In October 2024, a Carter Center delegation visited China. This was the Center’s first visit since the pandemic. This trip reinforced the Center’s dedication to fostering U.S.-China relations through research and dialogue. The delegation’s itinerary reflected the Center’s ongoing mission and unwavering effort to wage peace and improve understanding between the two nations.
On October 14, the delegation met with experts at the Center for American Studies (CAS) at Fudan University in Shanghai. Discussions centered on building a foundation of mutual trust, tackling shared challenges in public health and working together to resolve regional conflict. CAS was the one of the co-organizers of the inaugural Jimmy Carter Forum on U.S.-China Relations in 2024 and it has agreed to co-host the second Jimmy Carter Forum in early 2025.
The delegation’s second stop was Beijing. Mr. Li Ruogu, former governor of China’s Export-Import Bank and president of the China International Economic Relations Association (CIERA), welcomed the group on day one and chaired a discussion on global economic issues and Sino-US trade tensions. The delegation also had meetings at the U.S. Embassy and Tsinghua University Center for International Strategy and Security. Shen Xin, vice president of the Chinese People’s Association of Friendship for Foreign Countries also hosted a dinner discussion with the delegation.
On October 16, The Carter Center co-hosted the Emerging Voices for U.S.-China Cooperation conference with the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies (ACCWS). This day-long meeting fostered dialogue on reducing rivalry through sustained engagement, increasing cultural exchanges, and addressing complex issues like climate change, public health, and trade. That evening, at the former site of the American embassy, The Carter Center held its first-ever reception in China celebrating President Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday and commemorating the 45th anniversary of the normalization. Carter Center partners and supporters, Chinese officials and scholars as well as U.S. diplomats, attended the reception.
The delegation concluded its visit in Huailai, Hebei Province, where they were welcomed by Dr. Li Zhongzi at Lee’s World G9 Global Winery Resort. In Huailai, a track II dialogue was held between the Carter Center delegation and a group of experts assembled by the Grandview Institution.
Dr. Nick Zeller, senior program associate of the China Focus at The Carter Center has this to say about the visit: “China Focus advocates aggressive pursuit of U.S.-China cooperation. On this trip, we achieved this by giving voice to concrete, practical ideas from early career professionals and connecting them to like-minded professionals in Shanghai and Beijing.”