Countries across the globe are increasingly focused on the Arctic due to its expanding shipping routes, vast natural resources, and cutting-edge scientific research opportunities. China views the Arctic as a critical new frontier for its economic and geostrategic opportunities. Since China isn't geographically located in the Arctic, it must work with other nations, like Russia, to achieve its aims in the region. However, Chinese engagement in the Arctic has been met with skepticism, especially from the United States and European nations weary of China's relationship with Russia and the impact of China's economic activity on their own industries.

Elizabeth Wishnick joined us on June 6, 2026 to discuss China's economic and security interests in the Arctic and China's reception in the region.

Click here to read the speaker's bio and watch the YouTube video.

As AI technologies become increasingly sophisticated, the United States and China are vying to win this technology competition. Both countries have different approaches and strengths in their development, deployment, and regulation of AI – the United States is recognized as leading in advanced AI development and China in industrial AI integration. Although perceptions of AI differ between people, companies, and the government in the United States and China, a shared anxiety exists among both populations over the effects this technology will have on their lives.

Yi-Ling Liu joined us on June 10, 2026 to share similarities and differences between the ways people in the United States and China view AI and who the narrative of a U.S.-China AI race neglects.

Further reading: Yi-Ling Liu's recent book The Wall Dancers: Searching For Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet traces the evolution of the Chinese internet, following entrepreneurs, activists, and artists as they navigate surveillance and censorship within the Great Firewall. Liu draws on years of firsthand reporting and interviews in China to examine online subcultures, shifting state policies, and tech innovations over the last three decades

CHINA Town Hall (CTH), a program that provides a snapshot of the current U.S.-China relationship and examines how that relationship reverberates at the local level – in our towns, states, and nation – connects people around the country with U.S. policymakers and thought leaders on China.

The 2026 CHINA Town Hall program took place on Tuesday, April 7, at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT, with two veteran senior diplomats discussing the current state and future trajectory of the U.S.-China relationship: Stephen Biegun, former U.S. deputy secretary of state, and Sarah Beran, former deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and former senior director for China and Taiwan affairs at the White House National Security Council.

Since CTH launched in 2007, the National Committee has proudly partnered with a range of institutions and civic groups, colleges and universities, trade and business associations, world affairs councils and think tanks to convene town halls and bring this important national conversation to local communities around America (and a few overseas).

China's role in the Middle East and North Africa has grown in recent years as Beijing has expanded its engagement in energy, trade, infrastructure, and diplomacy across the region. At the same time, Middle Eastern and North African governments are assessing what deeper ties with China can offer and where Beijing's influence still falls short. What draws China to the Middle East and North Africa, what is its strategy there, and how are shifts in U.S. policy shaping Beijing's regional approach?

Chuchu Zhang joined us on March 24, 2026 to discuss China's interests in the Middle East and North Africa and how governments in the region view China.

Learn more about the speaker and watch the video here.

China is the largest manufacturer, installer, and user of clean energy and electric vehicles., At the same time, it emits more greenhouse gasses than any other country. While efforts to work with the United States on climate issues have stalled in recent years, a combination of grass roots activism and long term government policy are driving China's environmental movement forward. How does China approach environmentalism? Can the United States and China resume cooperation on climate?

Alex Wang joined us on April 1, 2026 to discuss these questions and share how climate policy differs between the United States and China.

Alex's new (open-source) book Chinese Global Environmentalism looks at how and why China is approaching global green development. The book explores how China got from a period of environmental crisis to a period of relative success and examines both both challenges and successes in-depth.

Read Alex's bio and watch the video here.

Educational exchange is a primary way for American and Chinese people to interact with each other, creating opportunities to build common ground. However, both the United States and Chinese governments are hindering and restricting educational exchange opportunities by limiting interactions and complicating bureaucratic processes. Despite these hurdles, opportunities persist for U.S.-China collaboration, especially in the nonprofit and business sectors. Can educational exchange between the United States and China stay afloat amid changing U.S.-China relations?

Rosie Levine joined us on March 9, 2026 to explain why educational exchange between the United States and China is important.

Inequality in the United States and China remains problematic as policymakers grapple with high costs, tepid employment, and an uncertain global economy. Social policy scholars work to highlight the visible and invisible factors contributing to inequality in both countries. Common solutions have emerged over time like a focus on children's education and women's empowerment. Despite best efforts, common challenges have also persisted. While cultural contexts differ, the shared fight against poverty and other forms of inequality could provide a basis for collaborative U.S.-China efforts in the future.

Qin Gao joined us on Feb 26, 2026 to share her observations of common themes and challenges the United States and China face in fighting inequality and her story starting out in the social policy field.

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China & the Hill is a weekly newsletter covering Washington DC's China-focused debates, actions, and reactions. Readers will receive a curated digest of each week's most pressing U.S.-China news and its impact on businesses and policy, and can listen to the top stories in podcast form on the U.S.-China Podcast.