Osher Summer Lecture Series: U.S. Policy Toward A Rising China

July 13: U.S. Policy Toward A Rising China The U.S.-China relationship has not always been smooth, but since Richard Nixon's opening in the early 1970's, the two countries have evolved a relationship that has been generally beneficial to both parties. Economic engagement and a diplomatic partnership together with robust trade and investment relations, among other activities, have meant a peaceful context for reform and China's rise, helping to lift millions of Chinese out of poverty and giving the PRC incentive to work within the U.S.-led global order. The logic of the relationship, however, is now open to serious debate on both sides of the Pacific. After a period of American preoccupation with the Middle East, President Obama attempted a rebalancing of U.S. interests toward the Asia-Pacific region. With the Trump administration in office, the U.S.-China relationship appears to be at a crossroads: does it continue to focus on constructive engagement and managing differences, or prepare for a new era of rivalry and conflict? James Steinberg Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State The Honorable James B. Steinberg is University Professor of Social Science, International Affairs and Law at Syracuse University and served as Dean of the Maxwell School from July 2011 until June 2016. Prior to becoming Dean, he served as Deputy Secretary of State (2009-2011), acting as the principal deputy to Secretary Clinton. From 2005-2008 he was Dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. From 2001-2005, Mr. Steinberg was Vice President and Director of Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution. Mr. Steinberg served as deputy national security advisor to President Clinton from 1996 to 2000. After the lecture, he will sign copies of the book he co-authored with Michael E. O'Hanlon, Strategic Reassurance and Resolve: U.S.-China Relations in the Twenty-First Century.