One year into Donald Trump’s return to the White House, U.S. policy has taken a dramatic(?) turn. From abrupt moves in Venezuela and strains with traditional allies to an unexpected steadiness in U.S.-China relations, the Trump administration’s approach continues to reshape global dynamics. How do Chinese experts assess this eventful year? What opportunities and challenges does America’s shifting posture create for China and the world at large?

In this episode of Sinopinion produced by CISS, Tsinghua University, our host Prof. Da Wei, Director of CISS and co-host Prof. Shao Yuqun, director of the Institute for Taiwan, Hong Kong & Macao Studies at Shanghai Institutes for International Studies,

sit down with Senior Colonel (Ret.) Zhou Bo, and offer a multi-dimensional Chinese perspective on Trump’s foreign policy. Together, they explore topics such as whether the U.S. is truly in retrenchment, how China is navigating a more polarized world, and what the coming year may hold for great-power relations.

In recent years, China has become increasingly prominent in global affairs, yet its narratives and perspectives remains somewhat peripheral in international discourse. In this episode, the China Forum of the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS) Tsinghua University invites Mr. Wang Zichen, Director of International Communications at the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) and editor of the widely-read newsletter “Pekingnology,” to share his on-the-ground experience and insights on cross-cultural communication. He will explore: Why does China’s narrative remain marginalized abroad? How has his storytelling evolved from his time in official media to his current role in think tanks? How can China’s voice not only be heard but also substantially debated in a Western-led discursive environment? And what guidance does he offer the younger generation navigating today’s complex global discourse?

From November 16 to 19, 2025, the US-China People-to-People Dialogue, co-organized by the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS) at Tsinghua University and the National Committee on US-China Relations, was successfully held in Los Angeles. During the event, Prof.DA Wei, Director of CISS, interviewed four distinguished guests: Steve Orlins, President of the National Committee on US-China Relations; TIAN Wei, host at CGTN; Robert Daly, former Director of the Kissinger Institute at the Wilson Center; and YANG Bin, Vice Chancellor of the Tsinghua University Council. The guests shared their insights and experiences in education, media, cultural exchange, and bilateral cooperation, providing in-depth analysis of the challenges and opportunities in US-China people-to-people exchanges, and offering fresh ideas to strengthen collaboration and mutual understanding between the two countries.

Against the backdrop of heightened geopolitical complexities, global attention turns to the Asia-Pacific as leaders gather for the APEC summit.

In today’s episode, we are glad to have with us Dr. SHAO Yuqun, director of the Institute for Taiwan, Hong Kong & Macao Studies and Senior Research Fellow at the Center for America Studies, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, and Dr. ZHAO Hai, director of International Political Studies at the National Institute for Global Strategy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. They will join Prof. DA Wei, director of CISS, for a dialogue delving into the potential for leader-level summits, analyzing South Korea's role as the host nation, and assessing APEC's relevance in today's international landscape.

During China's National Day Golden Week, Professor Susan Shirk traveled to Guangxi with her family at the invitation of Professor Da Wei, Director of the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS), Tsinghua University. During the trip, she engaged in conversations with local residents and grassroots officials.As a long-time scholar of China, Professor Shirk gained fresh insights and reflections on China's economic development, poverty alleviation policies, urban–rural disparities, and broader social transformation.In this episode, she joins Professor Da Wei for an in-depth conversation on the significance of field research, the evolution of research methods, and the real-world challenges facing China–U.S. academic exchange.

Amid the complexities of China-U.S. relations, youth exchanges remain an indispensable bridge. In this episode, Professor Da Wei, Director of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, moderates a conversation with Ying Huang, PhD candidate in International Relations at Tsinghua University and former Secretary-General of CISS Youth, and Blake Kravitz, a Yenching Scholar at Peking University and the sixth-cohort member of CISS Youth. Drawing on their personal experiences, the two guests reflect on their participation in China-U.S. youth dialogue, share insights on overcoming misunderstandings and building trust in cross-cultural communication, and explore the unique role young people can play in shaping the future of the bilateral relations.

The 2025 SCO Summit recently concluded in Tianjin amid a rapidly changing global landscape and the rapid rise of AI technology. How the SCO positions itself, enhances cohesion, and responds to technological disruption has drawn wide attention. In this episode, CISS China Forum is joined by four distinguished experts — professor Zhao Huasheng, China Forum expert, and professor from Institute of International Studies at Fudan University, Dr. Zhao Long, Deputy Director of the Institute for International Strategic and Security Studies and Professor at Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, Dr. Zhou Mi, China Forum expert, and Deputy Director of the Institute of American and Oceania Study at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Commerce, and Ms. Xiao Qian, Deputy Director of CISS and Vice Dean of the Institute for AI International Governance at Tsinghua University—to analyze the summit’s outcomes and the challenges ahead from geopolitical, economic, security, and AI governance perspectives.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the European Union and China. As a multipolar world is emerging, China and Europe navigate a dynamic of both friction and cooperation, exploring new paradigms of competition and collaboration, and reshaping the global multipolar order through the clash of concepts. In this episode, CISS China Forum invited Dr. Jin Ling, Director and Senior Research Fellow of the Department for Global Governance and International Organizations at the China Institute of International Studies, to share her insights on the mindsets and administrative models shaping China-EU relations. She will discuss in depth the conceptual divergence between EU’s “values-based diplomacy” and China’s emphasis on “civilizational diversity”, along with their implications for the international order.

As U.S.-China relations grow increasingly complex, people-to-people exchange remains an irreplaceable bridge between the two nations. However, lingering uncertainties—especially those stemming from student visa policy shifts during the Trump administration—have cast a shadow over bilateral youth exchange.

In this episode, the China Forum of the Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University, is honored to feature Neysun Mahboubi, Director of the Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China Relations at the University of Pennsylvania. He will share his reflections on the current state of U.S.-China people-to-people exchange and youth dialogue, drawing on his recent visit, leading a group of American students to China. Through these firsthand interactions, Mahboubi explores how young people engage in meaningful cross-cultural conversations and expresses his hopes for the future of bilateral people-to-people exchange.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union, a significant milestone for bilateral ties. Against the backdrop of an evolving international landscape, a sound and stable China-EU relationship is mutually beneficial and of wider global importance. In this episode, we have invited Professor Cui Hongjian， director of the Center for the EU and Regional Development Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University to share insights from five decades of China-EU relations and discusses future cooperation. Professor Cui emphasizes that successful collaboration requires not only identifying common ground but also developing joint problem-solving approaches.