Thursday, April 24 | 5:30 pm in Room 505, Elliott School of International Affairs, Washington DC
The CHINA Town Hall, organized by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR), is a nationwide program that offers a comprehensive overview of the current U.S.-China relationship and its local impact—shaping discussions in communities across the country. By connecting local audiences with U.S. policymakers and leading experts on China, the program fosters informed dialogue on this vital bilateral relationship.
The 2025 CHINA Town Hall will feature an in-depth discussion on President Trump’s China policy in his new term, bringing together top experts to analyze the evolving U.S.-China dynamic. Panelists include Ryan Hass, Director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution; Matthew Turpin, Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution; and Lingling Wei, Chief China Correspondent at The Wall Street Journal.
USCET is proud to partner with NCUSCR to bring this important event to our local community in Washington, D.C., with Young China Watchers (YCW) as a co-sponsor. This year’s local discussion will feature Sean Stein, the president of the US-China Business Council, as our distinguished guest speaker.
Join us on Thursday, April 24, at 5:30 pm for a conversation with Sean Stein, followed by the virtual NCUSCR program to discuss President Trump’s China policy 100 days with experts from Brookings, Hoover, and WSJ.
Speaker Biography
Sean Stein (Local Speaker)
Sean Stein is the president of the US-China Business Council and chair emeritus of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. Previously, he co-chaired the China Public Policy Practice at Covington & Burling, advising international businesses on political risk, public affairs, and U.S.-China relations.
A former U.S. diplomat for nearly three decades, he served as consul general in Shanghai and Shenyang, with additional roles at the State Department’s China desk and across the Indo-Pacific. Sean speaks Mandarin and Indonesian and is a graduate of Georgetown University.
Ryan Hass (Livestream Speaker)
Ryan Hass is the director of the John L. Thornton China Center and the Chen-Fu and Cecilia Yen Koo Chair in Taiwan Studies at Brookings, where he is also a senior fellow in the Center for Asia Policy Studies. Previously, Hass was director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia at the National Security Council, advising President Obama and coordinating policy across U.S. agencies. Before that, he served as a foreign service officer in Beijing, Seoul, and Ulaanbaatar, earning multiple honors.
He is the author of Stronger: Adapting America’s China Strategy in an Age of Competitive Interdependence and co-author of U.S.-Taiwan Relations: Will China’s Challenge Lead to a Crisis?
Matthew Turpin (Livestream Speaker)
Matthew Turpin is a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution and a senior advisor at Palantir Technologies, specializing in U.S.-China policy, economic statecraft, and technology innovation. From 2018 to 2019, he served as the U.S. National Security Council’s director for China and senior advisor on China to the Secretary of Commerce, leading interagency efforts on China policy.
Turpin is also a retired U.S. Army officer with over 22 years of service. He held key roles at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon, and U.S. Pacific Command, focusing on crisis planning, defense innovation, and great power competition. He also taught history at West Point. He holds an MA in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a BS from West Point.
Lingling Wei (Livestream Speaker)
Lingling Wei is the chief China correspondent for The Wall Street Journal and author of the WSJ China newsletter. Her reporting focuses on China’s political economy, examining the intersection of business and politics.
Born and raised in China, she earned a master’s degree in journalism from NYU and began her career covering U.S. real estate before shifting to China-focused reporting. Her work has earned numerous accolades, including being part of a team that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2021. She is also the co-author of Superpower Showdown.