After decades of engagement, the United States and China appear to be on a collision course that has led to a trade war, may produce a new cold war, and could result in military conflict. The deterioration of the bilateral relationship is the culmination of years of disputes, disillusionment, disappointment, and distrust between the two countries.
Cheng Li’s Middle Class Shanghai argues that American policymakers should pay attention to the dynamism and diversity in contemporary China. Its developing class structure and cosmopolitan culture, exemplified and led by Shanghai, could reshape U.S.-China engagement. Both countries should build on the deep cultural and educational exchanges that have bound them together for more than forty years.
On June 17, 2021, the National Committee hosted a virtual program with Cheng Li as he discussed China’s middle class and the constructive impact of exchanges between China and the United States.
