January 1, 2019 marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States of America. Over the past four decades, China-U.S. relations have evolved from tense standoffs to a complex mix of intensifying diplomacy. While our relations have grown deeper and stronger, a future of healthy competition and cooperation does not come without challenges. It would be exceptionally beneficial to take a look back at the lessons of history, particularly the legacies of those past 40 years. It is also crucially important to create a shared vision of bilateral relations underlined by mutually beneficial partnership.

　　To that end, the Shanghai Institute of American Studies and the Center for American Studies of Fudan University, together with The Paper (a Chinese digital media outlet), present “40 People on 40 Years: An Interview Series Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of China-U.S. Diplomatic Normalization”, a project which features exclusive interviews with 40 renowned experts (20 from each side) and aims to closely examine the diplomatic path to where we are today, and explores the potential to strengthen mutual understanding and enhance collaboration.

　　The China-U.S. rapprochement 40 years ago not only changed the world’s political landscape, but also changed the fate of countless Chinese and American people. We therefore decided to shed some light on the front-row witnesses to the development of China-U.S. relations, uncovering their personal journeys to China/U.S. studies as well as the highlights of their impressive careers.

Our interview series features:

From the Chinese side:

Zhao Qizheng, Former Director, State Council Information Office

Long Yongtu, Former Vice Minister, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation

Tao Wenzhao, Researcher, Institute of American Studies, CASS

Zhou Wenzhong, Former Chinese Ambassador to the U.S.

He Weiwen, Senior Research Fellow, Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China

Wang Jisi, President, Institute of International and Strategic Studies, Peking University

Yang Yi, Former Director, Institute for Strategic Studies, National Defense University

Yang Jiemian, Chairman, Academic Affairs Council, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies

Cui Tiankai, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S.

Yao Yunzhu, Senior Advisor, China Association of Military Science

Huang Renwei, Former Vice President, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences

He Yafei, Former Vice Minister, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Ni Feng, Deputy Director, Institute of American Studies, CASS

Zhu Feng, Executive Director, Collaborative Innovation Center of South China Sea Studies, Nanjing University

Wu Xinbo, Director, Center for American Studies and Dean, Institute of International Studies, Fudan University; President, Shanghai Institute of American Studies

Yuan Peng, President, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations

Chen Dongxiao, President, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies

Da Wei, Assistant President, University of International Relations

Song Guoyou, Deputy Director, Center for American Studies, Fudan University

Diao Daming, Research Fellow, National Academy of Development and Strategy, Renmin University of China


From the American side:

Jimmy Carter, Former U.S. President

Ezra Feivel Vogel, Professor, Harvard University

Stapleton Roy, Former U.S. Ambassador to China

Joseph Nye, Former Dean, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University'

Kenneth Lieberthal, Senior Fellow Emeritus, Brookings Institution

Jeffrey Bader, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution

Susan Shirk, Chair, 21st Century China Center, University of California, San Diego

Terry Branstad, U.S. Ambassador to China

David M. Lampton, Director of China Studies, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies

Thomas Fingar, Professor, Stanford University

Harry Harding, Professor, University of Virginia

Douglas Paal, Vice President for Studies, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Kenneth Jarrett, President, AmCham Shanghai; Former U.S. Consul General in Shanghai

Robert Ross, Professor, Boston College

David Dollar, Senior Fellow, John L. Thornton China Center, Brookings Institution

Dennis Wilder, Managing Director, Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues, Georgetown University

Robert Daly, Director, Kissinger Institute on China and the U.S.

Paul Haenle, Director, Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy

Daniel Rosen, Founding Partner, Rhodium Group

Peter Gries, Former Director, Institute for U.S.-China Issues, University of Oklahoma

　　Over the span of about 12 months, we conducted 40 in-depth interviews in seven cities across China and the US. During that time, China-U.S. relations appeared to have hit alarmingly tense points. With domestic politics shifting inside the US, the Trump administration’s policy on China has been described as unpredictable. As most of the older generation of officials retire in Washington, new generations are finding it harder to resonate on historic issues with Beijing. Meanwhile, many are propagating the idea of a new cold war, zero-sum competition, or a power reshuffle. All of these ideas have posed new challenges to our bilateral relations.

　　However, the people we spoke with maintained cautious optimism about our long-term future. They addressed hot topics such as trade frictions, the “strategic rivalry” “engagement vs containment” and the Thucydides Trap. They also expressed a shared wish for more cooperation and better relations between China and the US. There was a consensus among experts from both sides that we have to learn to adapt, improve communication, enhance mutual trust, expand cooperation, control disputes and seek win-win outcomes whenever possible.

　　Starting on November 26, 2018, we will release one piece from the interview series every day. The first will feature Cui Tiankai, the current Chinese Ambassador to the US. Please stay tuned!


Preview(Interview series honors 40 years of Sino-U.S. relations):
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2664023

40 People on 40 Years｜Cui Tiankai: Chinese wisdom can provide China-U.S. relations with a new path ahead
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2657149

40 People on 40 Years｜Jimmy Carter: The normalization of diplomatic relations between China and the U.S. has constituted enormous contributions to world peace
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2658002_1

40 People on 40 Years｜Zhao Qizheng: The U.S. needn't weigh the fear of a real China
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2658291

40 People on 40 Years｜Ezra Fievel Vogel: China and the U.S. need more empathtic scholars   
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2658426

40 People on 40 Years｜Long Yongtu: China’s Entry to the WTO was not at the expense of the United States
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2658387

40 People on 40 Years丨Joseph Nye：China and the U.S. don't pose extential threats to each other
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2658642

40 People on 40 Years丨Tao Wenzhao：China and the U.S. accumulate a wealth of experience in crisis management
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2669144

40 People on 40 Years｜Kenneth G. Lieberthal：China and the U.S. should beware of swinging to the antithesis of bilateral relations
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670462

40 People on 40 Years｜Zhou Wenzhong: Seeking common ground while shelving difference and running-in forward is the only wise choice for China and the U.S.
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670467

40 People on 40 Years｜Jeffrey Bade:  China and the U.S. can emerge as responsible stakeholders and pillars in the international system
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670468

40 People on 40 Years｜He Weiwen: The foundation of Sino-U.S. relations consists in enterprises and civli society.
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670474

40 People on 40 Years｜Susan Shirk: Managing China-U.S.competition requires restraint and caution from both sides.
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670477

40 People on 40 Years丨Wang Jisi: It's vital to try to avoid tensions and conflicts.
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670478

40 People on 40 Years｜David Lampton: Positive mutual dependence can be a hedge against the Thucydides Trap.
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670482

40 People on 40 Years｜Yang Yi: We must maintain positive interaction in the military field.
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670483

40 People on 40 Years｜Thomas Fingar: China's increased capacity isn't incompatible with U.S. interests.
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670486

40 People on 40 Years｜Yang Jiemian: If we look at China-U.S. relations through a telescope, we can be cautiously optimistic about the future.
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670487

40 People on 40 Years｜Harry Harding: China and the U.S. can foster positive competition even over political systems.
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670488

40 People on 40 Years丨Yao Yunzhu：The peoples of both sides have long been friends.
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670489

40 People on 40 Years｜Terry Branstad: Good chemistry between leaders will herald a bright future for China and the U.S.
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670515

40 People on 40 Years｜Huang Renwei: Engagement stems from the national interests of both sides.
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670491

40 People on 40 Years｜Douglas Paal: U.S. must make room for China in the new global power structure.
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670492

40 People on 40 Years｜He Yafei: China and the U.S. need to take a broad-minded approach to further develop bilateral relations .
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670493

40 People on 40 Years｜Kenneth Jarrett: American companies still believe in long-term opportunities in Chinese market.
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670494

40 People on 40 Years｜Ni Feng: The potential for China-U.S. cooperation is still strong.
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670495

40 People on 40 Years｜Robert S. Ross:Pragmatic diplomacy can again pave the road to China-U.S. cooperation
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670496

40 People on 40 Years丨Zhu Feng: We need to hold a clear and objective view on the U.S. impact in the course of China's development
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670497

40 People on 40 Years丨David Dollar: Economic fundamentals will drive China and the U.S. a future of great potentials
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670499

40 People on 40 Years｜Wu Xinbo: China and the U.S. will be in a more equal and balanced relationship that is both cooperative and competitve after a period of accommodating each other
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670500

40 People on 40 Years｜Dennis Wilder: Candid and friendly personal relationships boost China-U.S. strategic trust
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670502

40 People on 40 Years｜Yuan Peng：The common interests binding the two countries as one of the successful initiatves in Sino-U.S. relations
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670504

40 People on 40 Years｜Robert Daly: Emergent technology may be a sorely needed positive foundation for China-U.S. relations
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670507

40 People on 40 Years｜Chen Dongxiao: There is no other way out but to build a new type of major power relations or a new interactive model
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670508

40 People on 40 Years｜Paul Haenle: Greater cooperation on international issues benefits China, the U.S., and the world
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670509

40 People on 40 Years丨Da Wei: A stable relationship benefits both sides in the context of overall development
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670512

40 People on 40 Years丨Daniel H. Rosen: Trust building is the solution to China-U.S. bilateral woes
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670513

40 People on 40 Years｜Stapleton Roy: The U.S. can get along with a stronger and more prosperous China
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670490

40 People on 40 Years｜Song Guoyou: Economic and trade relations remain the anchor of China-U.S. relations
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670516

40 People on 40 Years｜Peter Hays Gries："To be empathetic" in Sino-U.S. relations facilitates bridging the divide
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670520

40 People on 40 Years｜Diao Daming：Taking the initiative to shape the other half of the consensus
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2670525