9th U.S.-China High-Level Political Party Leaders Dialogue

Event Report | November 23, 2016

A delegation of senior officials from the Communist Party of China (CPC) met with U.S. Democratic and Republican Party leaders and global business leaders in Washington, D.C., on November 14, 2016. These discussions were part of the U.S.-China High-Level Political Party Leaders Dialogue organized by the EastWest Institute (EWI) in partnership with the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC) and was the ninth round of this dialogue process.

The CPC delegation was led by Guo Yezhou, vice minister of the IDCPC and council chairman of IDCPC’s in-house thinktank, the China Center for Contemporary World Studies. Ronald Kirk, former United States trade representative and a former Dallas mayor, and Tom Ridge, first secretary of the Office of Homeland Security and former governor of Pennsylvania, led the U.S. Democratic and Republican delegations, which also included sitting party officers from both parties’ national committees.

The propitious timing of the dialogue facilitated candid exchange and valuable insights into the outcome and future implications of the November 8, 2016 U.S. elections, prospective governing priorities of the Trump administration, and the outcomes of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee. The delegates also discussed China’s economic development and challenges and opportunities in U.S.-China relations. A highlight of the dialogue was the keynote presentation on the “Changing U.S. Political Landscape and 2016 U.S. Presidential Election Results” delivered by Geoffrey Garin, president of Hart Research, and Neil Newhouse, partner and co-founder of Public Opinion Strategies.

Following the CPC dialogue with the bipartisan U.S. delegation, the EastWest Institute also facilitated meetings for the CPC with senior Republican officials—former Republican National Committee chairman Mike Duncan, current RNC treasurer Tony Parker, and United States Economic and Security Review Commissioner Dan Slane—to further discuss campaign strategies and prospects for U.S.-China relations under the new Trump administration.

Launched in 2010, the U.S.-China High-Level Political Party Leaders Dialogue seeks to build understanding and trust between political elites from the United States and China through an exchange of views on governance and foreign policy issues. The next round of the dialogue will take place in 2017 in China.

Click here to download event report.

Related story: David Firestein Looks Back On P2P History

Photos: From top, left to right

Anthony W. Parker (left), Ross Perot, Jr. and Howard Berman; Cameron Munter (left) and Guo Yezhou; Guo Yezhou (left) and Ronald Kirk; Guo Yezhou (left) and Tom Ridge; Guo Yezhou (left), Tom Ridge, David J. Firestein, Ronald Kirk, and Cameron Munter; keynote speakers Geoffrey Garin (left) and Neil Newhouse; Keynes Li (left) and D. Matthew Dorny; Andrew Tobias; Donald W. Bohn (left) and Timothy P. Stratford; Ma Hui (far right), Guo Yezhou (center) and the Chinese delegation; Tang Fangyu (left) and Guo Yezhou; Carolyn Brehm (left), Michael Z. Qiu and Robert N. Campbell III.

 

EWI facilitates meetings between the CPC delegation and senior Republican leaders following P2P9:

David J. Firestein (left), Mike Duncan, Guo Yezhou and Anthony W. Parker; (from left) Anthony W. Parker, Mike Duncan, David J. Firestein, Guo Yezhou (across from Mike Duncan); Guo Yezhou (left), Dan Slane and David J. Firestein; (from left) Dan Slane, David J. Firestein, Guo Yezhou (across from Dan Slane).