Blinken's Trip to Beijing: U.S.-China Relations at a Crossroads

After five years of rapidly deteriorating relations across the full spectrum of issues, the U.S. and China called a truce last November when Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met in person and voiced a desire to revive communications and avoid conflict. In the first high-level follow-up, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make an official visit to Beijing on February 5–6. But will Blinken’s meetings just be talk, or is real progress possible toward resolving dangerous tensions and reviving cooperation on pressing global issues? On the crucial issues of military tension, technology competition, and climate action, what are the sources of conflict between the U.S. and China and what do the two sides need to do if they are serious about changing the current trajectory?

Join us as a panel of experts in these fields reflects on the opportunities and roadblocks facing Blinken and his Chinese interlocutors, with Michael Swaine, Senior Fellow in the Quincy Institute’s East Asia Program; Kendra Schaefer, Head of Tech Policy Research at Trivium China; and Michael Davidson, Assistant Professor, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy and Jacobs School of Engineering. Jake Werner, Research Fellow in the Quincy Institute’s East Asia Program, will moderate.

What Pakistan's Climate Crisis Means for the World

The United States has committed more than $200 million in aid to Pakistan, and an additional $9 billion was pledged in January at a donor’s conference in Geneva. Despite the world’s response, questions remain as to whether the pledged money will actually arrive, and if it does, whether it will be used responsibly.

Join us for a panel that explores the impact of climate change on frontline countries and the world with featured guests Masood Khan, Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, and Steve Rynecki, Director for USAID’s Office of Climate and Sustainable Growth at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad. Adam Weinstein, Research Fellow in the Quincy Institute’s Middle East Program, will moderate.