At a time when the China-U.S. relations are facing many uncertainties and the international situation is becoming increasingly complex, the role of Track 2 diplomacy has come into more people’s attention. How could Track 2 diplomacy play its role in bringing the two sides back to rational and constructive policy making? What are the major obstacles for China-U.S. Track 2 diplomacy?

Dr. Sun Chenghao,our guest speaker today, would share his insights from his involvement in China-U.S. Track 2 diplomacy. Dr. Sun is fellow researcher with CISS,Tsinghua University. Please stay tuned.

In today’s programme, we will focus on the topic of China’s booming new energy cars and the claims of China’s “overcapacity” problem.

With the surging release of advanced new energy vehicles (NEVs) in China this year, an acrimonious discourse on overcapacity has intensified in the Western world. Consequently, the EU has initiated anti-subsidy measures while the US has steadily increased tariffs on NEVs and imposed restrictive controls on imports.

How do we define overcapacity in the context of NEVs? What is the current supply-demand dynamic in the market? How can the purchasing habits of consumers be nurtured? How can effective collaboration between NEV enterprises and governments be promoted? What roles do developing and developed countries play in the market?

On our programme today, China Forum has invited Dr Zhou Mi, Deputy Director of Institute of American and Oceania Study of Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce, to share his view on China’s rapid NEV development.

In today’s program, we will continue with the discussion on “anti-terrorism”. As the world becomes unstable with outbreaks of regional conflicts, terrorism has shown signs of rising, or the question might be, has it ever left? Regional conflicts increase the flow of weapons, while an increasingly segmented global financial system makes it harder to track terrorist activities.

What efforts are needed to combat terrorism at the national or international level? How should individuals view terrorism rationally?

On our program today we have Dr. Victor J. Willi, Executive Director at the Middle East Institute Switzerland, a think tank working exclusively on the Middle East and North Africa. Dr. Willi shared with us his views on terrorism in a more fragmented world, and how China and mid-powers like countries in the Middle East are playing a bigger role in mediation and conflict resolution, to settle the root causes of terrorism.

According to the Global Terrorism Index of 2024, deaths from terrorism has

increased to the highest level since 2017.

With increasing regional instability and expanding terrorist networks, what are the pragmatic and constructive solutions that can mitigate these negative growths? How have institutions like SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure demonstrated effective solutions to ensure regional safety and stability?

Today, we have Prof. Ulugbeck A. Khasanov from Uzebekistan to elaborate on this topic and share with us his views on effective methods in combating terrorism in the new age of information. Prof. Khasanov is chair of International Relations Department at the University of World Economics & Diplomacy in Uzbekistan. I caught up with him on the sidelines of “China Forum Dialogue Among the Wise” conducted in Beijing this April, with the theme of “Terrorism in the Age of Geopolitical Conflict: New Paradigms and New Challenges”.

As dangers loom large for the world today, a possible Second Cold War has become a frequent topic among politicians and scholars across the globe. Is the Second Cold War inevitable? Is win-win cooperation merely a pretty-sounding strategy or a deep-rooted and realistic philosophy? Is transcending Bloc politics possible in the post-western era?

With these questions on mind, China Forum had an in-depth discussion with Prof. Richard Sakwa on the sidelines of the 6th Forum on Security and Strategy in Beijing late March. Prof. Sakwa is the author of the newly published book “The Lost Peace: How the West Failed to Prevent a Second Cold War”, and also a professor of Russian and European Politics at the University of Kent at Canterbury, U.K.

In the discussion, Prof. Sakwa offers us penetrating insights into a period of history that we thought we have thought over, revealing deeper logic that has the power to change the course of history today.

At a time when a growing number of regional conflicts have led to further international tensions, the recent phone call between top leaders of China and the U.S. has drawn wide attention to whether the two global powers can inject some stability into the world.

Are decades of globalization and relative world peace coming to an end? Are we moving toward a second Cold War and seeing a replay of the 1930s? What is the root cause of global instability? Is it more of an economic or political nature?

China Forum caught up with Professor Da Wei, the director of CISS, Tsinghua University, on the sidelines of the 6th Forum on Security and Strategy. In this episode, Professor Da will share his views on the trend of international relations and Sino-America relations.

At a time when a growing number of regional conflicts have led to further international tensions, the recent phone call between top leaders of China and the U.S. has drawn wide attention to whether the two global powers can inject some stability into the world.

Are decades of globalization and relative world peace coming to an end? Are we moving toward a second Cold War and seeing a replay of the 1930s? What is the root cause of global instability? Is it more of economical or political nature?

Today on our program we have Professor Da Wei to share his views on the trend of international relations. Professor Da Wei is the director of CISS, Tsinghua University, and we caught up with him on the sidelines of the 6th Forum on Security and Strategy.

45 years into the China-US diplomatic relationship, the two countries have been navigating through some rough waters in recent years. Are the two countries on an inevitable collision course? Can the two countries be in a competition racing to the top, or does it have to be a race to the bottom?

Joining us today is Ms. Susan Thornton, a retired senior U.S. diplomat with almost three decades of experience with the US State Department in Eurasia and East Asia. Ms. Thornton is currently a Senior Fellow at the Yale Law School Paul Tsai China Center.

What does a changing world mean to China, especially concerning its relationships with the U.S., Europe, and also neighboring countries such as India? To what extent can China's "high-standard opening up" national policy and its global trade relations help to integrate a more fragmented world?

With these questions in mind, CISS spoke with Mr. Zhou Bo on the sidelines of the 6th International Forum on Security and Strategy, organized by CISS, Tsinghua University. Mr. Zhou Bo is a China Forum expert and senior fellow of CISS, Tsinghua University. He also has decades of experience serving in China’s military.

As politicians and scholars from across the world gathered in Beijing in early 2024 to attend various international forums, where they exchange ideas and thoughts about current international relations and ways out for some urgent regional conflicts, I got the chance to bring some of them to our podcast to share their thinking with our listeners.

In the following days, we will release interviews with six scholars from China and abroad, conducted on the sidelines of the 6th International Forum on Security and Strategy,which was organized by CISS, Tsinghua University on March 27th, 2024.

Joining us today is Dr. Michael Vatikiotis, Senior Advisor at the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue based in Singapore.

As we dive deep into the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Ukraine and Afghanistan, as we discuss the role of China and ASEAN countries in propelling dynamic growth in the region, as well as participating in global affairs like combating climate change, hope we’ll all have a better understanding of China’s stance in many international affairs.