Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues

Translating the work that we have done as a cohort to the May 2024 in-person meetings in Hong Kong and Shenzhen was an incredibly rewarding experience.

I really enjoyed listening to the presentations by all of the groups in this year's U.S.-China Student-to-Student Dialogue, and it was especially interesting to see the wide range of issue areas that we could cover in the theme of U.S.-China relations. In many of the issue areas, the United States and China have essentially the exact same goal—for example, with arms control, both sides aim for nonproliferation and are highly invested in preventing any more states from turning nuclear. Still, cooperation is often derailed by each sides’ complex alliance systems and domestic political considerations. Yet each of the presentations successfully identified steps forward for promoting U.S.-China cooperation, which offers hope for the future of the relationship.

Getting to discuss these topics in Hong Kong and Shenzhen was especially valuable, since both locations are so unique in the context of the relationship and China as a whole. Hong Kong as an international hub and a product of the one country-two systems policy offered an interesting look into China’s complex domestic governance and how foreign influence continues to shape Hong Kong’s identity. As for Shenzhen, it was surprising to hear that the city was essentially empty just a mere 40 years ago. Seeing the level of high-tech development and modernity that has been achieved in a few short decades was a valuable look into China’s experience with modernization. It was also interesting to hear the perspectives of the Chinese students, since many of them had never been to Hong Kong or Shenzhen before. I heard much from the students about how different life in Hong Kong is from mainland China, and I am glad I got to experience some of both during the trip.

I felt that the itinerary in both Hong Kong and Shenzhen was very well-balanced and engaging. I really enjoyed learning about the history of Hong Kong and foreign influence during our tour of the city center. One particularly interesting meeting for me was the visit to the U.S. consulate in Hong Kong where we spoke with the consul general. He mentioned how the U.S. sanctions several officials in Hong Kong, which creates an obstacle in his relations with the official Hong Kong government. It was eye-opening to hear about how Track II diplomatic channels and informal engagements form the core of his engagements in Hong Kong for that reason.

Having the whole cohort together in one location was extremely rewarding because of the connections we were able to form. It was also interesting to see the sheer level of diversity in the cohort, since we had Chinese-American students representing American universities, students from the Global South representing Chinese universities, and several American students who had traveled to or studied in China before. It was a true hallmark of the complexity and diversity of U.S.-China relations—it is not merely bilateral, but a multilayered relationship that engages all areas of the world.