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

Georgetown University’s Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues addresses culture and society-related issues and opportunities for cooperation through research, publications, public events, and dialogues that engage faculty, students, and leading stakeholders in both countries.

From 2021 to 2024, the initiative sponsored the U.S.-China Research Group on Cosmopolitanism, bringing together nine scholars from the United States and the Chinese cultural sphere. The group held meetings virtually and in-person in Hong Kong and Washington D.C., where they pursued a structured dialogue around theoretical and practical problems related to cosmopolitanism with the goal of identifying issues of shared concern.

From 2019 to 2024, the initiative sponsored the U.S.-China Research Group on Culture and Society, which brought together American and Chinese scholars across disciplines for structured dialogue and research to explore how American and Chinese individuals and families seek happiness in contemporary society. The research group met over several semesters, alternating between Washington, DC, China, and online.

Over the course of the 2021-2022 academic year, the initiative hosted the U.S.-China People-to-People Diplomacy Series, convening a series of virtual dialogues with experts about the evolution of U.S.-China people-to-people interactions. Panel discussions explored trends across the arts, business, educational, legal, and scientific communities, as well as obstacles and opportunities for both Beijing and Washington amid an increasingly competitive bilateral relationship.

Launched in fall 2020 and convened by Ambassador Melanne Verveer of Georgetown University and Dr. Liu Meng of Zhejiang Normal University, the U.S.-China Research Group on Women and Society gathered 12 top scholars and practitioners from U.S. and Chinese universities, research institutions, think tanks, and advocacy groups for structured dialogue around the issues women face in today’s global community.

For an overview of Georgetown’s engagement with cultural and development issues across schools and programs, visit the Global Georgetown website.