10am SEP. 20 (ET) US and Canada

On October 16th, the Communist Party of China will kick-off its 20th National Congress. The Party Congress is expected to be a watershed one, anointing President and General Secretary Xi Jinping to an unprecedented third term in office. The membership line-ups of the Politburo and Politburo Standing Committee merit watching just as carefully too, to understand the political and policy environment through 2027 and beyond. Many of its key members (Li Keqiang, Liu He, Yang Jiechi) are termed-out or expected to retire. On the other hand, questions abound regarding their successors, given that the 19th Party Congress in 2017 had failed to elevate a next-generation leadership cohort group. Three weeks later, the U.S. midterm elections will be held that will serve as an early barometer of public sentiment leading into the 2024 presidential election. Both, President Biden and ex-President Trump’s political appeal will effectively be on the ballot.

At a time when U.S.-China relations continue to tread water, what do these important domestic political events on either side of the Pacific presage for bilateral ties? How does President Xi’s elevation impact the timeline of a potential Taiwan Strait conflict? Who will fill Liu He’s shoes as the empowered interlocutor on U.S.-China economic matters? Will the White House and the Democrats take a harder line or a softer line on China if they fail to hold Congress? What is the Republican Party’s line of attack on China (and the White House) expected to be if they win back Congress or a share of power in Congress? Will China finally relax its Covid 19-related curbs significantly once the Party Congress is in the rear-view mirror? To listen to these and other answers to pressing U.S.-China questions, tune in to the event on September 20th.

Robert Daly

Director, Kissinger Institute on China and the United States @Wilson Center

Robert Daly was named as the second director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States at the Woodrow Wilson Center in August 2013. He came to the Wilson Center from the Maryland China Initiative at the University of Maryland. Prior to that, he was American Director of the Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies in Nanjing. Robert Daly began work in U.S.-China relations as a diplomat, serving as Cultural Exchanges Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing in the late 80s and early 90s. After leaving the Foreign Service, he taught Chinese at Cornell University, worked on television and theater projects in China as a host, actor, and writer. During the same period, he directed the Syracuse University China Seminar and served as a commentator on Chinese affairs for CNN, the Voice of America, and Chinese telesion and radio stations.

Yawei Liu

Senior Advisor, China Focus @Carter Center

Yawei Liu manages the China Focus at the Carter Center and has been a member of numerous Carter Center missions to monitor Chinese village, township, and county people's congress deputy elections since 1997. Dr. Liu has written extensively on China's political developments and grassroots democracy, including three edited book series: "Rural Election and Governance in Contemporary China", "The Political Readers", and "Elections & Governance". He is the co-author of the popular Chinese book "Obama: The Man Who Will Change America" and teh founder and editor of the China elections and governance website. Dr. Liu is also an adjunct professor of political science at Emory University and associate director of the China Research Center in Atlanta.

Rory Murphy

Vice President, Government Affairs @The U.S.-China Business Council

Rory Murphy is the Vice President of Government Affairs at the US-China Business Council and is based out of Washington DC. Before joining USCBC, Murphy worked as an attorney at Squire Patton Boggs LLP. He Previously worked in the policy office of the Export-Import Bank of the United States and as a professional staff member on the trade staff of the Senate Finance Committee under former Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT). Murphy received an undergraduate degree from Seton Hall University and a law degree from the Catholic University of America. He is a native of Great Falls, Montana.

Denis Simon

Professor of China Business and Technology & Senior Advisor to the President for China Affairs @Duke University

Denis Simon is Senior Adviser to the President for China Affairs at Duke and Professor of China Business and Technology at Duke's Fuqua School of Business. He is also a Senior Advisor to the Institute for China-America Studies Trade 'n Technology Program. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Simon has more than four decades of experience studying business, competition, innovation and technology strategy in China. He was awarded the China National Friendship Award by Premier Wen Jiabao. Prior to returning to Duke, Dr. Simon served as Executive Vice Chancellor at Duke Kunshan University in China (2015-2020). Simon has served as senior adviser on China and global affairs in the Office of the President at Arizona State University; vice-provost for international affairs at the University of Oregon; and professor of international affairs at Penn State University's School of International Affairs.

Link for application:

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