U.S.-China Leaders Forum

Sunday, May 13, 2018

Topics: Retreat News, US-China

The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands joined with the Brookings Institution John L. Thornton China Center to host the third U.S.-China Leaders Forum at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse and Jinhai Lake Resort in Beijing, China from May 11 to May 13, 2018.

The Forum, which was held in China for the first time and sponsored locally by Tsinghua University, brought together a select group of participants that included high-level policymakers, business entrepreneurs, innovators, military strategists, scholars, and public intellectuals to develop and promote ideas for increased collaboration between the two countries.

As the result of Forum discussions on the state of U.S.-China relations, economic and trade ties, regional and global security, and technological innovation and artificial intelligence, participants developed policy recommendations that will be shared with leaders in both countries with the goal of ensuring that the bilateral relationship continues to move forward despite significant tensions on various fronts.

Forum participants also networked with a wide array of government and business leaders and scholars from both countries at a luncheon at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, where People’s Bank of China Governor Yi Gang provided keynote remarks. This gathering was followed by two days of private discussions at Jinhai Lake. As part of the Forum, American participants also had the opportunity to meet with the vice president of China, Wang Qishan, who provided an historical perspective on recent developments in the U.S.-China relationship.

Participants and guest speakers taking part in the third U.S.-China Leaders included:

  • John Allen, President, The Brookings Institution
  • Marc Allen, President, Boeing International
  • Sarah Beran, Economic Counselor, Embassy of the United States in China
  • Terry Branstad, U.S. Ambassador to China
  • Deng Feng, Founding Managing Director, Northern Light Venture Capital
  • Ding Jian, Managing Partner, GSR Ventures
  • Fang Xinghai, Vice Chairman, China Securities Regulatory Commission
  • Fu Ying, Vice Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee, National People’s Congress
  • Paul Gewirtz, Director, Paul Tsai China Center, Yale Law School
  • Jin Liqun, President, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
  • Bruce Jones, Vice President and Director of Foreign Policy, The Brookings Institution
  • Mark Kirk, Former Senator, State of Illinois
  • David Lane, President, The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands
  • Cheng Li, Director, John L. Thornton China Center, The Brookings Institution
  • Qiu Yong, President, Tsinghua University
  • Harry Shum, Executive Vice President for Artificial Intelligence, Microsoft
  • John Thornton, Chairman, The Brookings Institution; Chairman, Barrick Gold
  • Dennis Wilder, Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director of Asian Affairs, NSC
  • Yang Bin, Vice President and Provost, Tsinghua University
  • Jerry Yang, Founding Partner, AME Cloud Ventures; Founder, Yahoo Inc.
  • Yao Yunzhu, Major general (retired); Former Director, Center on China-American Defense Relations
  • Yi Gang, Governor, People’s Bank of China
  • Zhang Chi, Chairman, SINOM Group