On the evening of April 16, 2025, the Institute of International and Strategic Studies (IISS), Peking University (PKU) successfully hosted the 85th session of the North Pavilion Seminar, featuring a lecture titled “The Evolving Role of Technology in China-U.S. Relations”. The lecture was delivered by Prof. Denis Simon, Bank of America Visiting Chair Professor at Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University, and chaired by Associate Prof. Gui Yongtao, Vice President of IISS, PKU.

Prof. Denis Simon first traced the history of China-U.S. scientific and technological cooperation since the signing of the China-U.S. Agreement on Cooperation in Science and Technology in 1979. Over the past four decades, science and technology cooperation has served as a “ballast” for stabilizing bilateral relations, evolving from government-led initiatives into a diversified cooperation system involving governments, enterprises, and universities. Scientific collaboration and higher educational exchanges have mutually reinforced each other, resulting in a win-win outcome for both countries.

Prof. Denis Simon then analyzed the manifestations and causes of the escalating China-U.S. technological competition in recent years. He pointed out that China’s rapid growth in overall national strength, particularly in science and technology, has triggered strategic anxiety in the United States, leading to a series of policies aimed at containing China’s development. Prof. Simon systematically reviewed U.S. restrictive measures against China in areas such as export controls, investment screening, sanctions against educational institutions, and visa restrictions, along with China’s corresponding responses. Using the semiconductor industry and TikTok as examples, he analyzed the negative impact of the China-U.S. technological “decoupling” trend on the global technology sector. He emphasized that the United States’ “small yard, high fence” strategy is unlikely to succeed, and that rallying allies to contain China poses significant challenges.

Finally, Prof. Denis Simon explored the prospects for China-U.S. technological relations. He emphasized that artificial intelligence (AI) is the defining technology of the 21st century and that China-U.S. competition in AI should avoid descending into a zero-sum game. He noted that China has already become a major player in the global economy and technology sectors, and that the U.S. government should abandon short-sighted approaches and avoid being misled by anti-China statements. At present, China-U.S. technological relations are “on the edge of a cliff,” and both countries urgently need to properly manage their differences and work together to address shared challenges such as climate change, pandemics, and the energy transition.

During the Q&A session, Prof. Denis Simon engaged in an in-depth discussion with the attending faculty and students on topics such as the prospects for China-U.S. cooperation in AI governance, ways to enhance mutual understanding between the two countries, how to promote international cooperation in an era of uncertainty, and the Trump administration’s stance on technology policy toward China. (Contributor: Fan Jiayuan)

Editor: Li Fangqi  Photographer: Zheng Huaizhou