China 101 Briefing Series 2019

As the China 101 Briefing Series is off-the-record, the audio of questions from the audience has been removed. However, speakers’ answers are included, and a rough transcript of each question is provided.

Q&A

Question 1: Where do the Republicans and Democrats diverge in their opinions on China?

Question 2: How will the crackdown on Chinese technology in the US affect Americans companies invest in Chinese technology?

Question 3: What is the US’ long-term goal with China?

Question 4: Will there be a US-China security competition in the future? Should the US simply accept China as a regional hegemon?

Question 5: What are the US’ competitive advantages over China?

Question 6: How do countries in the Indo-Pacific sphere view the competition between the US and China?

Question 7: What are your opinions about US funding of its foreign operations?

Question 8: How are consumers affected in the current trade war?

Question 9: Is an end to the trade negotiations in sight?

Question 10: Would the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) have been better than tariffs in the trade negotiations?

Q&A

Question 1: Does the US actually want to reach a trade agreement? Or do they see it as impossible and, thus, will continue to make demands that China will unlikely agree to?

Question 2: (Objection) You mentioned the requirement to maximize profit since Enron, but that is actually only a requirement to accurately report financial statements to stakeholders.

Question 3: What do you think about the decoupling of the US and Chinese economies? How does the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) affect businesses?

Question 4: Will China replace the US as the global political leader?

Question 5: How does the Chinese see the US culturally?

Question 6: How do you feel about US tech companies doing business with the Chinese military and security?

Question 7: How does China’s economy and surveillance infrastructure contribute to the situation in Xinjiang?

Q&A

Question 1: How do you think the extradition bill weighs on the thoughts of investors? What about on the Trump Administration?

Question 2: Should the U.S. feel a responsibility to respond to Mainland China?

Question 3: What is Taiwan’s relationship to the extradition bill?

Question 4: Do you think Trump will use the situation in Hong Kong and Hong Kong’s special relationship to the U.S. as leverage in the US-China Trade War?

Question 1: By creating targets for certain metrics, is there a tendency for people to cheat, thereby creating negative ripple effects?

Question 2: What are the export strategies relating to China’s energy sector?

Question 3: What are some environmental initiatives that didn’t work out in either government or private domains?

Question 4: How does China’s rapid urbanization affect the environment, and what are some policies responding to that?

Question 5: If you were to say conclusively, would you say China will be the world’s green leader?

Session 5: Chinese Influence Abroad

Speakers: David Dollar, Ph.D., Senior Fellow in the China Center, Brookings Institute & Yun Sun, Senior Fellow and Co-Director of the East Asia Program and Director of the China Program, Stimson Center

Date: July 8th

Click here to see the speaker’s biographies and event program.

Question 1: I was wondering, can you expand on China’s investments in countries like Indonesia, Brazil and other emerging economies? How do you see these investments benefiting countries who are rapidly developing? Will it allow these countries to escape from remaining as second tier economies? 

Question 2: How are you seeing the Chinese spread their values or ideology through soft power initiatives in the countries they are helping to develop? For example, how are Confucius institutes affecting African nations? 

Question 3: Do countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative understand the different risks that come along with certain infrastructure projects? A road may not pose much risk, but telecommunications infrastructure carries with it significant security issues. Follow up: How can we as the US use diplomacy to help them to be more cautious in their choices for their own safety and for US interests? 

Question 4: In the case of Pakistan, what’s the logic of China investing in a country with significant financial issues?

Question 5: Is the Belt and Road Initiative a way for China to project itself as a legitimate geopolitical power? What are the conversations developing countries are having with the Chinese -- are they saying that “They don’t want to choose between China or the US” in the same way they speak to you (Mr. David Dollar), an American? 

Question 6: I was recently at a briefing wherein we discussed the U.S. now being in another global competition with China and Russia. Yet, you have said that there is no ‘Great Game’ being played, no Sino-Russo bloc. What motivated your conclusion, especially if we are all dealing with the same situation and set of facts? 

Question 7: China has recently been investing in Eastern Europe. What are they trying to gain out of that? The EU has responded by calling China a strategic competitor. How does that change their relationship with China? 

Session 6: Important Conversations: Taiwan and Xinjiang

Speakers: Minxin Pei, Ph.D., Professor of Government, Claremont McKenna College & James Millward, Ph. D., Professor of Inter-societal History, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Science

Date: July 15th

Click here to see the speaker’s biographies and event program.

Question 1: How have you seen China’s push towards building a “harmonious society” through tight government control come into conflict with the international business world? With a rapidly changing society like theirs, what conflicts with the “harmonious society” ideology are happening domestically?

Question 2: Why does Taiwan matter so much to China that they would go to war over it? Did this desire for Taiwan originate with Xi Jinping or in the party? 

Question 3: What can the US do to make China uphold international human rights law?

Question 4: Is there any legitimacy to China’s claim that the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region is a security threat? 

Question 5: Have China’s new surveillance technologies served as an asset to them while establishing and running their reeducation camps? How are they utilizing this technology domestically to achieve their security goals?