US-China Relations: Past, Present and Future

A major geopolitical contest between the US and China is underway. It will be the main driving force of global geopolitics for the next decade or two. The main goal of this 24-video series is to provide a deeper understanding of the historical roots and the structural forces driving the contest. It elucidates the major misunderstandings between the two countries and discusses possible alternative approaches that could result in win-win outcomes for America and China.

 

A major source of misunderstanding between the United States and China is the very different historical experiences their people have lived through in recent centuries: a century of humiliation is meeting a century of triumphalism. In these videos, you’ll learn how a country’s historical past influences deeply its understanding of international relations and national security and plays a critical role in the formulation of its foreign policies.

 

This series also discusses in depth the US-China bilateral relationship from 1949 to 2020, covering issues ranging from climate change and foreign affairs to economic and trade relations–including the US-China trade and technology wars. It explores the fundamental misunderstandings that have developed between the two powers over the years, with the goal of developing a more objective and accurate understanding of the strategic perspectives and behavioural patterns of the United States and China in the global order.

 

Join us as we seek to understand how this US-China geopolitical contest is, paradoxically, both inevitable and avoidable.

 

This video series was recorded in 2020 in collaboration with NUS as part of an edX course. Accompanying the 24 course videos are two long-form conversations with Mr George Yeo, who served as Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2004 to 2011, and eminent historian Professor Wang Gungwu.