On Tuesday, February 11, 2025, the China Power Project hosted its ninth annual conference in collaboration with the CSIS Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics and the Freeman Chair in China Studies. The full-day event featured four panel debates and discussions as well as opening keynote remarks by Representative Rob Wittman (VA-01), vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and chairman of Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee. Below, you can navigate to the videos of the morning and afternoon sessions. You can also see the results of audience polls from before and after each debate.
Morning Session
Timestamps to each segment
Welcome and Keynote Remarks
Dr. Bonny Lin
Director of the China Power Project and Senior Adviser, CSIS
Rep. Rob Wittman (VA-01)
Vice Chairman of House Armed Services Committee and Chairman of Tactical Air & Land Forces Subcommittee, U.S. Congress
Debate I
Proposition: U.S.-China relations will maintain a fundamentally similar trajectory under the Trump administration as under the Biden administration.
Moderator: Dr. Bonny Lin
Director of the China Power Project and Senior Adviser, CSIS
AGAINST: Dr. DA Wei
Director, Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University
FOR: Mr. Rick Waters
Managing Director, China Practice, Eurasia Group
Debate II
Proposition: By 2030 China will have greater global influence than the United States.
Moderator: Dr. Ilaria Mazzocco
Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics, CSIS
FOR: Dr. ZHANG Feng
Associate Research Scholar, Council on East Asian Studies, Yale MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies.
AGAINST: Mr. Dennis Wilder
Senior Fellow, Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues, Georgetown University
Afternoon Session
Debate III
Proposition: China is increasingly working with Russia, North Korea, and Iran as part of an “axis” to push back against the U.S.-led West.
Moderator: Mr. Brian Hart
Deputy Director and Fellow, China Power Project, CSIS
FOR: Dr. Andrea Kendall-Taylor
Senior Fellow and Director, Transatlantic Security Program, Center for a New American Security
AGAINST: Dr. ZHAO Hai
Research Fellow, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Discussion IV
Topic: The U.S., China, and economic security
Moderator: Dr. Scott Kennedy
Senior Adviser and Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics, CSIS
Speaker 1: Mr. Matt Turpin
Senior Advisor, Palantir Technologies
Speaker 2: Dr. ZHA Daojiong
Professor, Department of International Political Economy, School of International Studies, Peking University