From March 9 to 12, the full seventh cohort of the National Committee’s Public Intellectuals Program (PIP) met for its final time in Washington, D.C. The main goals of this multi-day workshop were to bring the fellows up-to-date on U.S. government policies vis-à-vis China and to introduce them to new officials implementing those policies; to provide the opportunities to share information about their own work with each other; and to discuss and evaluate their experiences over the course of the last two years. The intensive schedule included visits to the U.S. State Department, Pentagon, and National Security Council; the group also had a dinner hosted by the PRC Embassy and met with private sector experts over the weekend. The fellows left the program with new insights into the policymaking process and government perspective on China.
In March, we once again took advantage of the fact that many PIP fellows from all cohorts attend the annual Association for Asian Studies conference to hold what has now become an annual reception for PIPers plus potential applicants. This year’s meeting was in Boston, and we were delighted with the turnout and with yet another opportunity to bring the PIP community together.