James Chau is President of the China-United States Exchange Foundation and a World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador. You may follow him on X @jameschau.

 

Amidst an increasingly complex global landscape, the relationship between the U.S. and China stands out as the singular pivot on which the broader world turns and oscillates.

 

Tension and mistrust increasingly characterize the interactions between these two countries—a profoundly concerning development given their global footprint. However, beneath the harsh rhetoric, a quiet and enduring foundation persists through people-to-people connections, and the artists, scientists, athletes, musicians, educators, and students who have shaped this relationship since its normalization 45 years ago.

CUSEF’s 15th anniversary group photo, taken in November 2023

 

The cyclical nature of government in countries like the United States, where administrations rotate every four or at most eight years, can make it difficult to build sustainable foreign policy. However, countries amount to more than just their respective governments. Institutions, organizations, brands, and, most importantly, people outlive and outlast changing leadership and short-term policy. Thus, subnational exchanges and engagement emerge as the most authentic and lasting way to connect our nations.

 

We saw a beautiful example of the Paris Agreement on climate change. It wasn’t just national governments that took action: city mayors, private businesses, and civil society groups stepped in to uphold their commitments to a greener planet, sometimes even in spite of federal policy. The same concept applies to the U.S.-China relationship. Diplomatic ties may ebb and flow depending on who is in power, but people-to-people links between our societies prevail and can continue to shape the U.S.-China relationship for future generations.

 

We can also see their enduring importance exemplified in the experiences of U.S. vice presidential candidate Tim Walz. His journey to China, where he lived in the late 1980s, serves as a powerful reminder of how personal connections can transcend hardened opinions. Despite the turmoil and uncertainty of those times, Walz chose to continue his mission, teaching at a Chinese high school in Guangdong province, and initiating a decades-long relationship with China that would shape his career.

 

Walz’s subsequent travels to China—nearly 30 in total—demonstrate that while governmental relations may shift, individual engagement provides a more sustained and nuanced approach to cross-cultural understanding. His unique experience in China positions him as a leader who not only understands the importance of people-to-people diplomacy but has actually lived it.

 

Similarly, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s formative experience in the United States offers insight into how these exchanges shape future leaders on both sides. During his 1985 visit to Iowa as part of a study tour on agriculture, he developed an early understanding of American life and the value of open communication. These interactions allowed him to gain greater cross-cultural insights and understanding of global, and specifically American, perspectives—an essential asset for any head of state or government.     

 

These personal stories from both sides of the Pacific illustrate the profound and enduring impact of people-to-people diplomacy, even as geopolitical tensions rise.

 

This is what makes the current political moment so critical. The world is watching the U.S. election in 2024 with bated breath, waiting to see what impact the outcome will have on international relations, particularly with China. While we can speculate on what the next administration might bring, for many people outside the United States, the outcome is, in some ways, a moot point. It’s a peculiar feature of American politics—the world may not have a vote, but it certainly feels the effects of U.S. policy.

 

Lessons from the Past: Can We Go Back Again?

Most recently, people-to-people contacts served as a significant area of joint consensus at the November 2023 meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in Woodside, California.

 

But the nature of these exchanges is hardly new to China-U.S. relations. In fact, they have long served in a fundamental capacity—even as the very root—of the relationship. Looking back to the 1970s, through “Ping-Pong diplomacy,” we saw athletes, not politicians, become the reason the two countries were able to break over twenty years of silence, entrenched by the Cold War, fixed and separated by walls of East-West ideology. The Philadelphia Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orchestra, which performed historic tours in China in 1973 and 1979 respectively, were also pioneers in the cultural arena, helping to build bridges through music. This is evidence that, yet again, the thawing of tensions was achieved through people-to-people exchanges.

 

During a recent visit to the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, an organization that was critical in serving as an intermediary to arrange such cultural exchanges in the early days of the bilateral relationship, I was captivated by the posters lining their corridors. These included delegations from the 1970s and 1980s of Peking Opera, gymnastics, table tennis, dance, and basketball. These aren’t merely snapshots of history but a vibrant display of what U.S.-China relations truly represent: the exchange of people and culture brought to life by the millions of everyday people who have shaped this relationship.

 

Today, however, the world is very different. In numerous respects, the framework for the U.S.-China relationship is deeply broken and damaged. The nature of people-to-people exchanges and dialogues has suffered deeply. This is partly a result of the isolation and closing up that was necessary during the global pandemic but has not fully recovered, but also partly due to the increasing tensions and conflict that has emerged and become deeply rooted between the two countries.

 

As a result, while we can look back fondly on the earlier era, we can’t simply return to the 1970s and try and repeat what worked then. The suspicion and fear from both sides today will inevitably override the benefits of what a ping pong ball, a Harlem Globetrotter, or a Stetson hat can achieve. Building a new era of positive and engaging people-to-people relations will require vision, imagination, and great commitment over time. However, it is doable, as those very qualities required to get to better days are what is best about the people of the United States and China, which speaks to their spirit, resilience, and the core of their souls.

 

It’s imperative our leaders take on the call to win the hearts and minds of people whose lives they shape every day rather than just construct policy. It’s not a point of self-importance, rather it is a resounding call to moral responsibility. Inflammatory rhetoric and performance politics does not advance the human condition, nor does the idea that people on the other side are the enemy. It creates divisions and solidifies dangerous and inaccurate perceptions.

 

Renewing Educational and Scholarly Exchanges

Looking ahead, our governments, non-governmental organizations like ours, along with each of us as individuals, must embrace boldness and courage. Building the international trust and understanding necessary to solving current and future global challenges will require more than what was initiated in 1979. If the trust that was established then has been so quickly eroded after merely four decades, we must rework the framework. We must adjust and adapt it for today’s world. We can’t simply plan for next year, rather we must look five, ten, or even 100 years ahead. A key part of this long-term vision lies in fostering one of the most vital forms of people-to-people connection: student and scholar exchanges that shape and challenge the next generation of leaders.

 

This is where organizations like the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) come in. Mr. Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong’s First Chief Executive, founded CUSEF in 2008 to provide answers to the pressing challenges at hand. Now, for 15 years and counting, CUSEF has embodied his vision and ensured that this legacy of supporting connectivity between people has continued to thrive not just in the good times, but also in the worst of times. We’re proud to have injected communications, activity, and some level of trust at the very moments when these were scarce between the two countries.

 

In 2023, I had the privilege of witnessing the profound impact of our work. Firstly, we achieved a rare expression of global unity when CUSEF’s annual meeting in November 2023 was opened by China’s Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng, the U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, and East Timor’s President José Ramos-Horta, who won the Nobel Prize for bringing a peaceful solution to the conflict in his country. Secondly, we supported a dialogue between retired generals and admirals that resulted in a restart of military communications—a headline news story announced by Presidents Biden and Xi in a joint statement. Thirdly, we were the first organization to bring an American student delegation to China after the leaders of the two countries made a commitment to increase educational exchanges during the APEC meeting in California.

 

At the Woodside, California meeting, China also announced its “50K program,” a bold initiative to invite 50,000 young Americans to China over five years for study and exchange. While CUSEF is not formally a part of the program, we are keen to contribute to and support it, as the goal to bring young people together aligns with our mission and complements the work we have been undertaking over the past 15 years.

 

CUSEF has consistently championed the expansion of educational exchanges, fostering trust and mutual understanding between our nations. Over the years, we have been instrumental in revitalizing exchange programs in the wake of the pandemic, and have facilitated the journeys of more than 2,000 American students to China, 40 percent of whom were selected from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Our efforts also extend to bringing Chinese students to the United States, offering them the opportunity not only to engage with their academic peers and exchange ideas in their fields of study, but to immerse themselves in the shared human experiences that shape our lives. From family ties to love stories, these emotional touchpoints leave lasting impressions that shape who we are and the paths we choose. Even among different countries and cultures, we can still find space for commonality.

 

Deniz Aycan, a second-year master’s student at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, described the exchange as “an opportunity to familiarize myself with high-level Chinese policymaking,” while Chinese participant Yu Duhao of Fudan University highlighted the unique space it offers to “engage in dialogue and network with young leaders at top American universities.”

 

Our commitment to educational and scholarly exchanges is further reinforced through partnerships like the U.S.-China Scholarly Exchange, co-supported by the Henry Luce Foundation, and led by Professor Wang Jisi from Peking University and Scott Kennedy from the Center for Strategic and International Studies. These initiatives build on our tradition of promoting research and scholarship, dating back to 2013 when we released a landmark ten-year study on economic bilateral ties, with steering committee members such as Bill Gates, Indra Nooyi and Maurice Greenberg. Our roundtables with speakers from peer organizations also enhance this collaborative spirit, creating platforms for productive dialogues across borders.

 

We champion the role of teaching, research, and learning by supporting or co-hosting academic conferences at prestigious institutions like Peking University, Columbia University, and the annual China Conference at Harvard Kennedy School. These events draw top thinkers who shape the relationship for the better, including Professor Graham Allison, Professor Xue Lan, and Olympic gold medalist Eileen Gu, underscoring our ongoing dedication to fostering deeper intellectual exchange between our countries.

 

The success of our efforts relies on strong and diverse partnerships with lasting impact. For instance, we are collaborating closely with the Asia Society for an important dialogue on the U.S. elections to be hosted in Hong Kong. We’re also grateful to work closely with the Carter Center on many impactful projects.

 

We are established partners of the Sanya Initiative, also known as the U.S.-China Military-to-Military Dialogue, which gathers retired four-star generals and naval admirals from the United States and their Chinese equivalents. This is a critical framework in uncertain times for international security. We are also a recognized convenor of the U.S.-China High-Level Political Party Leaders Dialogue, a platform for senior representatives from the Democratic Party, Republican Party, and Communist Party of China. Delegates have included U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi, as well as former U.S. Ambassador and Senator Max Baucus.

 

We have supported milestone events such as the 50th anniversary celebrations of “Ping-Pong diplomacy” and One Young World, with whom we have partnered to support eight exceptional scholars who embody the very best of today’s youth and reflect the diversity of our world—not unlike the renowned Schwarzman program at Tsinghua University. CUSEF was greatly encouraged by the 12,991 applications received globally, from whom eight scholars were selected. They represent not only the U.S. and China, but also Nigeria, Colombia, UK, and the Netherlands. As I noted earlier, these types of initiatives and partnerships are invaluable, as they transcend not only geographical barriers, but cyclical governments. We are here for the long haul, and this sustained dedication makes our work crucial.

 

As part of our commitment to maximizing the effectiveness of our work and partnerships, we track our impact against the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a universal mandate adopted by all UN member states that provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet. That includes focusing on supporting collaboration in areas such as culture, health, science, and climate action, which are not simply beneficial for building the bilateral relationship but essential for the well-being of humanity as a whole. These fields demand cooperation that transcends political and national boundaries, addressing global challenges that affect all societies. Joint efforts on public health, climate change, and cultural exchange are critical not for the sake of diplomacy alone, but because the solutions to these issues lie in collective action, underscoring the shared responsibility both nations hold towards the future of the planet.

 

For instance, cultural exchanges are vital in breaking down stereotypes and fostering mutual respect. Partnerships with organizations like Art Basel and British violinist Tasmin Little have brought a rich array of cultural experiences to the forefront of our work at CUSEF. These programs do more than simply showcase art; they help build lasting relationships between artists, curators, and audiences from both countries and beyond.

 

Health, too, is a critical area for collaboration. The global pandemic highlighted the need for stronger international health cooperation, and U.S.-China collaboration on neglected tropical diseases and other health challenges will be essential in the years to come.

 

Global warming remains one of the most pressing challenges of our time, and U.S.-China cooperation on environmental issues will be critical to addressing it. Joint educational programs, such as those between MIT and Tsinghua University, demonstrate how academic partnerships can lead to real-world climate solutions. By working together, the two nations can help push global climate action forward.

 

Collectively, collaboration in these areas not only live up to the goals set by the SDGs, they also offer hope that diplomacy and cooperation can transcend political divides. It is also important to note, however, that the specific political alignment of the individuals or institutions we work with is, in many ways, irrelevant. We aim to involve people from all walks of life, representing a broad spectrum of backgrounds, beliefs, and interests. This is why maintaining ongoing dialogue is crucial, allowing organizations like ours to partner inclusively and respectfully, drawing out the best perspectives and ideas from around the world.

 

Clearly, the United States and China need the independent support of third countries and people with deep international experience, such as Serbia’s former Foreign Minister and President of the UN General Assembly Vuk Jeremić. While acknowledging the value of cultural exchanges, he points to a wider solution: “I propose that an answer, perhaps a strategic one, lies in what will be the shared future of technological development between Europe and China. Because this is where China is undisputedly leading Europe, in the field of sustainable technologies.”

 

Embracing Our Shared Humanity to Bridge Divides

In this uncertain political climate, people-to-people exchanges are not just a luxury, they are a necessity. They represent our commitment to understanding and collaboration, bridging divides that politics alone cannot. By fostering these connections, we lay the groundwork for more resilient and empathetic international relationships, ensuring that dialogue and cooperation continue to thrive amidst global challenges.

 

This was brought home to me during one of our summer programs, where we brought together students from both the United States and China. As I rounded the corner of our office, I overheard their voices. Expecting to hear a discussion on policy or the pressing issues of the day, I was instead greeted by an exchange about love. The moment made me smile, as it underscored a fundamental truth: no matter what corner of the world we are from, we are all part of a shared humanity. Such moments remind us that while the political landscape may shift, the bonds formed through these exchanges transcend differences, reaching the core of our common experience.

 

As we reflect on the importance of these exchanges, it becomes evident that sustained support and expansion of such initiatives are crucial for maintaining and enhancing U.S.-China relations. The success of these efforts relies on the strength and diversity of our partnerships, not just for us at CUSEF, but for people and organizations globally. This is particularly imperative as we approach the 2024 U.S. elections.

 

Despite our political differences, the shared humanity between the people of the United States and China forms the bedrock for a more peaceful and prosperous future. If we fail to act decisively now, history may well mark this period as a pivotal missed opportunity, drawing a direct line from any subsequent crisis or disaster to our inaction regarding U.S.-China relations.

 

We face a world filled with evolving challenges—future pandemics, climate uncertainties, economic instabilities, and security threats, from terrorism to nuclear concerns. In this context, it is essential to recognize that no nation or society holds a monopoly on freedom or moral leadership. Rather, we must take a step back to assess our current path while simultaneously moving forward with renewed vigor to grasp the progress that lies within reach.

 

To this end, we must remain dedicated to nurturing and expanding people-to-people exchanges. These interactions are not just about cultural diplomacy but are vital for building understanding and addressing the global issues that affect us all. Let us embrace this opportunity to bridge divides and strengthen the bonds between our nations, ensuring a brighter, more cooperative future for generations to come.

 

I have seen for myself how minds are awakened and possibilities are brought to life when we give young people the opportunity to unleash their talent and potential. It is our collective duty to make this happen.

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