On November 17, 2025, the 28th lecture of Peking University Dishui Lake Lecture Hall (PKU-DSLLH) was held at the Dishui Lake Theater. Prof. Yu Tiejun, President of the Institute for International and Strategic Studies (IISS), Peking University (PKU), was invited to deliver a lecture titled "Current China-U.S.-Japan Relations and Their Implications for East Asian Security."

In his lecture, Prof. Yu began with recent headline events, including the “Xi-Trump summit” in Busan and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's erroneous remarks on Taiwan, to systematically review the evolution of China-U.S.-Japan relations since 2008. He noted that China-U.S. relations have gradually deteriorated since the global financial crisis, and that after China's surpassing of Japan in GDP in 2010, the strategic landscape in the Asia-Pacific underwent profound changes. Competition between China and the United States, he noted, has become increasingly apparent across the full spectrum of economic, technological, and security domains. He further observed that the Taiwan Strait issue has become the focal point of China-U.S. strategic rivalry, with the United States continuously testing red lines in recent years through arms sales to Taiwan and high-level official visits to the island. Meanwhile, he pointed out that long-standing instability on the Korean Peninsula and underlying tensions in the South China Sea disputes constitute significant variables in regional security.

Addressing China-U.S.-Japan relations in the Trump 2.0 era, Prof. Yu argued that strategic competition between China on one side and the U.S.-Japan alliance on the other is likely to persist over the long term, but that the principle of "competing without rupture" must be upheld as a baseline. China, he stressed, needs to maintain strategic resolve, strengthening its comprehensive national power through deepening reforms and expanding opening-up, while actively advancing the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative to promote major-power coordination and regional stability in its neighborhood. He further emphasized that in the face of prolonged competition, China should establish “comprehensive security and emergency management framework“ to achieve a dynamic balance between development and security, thereby creating a favorable external environment for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

During the interactive session, the audience engaged in discussions on topics including "Prospects for North Korea's Opening-Up and the Revitalization of Northeast China" and "The China-U.S.-Japan Strategic Game over the Taiwan Question."

Zhao Yihuai, Member of the CPC Working Committee and Full-Time Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Lin-gang Special Area, attended the event and presented Prof. Yu with a commemorative plaque for the lecture. More than 350 local residents attended the lecture in person.

Prior to the event, Prof. Yu visited the Peking University International Sci-Tech Innovation Center at Lin-gang Special Area, China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone (PKU-IICSH), where he toured the Party-Mass Service Center on the ground floor and offered valuable guidance on the Center's further development.

The PKU-DSLLH lecture series was initiated jointly by PKU-IICSH, the Office of Science and Technology Development, and the Office of Humanities and Social Sciences of PKU, with the support and advocacy of the Administrative Committee of Lin-gang Special Area as well as the active involvement of Peking University Press, the PKU Alumni Association, and other relevant organizations. Rooted in PKU's rich academic heritage and expert resources in the humanities and social sciences, the series focuses on topics spanning economic development, humanities and the arts, and social governance.

Since August 2023, the PKU-DSLLH has invited renowned PKU professors and experts each month to deliver thematic lectures in Lin-gang Special Area and engage in in-depth exchanges with local developers. This initiative channels PKU's high-quality humanities and social sciences resources into Lin-gang, effectively enhancing the cultural profile and urban competitiveness of the Special Area, and better meeting residents' diverse needs for enriching cultural experiences. The PKU-DSLLH lecture series has become a signature cultural brand of Lin-gang Special Area — allowing every Lin-gang resident to unleash their youthful passion, pursue their dreams, and achieve all-round development through cultural enrichment. It contributes a richer cultural fabric and infuses a stronger spiritual vitality into Lin-gang as a "Young City" and a "City for the Young."

Editor: Li Fangqi