Barnett-Oksenberg Lecture on Sino-American Relations

The thirteenth iteration of the Barnett-Oksenberg Lecture on Sino-American Relations was held in Shanghai on June 26, 2024. This annual event affords the opportunity for a frank and forthright discussion of current and potential issues between the two countries; it is the first and only ongoing lecture series on U.S.-China relations that takes place on the Mainland. This year’s audience numbered about 300 and, as with all past audiences, was a mix of members of the business, diplomatic, academic, and policy communities, along with students from several local universities.  

The lecture is named in honor of the late A. Doak Barnett and the late Michel Oksenberg, both American scholars and policymakers of distinction whose writing and actions had a direct impact on the bilateral relationship dating back to the 1960s. The two were also leaders of the National Committee and devoted much time and effort to the work of the organization. Doak was one of the founding members and second chairman of the Committee and both gentlemen served on the board for decades. 

When possible, the program, co-sponsored by the National Committee and the Shanghai Association of American Studies, with the cooperation of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, is timed to coincide with the anniversary of the Shanghai Communiqué on February 27, 1972. This seminal document, negotiated by President Richard Nixon and Premier Zhou Enlai, was the first joint statement to be issued by the leaders of the United States and the People’s Republic of China. Although limited in its content, the Shanghai Communiqué laid the groundwork for the establishment of official diplomatic relations toward the end of that decade. 

The following distinguished individuals have spoken in this series:

• 2024: The Honorable Nicholas Burns, U.S. Ambassador to China; former Undersecretary of State, and ambassador to NATO and Greece

• 2019: Susan A. Thornton, Senior Fellow, Paul Tsai China Center, Yale Law School; former Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian & Pacific Affairs
• 2017: The Honorable William J. Perry, 19th Secretary of Defense for the United States; Michael and Barbara Berberian Professor (emeritus), Stanford University
• 2015: Dr. David M. Lampton, George and Sadie Hyman Professor and Director of SAIS-China and China Studies, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
• 2014: The Honorable Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States
• 2013: The Honorable Jeffrey A. Bader, John Whitehead Senior Fellow in International Diplomacy, John L. Thornton China Center, The Brookings Institution; former Special Advisor to the President and Senior Director for East Asian Affairs at the National Security Council; U.S. Ambassador to Namibia
• 2012: The Honorable Gary Locke, Ambassador to China; former Secretary of Commerce and Governor of Washington State
• 2011: The Honorable Jon M. Huntsman, U.S. Ambassador to China; former Governor of Utah and U.S. Ambassador to Singapore
• 2010: The Honorable Carla A. Hills, Chair, National Committee on U.S.-China Relations; Chair and CEO, Hills & Company International Consultants; former U.S. Trade Representative and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
• 2008: The Honorable Chas W. Freeman, Jr., Founder and Chairman of Projects International; former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and Chargé at the American embassies in Beijing and Bangkok
• 2007: The Honorable Robert B. Zoellick, Vice Chairman, International and Managing Director, Goldman Sachs; former World Bank President, U.S. Trade Representative, and Deputy Secretary of State
• 2006: Dr. Kenneth G. Lieberthal, Professor of Political Science and William Davidson Professor of Business Administration at the University of Michigan; Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy and Global Economy and Development at The Brookings Institution; former Special Advisor to the President and Senior Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council
• 2005: The Honorable J. Stapleton Roy, Head, Woodrow Wilson Institute’s Kissinger Center on China; Former Ambassador to China, Indonesia and Singapore

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