Brookings and Sunnylands convene second U.S.-China Leaders Forum

Rancho Mirage – The Brookings John L. Thornton China Center and The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands hosted the second U.S.-China Leaders Forum at Sunnylands this week. The Forum, held from May 7 to May 9, 2017, brought together high-level policymakers, business entrepreneurs, innovators, military strategists, scholars, and public intellectuals to foster greater understanding and trust between the United States and China, as well as develop and promote ideas for increased collaboration between the two countries on issues of the day and subjects of long-term strategic interest.

In all aspects of China’s development—institutions and governance, economics, geopolitical strategy, technology, demographics, the environment—major changes are underway. The same is true for the United States. Each issue induces its own ripple effect on global affairs. In light of these evolving trends, and as the United States searches for new approaches to geopolitical and economic leadership, the need for increased understanding and cooperation between the United States and China has become all the more critical.

The Forum follows on the heels of last month’s summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, where four new “pillars” for comprehensive dialogue between the two countries were announced. Forum participants engaged in detailed discussions in those areas, which included regional security and strategic cooperation; trade, investment, and infrastructure development; technological innovation and cyber security and law enforcement; and social and cultural development. The in-depth and timely exchanges also focused on the trajectory of U.S.-China relations through critical periods of transition in both countries—namely, the new U.S. administration and the expected large-scale leadership turnover at China’s 19th Party Congress this fall.

Participants in the second Brookings U.S.-China Leaders Forum at Sunnylands included:

• John Allen, Retired U.S. Marine Corps General; Former Commander, International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan
• Bertrand-Marc Allen, President, Boeing International
• Graham Allison, Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
• Anla Cheng, Founder and CEO, SupChina; Senior Partner, Sino-Century China Private Equity, LLC
• Ambassador Cui Tiankai, Chinese Ambassador to the United States
• Deng Feng, Founding Managing Director, Northern Light Venture Capital
• Ding Jian, Managing Director, GSR Ventures
• Niall Ferguson , Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University; Senior Fellow, Center for European Studies, Harvard University
• Hu Shuli, Editor-in-Chief, Caixin Media
• Ambassador Fu Ying, Chairwoman, Foreign Affairs Committee, National People’s Congress
• Ambassador Martin Indyk, Executive Vice President, Brookings
• Ambassador David J. Lane, President, The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands
• Cheng Li, Director, John L. Thornton China Center, Brookings
• Liao Min, Director-General, International Economic Department, Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs
• John L. Thornton, Co-Chairman, Board of Trustees, Brookings
• Jerry Yang, Founding Partner, AME Cloud Ventures; Co-Founder and Former CEO, Yahoo! Inc.
• Major General Yao Yunzhu, Director, Center on China-America Defense Relations
• Zhang Tao, Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
• Zheng Zhijie, President, China Development Bank
• Ambassador Robert Zoellick, Former President, World Bank; Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State