The U.S.-China Subnational Symposium brings together state officials from across the country who work on China issues in the areas of trade and investment, education, culture, agriculture, and development. In this time of heightened tensions in the bilateral relationship, the symposium seeks to educate, foster coordination, and develop best practices among participants.
Launched in 2018, this new initiative is designed to provide senior corporate leaders with a more holistic view of China, enabling them to better understand the issues faced by their U.S. and China-based staff; it is also designed to better equip them to engage in internal company discussions vis-à-vis China. The briefings touch on issues not routinely examined in the business world, including China’s domestic politics, foreign relations, rule of law, culture, and society.
The Diplomat Orientation Program (DOP) is an intensive two-week study tour that provides mid-career Chinese diplomats with a deeper, more hands-on understanding of America’s history and values and how these may shape American policies and perspectives. Through a varied mix of meetings and site visits ranging from the New York Stock Exchange to a dairy farm in central Pennsylvania, participants have the opportunity to engage in direct dialogue with Americans outside their particular spheres of expertise.
The National Committee sends three bipartisian delegations of congressional senior staff members to China each year for a study tour to learn first-hand about issues impacting China and the U.S.-China relationship. Delegation members travel to Beijing and other regions of China to meet with counterparts working for China's central, provincial, and municipal governments, as well as with NGO leaders, academics, business leaders, and members of the media.
The National Committee regularly sends members of Congress to China, having arranged and escorted eight delegations since 2006. The week-long study tours are designed to educate the congressmen and women about China through personal introductions to senior Chinese leaders and a range of informative site visits and meetings.
During the opening months of the 113th session of Congress, the National Committee again organized a briefing for freshman Members of Congress on critical issues in the U.S.-China relationship. Headlined by Governor Jon Huntsman, former Ambassador to China (and a former National Committee Director), this session was the fourth of its kind in as many election cycles. Governor Huntsman drew on his vast experience with China to comment on the present-day bilateral relationship in an off-the-record session on Capitol Hill.