2025 SCCEI China Conference

2025 SCCEI China Conference on China's Role in a Changing Global Economy

Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institution's (SCCEI) hosted its second annual conference on May 14, 2025. Bringing together leading voices from policy, business, and academia to examine key economic trends in China and their implications for the world.

Panels of experts from Stanford and around the world explored topics such as China’s evolving economic ambitions and self-perception on the global stage, the roles of state and private enterprises in advancing China’s goals, and the impacts on global trade, finance, and institutions.

Visit the conference event page for the full agenda and speakers.

View highlights and photos from the conference below.

Conference in Review

Elizabeth Economy speaks during a Fireside Chat.

Strategic Shifts: Understanding China’s Global Ambitions and U.S.-China Dynamics with Elizabeth Economy

Elizabeth Economy, Hargrove Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, outlined China’s ambitious bid to reshape the global order—and urged the U.S. to respond with vision, not just rivalry, during a Fireside Chat with SCCEI Co-Director Professor Hongbin Li.

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Panelists speak during a session at the 2025 SCCEI China Conference.

Conference Explores China’s Strategic Posture in a Rapidly Changing Global Economy

This year's conference examined China's role in a changing global economy. Panels of experts from Stanford and around the world offered a candid, multifaceted view of China's global economic position, exploring its technological prowess, industrial diplomacy, and the increasingly complex global responses to its expanding influence.

See Key Takeaways from the Conference

Sean Stein addresses the audience during a keynote speech.

The High Cost of Miscalculation: Sean Stein on U.S.-China Trade Fallout

In a keynote address during the 2025 SCCEI China Conference, U.S.-China Business Council President Sean Stein cautioned that strategic miscalculations and trade tensions have left the U.S. economy with lasting setbacks—and few clear gains.

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