On Wednesday, October 28, and Thursday, October 29, 2026, the China Power Project held its tenth annual conference. The two-day event featured two panels and three debates as well as remarks by Senator Steve Daines (R-MT), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Below, you can navigate to videos of the conference and find transcripts of each session. You can also see the results of audience polls from before and after each debate.
- Day 1, October 28, 2026: Panels on China’s Power and U.S.-China Relations
- Day 2, October 29, 2026: Debates on China’s Power, China-Japan Relations, and BRICS’ Prominence
Wednesday, October 28
Opening Remarks
Alex Kisling
Chief Communications Officer, CSIS
Panel: A Decade of Changes: Taking Stock of China’s Evolving Power
Bonnie Glaser
Managing Director, Indo-Pacific Program, German Marshall Fund
Scott Kennedy
Senior Adviser and Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics, CSIS
I-Chung Lai
President, Prospect Foundation
Yasuhiro Matsuda
Professor, University of Tokyo
Read a transcript of the panel.
Panel: The Current State of US-China Relations
Edgard Kagan
Senior Adviser and Freeman Chair in China Studies, CSIS
Evan Medeiros
Penner Family Chair in Asian Studies and the Cling Family Senior Fellow in US-China Relations, Georgetown University
Randall Schriver
Chairman, The Institute for Indo-Pacific Security
Xiangwei Wang
Senior Visiting Scholar, Harvard
Read a transcript of the panel.
Thursday, October 29
Morning Session
Public Debate Kickoff
Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) (Virtual Remarks)
Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Read a transcript of the remarks.
Debate I
Proposition: As China’s power grows it will be more willing to militarily support and defend its closest international friends
FOR: Brian Hart
Deputy Director and Fellow, China Power Project, CSIS
AGAINST: Michael Swaine
Senior Research Fellow, East Asia Program, Quincy Institute
Read a transcript of the debate.
Debate II
Proposition: De-escalation between China and Japan back to the levels seen prior to November 2025 is impossible within the next five years
FOR: Sheila Smith
John E. Merow Senior Fellow, Asia-Pacific Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
AGAINST: Yasuhiro Matsuda
Professor, University of Tokyo
Read a transcript of the debate.
Afternoon Session
Debate III
Proposition: In the next decade, a China-dominated BRICS will displace the G7 as the most influential international grouping
FOR: Sarang Shidore
Director, Global South Program, Quincy Institute
AGAINST: Edgard Kagan
Senior Adviser and Freeman Chair in China Studies, CSIS
Read a transcript of the debate.