encouraged.

Ultimately, the future lies in both nations, because neither the U.S. nor China is going anywhere. The U.S. and China are peer competitors and economic partners. Between great power competition in the Pacific, Chinese aggression against Taiwan, and continuing competition to develop AI, competition will only increase.

Continuing dialogue and cultural exchanges between the two countries is critical to navigate the relationship and these future security challenges. American and Chinese policymakers, scholars, and students must continue to do the difficult work of engaging one another in legitimate, honest dialogue, the kind that is simply not occurring between the two countries in the current moment.

Zane Nagel (SFS'26/G'27) is a student at Georgetown University studying international politics and starting a Master of Art's in security studies in the Walsh School of Foreign Service.