U.S. - China Relations In The "America First" Era
Channel: HKU Journalism & Media
Date: 17/09/2019

Time: 6:30 - 8:00pm
Date:  Monday, 16 September 2019
Venue: Rayson Huang Theatre, Main Campus, The University of Hong Kong

U.S. President Donald Trump's recent zigzagging on China—threatening, then delaying new tariffs, calling Chinese President Xi Jinping an "enemy" and then a friend—have raised the question; does the White House really have a clear China strategy? Is China considered a friend or a foe? Are the world's two largest economies destined for a period of strategic competition and conflict? And could the "America First" agenda lead to a decades-long period of economic decline?

President's Trump's improvisational, erratic style with China has also marked other foreign policy challenges, from Iran to North Korea to immigration. But have the Democratic challengers campaigning to replace him put forth an alternative foreign policy vision?

David Ignatius, the award-winning global affairs columnist for The Washington Post, will analyze the state of Sino-American relations, U.S. foreign policy under President Trump and the current shape of the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

About David Ignatius
Associate Editor and Columnist, The Washington Post

Born in May 1950 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. BA Magna Cum Laude in Social Studies, Harvard College. Economics diploma, King’s College, Cambridge University. Since 2003 author of twice-weekly, globally distributed column on global politics, economics and international affairs. 2000-2003 executive editor of the International Herald Tribune. 1993-1999 assistant managing editor for business news at The Washington Post. 1990-1992 foreign editor, 1986-1990 editor of Outlook section. 1976-1985 reporter for The Wall Street Journal, 1980-1983 Middle East correspondent, 1984-1985 chief diplomatic correspondent. Numerous publications in Foreign Affairs, The New York Times Magazine, Atlantic Monthly and others.

The author of ten novels, including Body of Lies which was made into a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Ridley Scott. His ninth novel, The Director, was about hacking and espionage. A tenth novel, The Quantum Spy, about the race between America and China to build a quantum computer, was published in November 2017. He is a fellow of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center and has taught as an adjunct lecturer at HKS. He’s married and the father of three daughters.