Huan Wang, SCCEI Research Scholar, and Matthew Boswell, Associate Director of External Affairs, participated in an event jointly sponsored by SCCEI, the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, and the Shenzhen-based China Development Institute focused on finding opportunities in U.S.-China economic relations. In December 2023, 15 experts and three moderators joined in conversation to discuss areas of possible cooperation such as trade and investment, climate, agtech, health, automotive, and more. 

Mid-way through the symposium, experts pivoted to discuss university and scientific research cooperation between the U.S and China. Dr. Huan Wang shared challenges her research team at Stanford faces both conducting research on the ground in China and working on China-related research from the U.S. She stated that, "These arbitrary barriers by the U.S. are causing collaboration between the U.S. and China to disappear. The incentive system within the Chinese academic world has changed, transitioning from working with U.S. universities as an asset to a liability for Chinese scholars. This has decreased the interest in and incentive for collaboration with U.S. research groups, leading to a polite refusal of collaborations. This situation is a loss not only for the U.S., in understanding China issues, but also for improving the quality of life and human capital in China, and for advancing human knowledge globally." Mathew Boswell and Dr. Wang continued in dialogue about how stakeholders can better facilitate collaborations between the two nations. 

Read the conversation transcript and download the event report.