Remaking US–China Economic Relations for Economic Health and Geopolitical Stability
A decade ago, conventional wisdom in Washington abruptly swung 180 degrees, from the assumption that US–China economic entanglement was good for both countries’ economies and world peace to the conviction that China’s presence in the American economy poses an intolerable threat to the national security and economic future of the country.
Today, the situation has undergone a sweeping transformation. Many of the practices that American leaders once considered Beijing’s worst sins are widely accepted in US statecraft. Chinese companies now compete in cutting-edge sectors, posing new competitive challenges but also inspiring newfound openness to technology transfer in Washington. The costs of economic warfare are more evident now that Beijing has learned the US playbook.
With the Trump administration mooting an ill-defined Board of Investment to draw Chinese capital into the United States, the time is right rethink US–China economic relations. What are the real dangers of expanding Chinese FDI and can they be mitigated? What are the real risks to US economic health and geopolitical security of excluding China’s presence? What would a smart investment policy that would allow both sides to benefit look like, and how could it contribute to the kind of industrial policy the United States needs to develop new strategic industries while protecting workers and manufacturing communities?
To discuss these questions and more, join a Quincy Institute conversation featuring Jake Werner, director of the East Asia program at the Quincy Institute, Susan Helper, former chief economist of the U.S. Commerce Department, and Jonas Nahm, associate professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Marcus Stanley, director of studies at the Quincy Institute, will moderate the conversation.
The conversation will take place on Thursday, August 27th from 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET.
Panelists
Jake Werner
Jake Werner is director of the East Asia Program at the Quincy Institute. His research examines the emergence of great power conflict between the US and China and develops policies to rebuild constructive economic relations. Prior to joining Quincy, Jake was a Postdoctoral Global China Research Fellow at the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, a Harper-Schmidt Fellow at the University of Chicago, a Fulbright Scholar at National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan, and a Fulbright-Hays Fellow at East China Normal University in Shanghai. He received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago. Jake is also a cofounder of Justice Is Global, a grassroots organizing project that advocates for reforms to the global economy, and a cofounder of Critical China Scholars, a network of academics engaged in public education on Chinese politics and society. His writing has appeared in publications like Foreign Affairs, Time, The Nation, and The Guardian.
Susan Helper
Susan Helper is the Frank Tracy Carlton professor of Economics at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. She was formerly Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Commerce and a member of the White House Staff. She has served as chair of the Economics Department, and has been a visiting scholar at University of Oxford, the University of California (Berkeley), Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Her research focuses on the globalization of supply chains, and on how U.S. manufacturing might be revitalized. Dr. Helper received her PhD in Economics from Harvard and her BA from Oberlin College in Economics, Government and Spanish.
Jonas Nahm
Jonas Nahm is the Andrew W. Mellon Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC. He recently completed a tenure as Senior Economist for Industrial Strategy on the White House Council of Economic Advisers, where he covered industrial policy, trade, and supply chain resilience. His research examines how the resurgence of industrial policy—particularly in clean energy sectors—is reshaping the global economy. He studies how governments and businesses navigate trade-offs between economic competitiveness, supply chain resilience, and decarbonization. His book Collaborative Advantage: Forging Green Industries in the New Global Economy (Oxford University Press 2021) examines how China’s rise in clean energy sectors is changing innovation and production in the global economy. He advises governments, international organizations, and companies on industrial policy, supply chain strategy, and strategic responses to changes in global trade policy.
Marcus Stanley
Marcus Stanley is director of studies at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Dr. Stanley has a PhD in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government. Prior to joining the Quincy Institute he had a background as an economist, including as an assistant professor in the Department of Economics at Case Western Reserve University, a senior economist at the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress, an economic and policy advisor to Senator Barbara Boxer, and the policy director at Americans for Financial Reform, where he played a leadership role in efforts to reform regulation of the U.S. financial system. He has published in academic journals such as the Quarterly Journal of Economics as well as numerous journalistic outlets ranging from Bloomberg to American Banker.