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

The biggest lesson I took away from my participation in the U.S.-China Student Dialogue  is the importance of teamwork in policymaking.

It’s a lesson you can’t always get from just a classroom. For me, it took the experience of sitting down with my counterparts from other countries, discussing complex policy issues over Hong Kong’s famous dim sum, and compromising our vastly different perspectives to create solutions to some of the biggest problems facing the world. By the end of the U.S.-China Student Dialogue, I came to understand that, though the United States is certainly the most influential country in the world, we are simply one piece of the puzzle, and the jigsaw won’t be finished without meaningful cooperation.

For a long time, I’ve been interested in learning more about the global transition to green energy and other innovative solutions to address the climate crisis. So when we divided into small groups for the dialogue, my decision of which team to sign up for was a no-brainer—I jumped on the chance to be on the climate change team. Somehow, two Chinese students, an American student, and I would come up with innovative ways for the two countries to achieve progress in mitigating and adapting to climate change by acting cooperatively.

In our discussions, we talked a lot about international and bilateral trade, a crucial component of the energy transition and a significant barrier to meaningful progress. Less than a week before we arrived in Hong Kong, the Biden-Harris administration increased Trump-era tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) from 25% to 100%, which provided an interesting backdrop to our conversation. While I acknowledged the need for the United States to implement a trade policy that protects its workers, its industries, and its intellectual property, my Chinese teammates pointed out the importance of China’s leadership in the growth of EVs worldwide. As the world’s leading producer of EVs and EV batteries—as well as the dominant processor of critical minerals, which are critical to many green energy sources—China has a lot of leverage when it comes to international trade.

It took a lot of brainstorming (and more dim sum eating) to develop creative solutions that policymakers in both countries could reasonably agree to. Our conversation also made our visit to global design center BYD, the leading Chinese EV company, even more illuminating. Seeing the progress China has made in generating demand for EVs reminded me of the Biden-Harris administration’s monumental Inflation Reduction Act, which provides tax credits for EV production and consumption here in the United States. It gave me hope that soon, American-made EVs will be affordable and widespread coast-to-coast.

The late-night meetings with my teammates, site visits to businesses and historical places, and presentations from the five other groups were important components of my experience in the dialogue, but everything in between was just as valuable. The bus rides to and from the hotel, the walks to boba shops during breaks in between sessions, the trips to Hong Kong’s famous food markets, and our impromptu karaoke night in Shenzhen all enriched my appreciation for Chinese culture. They also allowed me to share my own culture and my perspective on global issues as an American.

In the end, we all walked away with a better understanding of each other—and with that, a greater capacity to make meaningful global progress on the biggest issues facing our future. Personally, I gained a better understanding of U.S.-Chinese relations, the transition to green energy, and the importance of cultural exchange in facilitating mutual understanding, diplomacy, and teamwork.

Zach Slotkin (G'25) is a first-year graduate student pursuing a master of science in foreign service with a concentration in science, technology, and international affairs at the Walsh School of Foreign Service.