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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.

As the United States under President Trump enters a new phase of strategic competition with China, a fresh wave of tariffs in 2025 has reignited tensions across the Pacific. Is this conflict a passing phase of protectionism, or the beginning of a long-term global realignment?

In this episode of the CISS Podcast, we are honored to speak with Professor John Gong, a leading expert on international economics, to unpack the structural forces behind this trade war. From industrial decoupling and subsidy races to innovation strategy and geopolitical bargaining, this conversation sheds light on what’s really at stake in the China-US rivalry.

Amid ongoing global turbulence, China’s military development has drawn increasing attention. What are the key priorities of China’s military modernization? How might this process contribute to global security? In this episode, Zhou Bo, Senior Fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS) at Tsinghua University, offers deep insights into international perceptions of China’s military rise, and the principles and goals behind its military modernization. Mr. Zhou stresses that China’s military modernization is a peaceful rise, with a strong focus on safeguarding overseas interests and enhancing maritime capabilities—all while upholding the principle of peaceful development. Looking ahead, China’s military evolution aims to foster a more stable and peaceful international landscape.

Against the backdrop of technological innovation profoundly reshaping international security dynamics and great power strategic competition, how do emerging technologies become key variables influencing China-U.S. strategic stability? The China Forum of Tsinghua University’s Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS) invited CISS Director Da Wei and University of Pennsylvania Assistant Professor Fiona Cunningham for an in-depth dialogue on the impact of emerging technologies on traditional nuclear deterrence theory, nuclear strategy, and the future landscape of China-U.S. competition and cooperation.

Under Trump’s second administration, the United States has undergone significant adjustments in both domestic and foreign policy, dramatically increasing the uncertainty of China-U.S. relations. In this episode, CISS China Forum invites Susan A. Thornton, a retired senior U.S. diplomat with rich experience with the U.S. State Department in Eurasia and East Asia, and currently a Senior Fellow at Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center, for an in-depth discussion with Professor Da Wei, Director of CISS. on critical dimensions of China-U.S. relations such as the dynamics of fentanyl issues, potential implications of the Trump 2.0 era, and the role of professional diplomacy in current geopolitical landscape. Ms. Thornton also shares her personal experience teaching at Yale, exploring the role of education, cultural exchange and the younger generation in shaping future China-U.S. relations.

How does the diffusion of general-purpose technologies (GPTs)—rather than mere innovation—redefine the dynamics of global power competition? In this episode, CISS China Forum invites Professor Jeffrey Dean from George Washington University to a in-depth discussion with CISS fellow, Dr. Dong Ting, on how diffusion shapes economic competition, inspired by his latest book. Prof. Dean offers insights into U.S. and Chinese technological strategies, the military-civilian nexus of GPT diffusion and recent policy shifts from “innovation-centric” to “diffusion-driven” paradigms. The dialogue also explores future research frontiers, including gender inclusivity in STEM education and open-source ecosystems, offering a fresh lens to decode technology’s role in global power transitions.