Tuesday, May 21, 2024 | 5:30 PM EDT - 6:30 PM EDT
The U.S.-China bilateral relationship is a competitive one, from economics to security, diplomacy to geopolitics, technology to the oceans and deep space. It is subject to varying degrees of tension, punctuated by intermittent cooperation and now, a resumption of selective dialogue. Each side views the other with suspicion and the policies of both are in keeping with a sense of alarm. Yet the two countries seem to agree that decoupling the two economies would be a grave mistake and that security, including technological preeminence, is essential to development, growth, leadership, and sovereignty.
Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky at 5:30 p.m. ET spoke at the National Committee’s Annual Members Program on May 21, 2024, with NCUSCR Director Amy Celico. They discussed the foundations of the U.S.-China relationship, the policy focus and goals of each side, and opportunities for greater collaboration even in the face of political sensitivities and the de-risking driving economic and trade ties.
Speakers
Charlene Barshefsky
Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky, chair of Parkside Global Advisors, Washington, D.C., advises multinational companies on their global market access, investment, and negotiation strategies. She previously served as senior international partner at WilmerHale where she chaired the firm’s international trade, investment, and market access group. She joined WilmerHale after serving as the United States Trade Representative from 1997 to 2001 and Acting and Deputy USTR from 1993 to 1996. Ambassador Barshefsky is best known globally as the architect and negotiator of China’s WTO agreement, which opened China’s economy as a worldwide market.
Ambassador Barshefsky has served on an array of corporate boards, and is a trustee of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a director of the Climate Leadership Council, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Amy Celico
Amy Celico is a partner of Albright Stonebridge Group – Dentons Global Advisors (ASG) and leads the firm’s China team in Washington, D.C. With over 25 years of experience working on China issues, Ms. Celico helps clients develop and implement strategies to deepen relationships with stakeholders, resolve complex problems, and expand their business in the China market. Prior to ASG, she served as senior director for China affairs at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative; deputy director of the Office of the Chinese Economic Area at the Department of Commerce; and as a diplomat in Beijing and Shanghai with the Departments of State and Commerce.
Ms. Celico earned a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. She a director of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations
