On May 21, the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance (Huayang Center) and Arsenault Family Foundation jointly held an online seminar on China–U.S. relations. Scholars from both countries had in-depth exchanges on the understandings reached at the China–U.S. leaders’ meeting, relevant statements by the two governments, and the future trajectory of China–U.S. relations. Wu Shicun, Chairman of the Huayang Center and Chairman of the Academic Committee of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, delivered a keynote presentation on behalf of the Chinese scholars.

The online seminar was a follow-up to the “2026 Rocky Mountain Retreat” jointly held by the Huayang Center and the Arsenault Family Foundation in Washington this April. The two meetings were held respectively before and after the China–U.S. leaders’ meeting, with the aim of closely tracking and assessing the trajectory of China–U.S. relations and conducting in-depth discussions on issues including communication mechanisms between the two leaders, crisis management amid economic, trade and technological competition, conflict management against the backdrop of rising tensions over regional hotspots, and potential areas for future China–U.S. cooperation. Since its first round of dialogue was held in Boulder, Colorado, in June 2023, the Rocky Mountain Retreat has convened five rounds of practical dialogue in rotation between China and the United States.