This year’s Susan Shirk Lecture on U.S.-China Relations welcomes Stephen Hadley, former national security advisor to George W. Bush, and Susan Shirk, founding chair of the 21st Century China Center, in a conversation about presidential transitions and U.S.-China policy. The conversation will focus on the China policy transition from George W. Bush to Barack Obama anTd will also touch on policymaking at the highest level in the U.S. and in U.S.-China relations today. 

A reception will follow the discussion at 6 p.m.

Welcome Remarks:

• Caroline Freund, Dean, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy

Speakers:

• Stephen J. Hadley, Principal, Rice, Hadley, Gates & Manuel LLC; former national security advisor to President George W. Bush 

• Susan Shirk, Professor Emeritus and Founding Chair, 21st Century China Center, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy (Moderator)

The 21st Century China Center gratefully acknowledges the support of the following sponsors for the Susan Shirk Lecture on U.S.-China Relations. 

East West Bank Foundation, Fong Foundation, Roche Family Foundation, Qualcomm, James Kralik and Yunli Lou, Anonymous

For more information, please visit the China Forum site.

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Bios:

Stephen Hadley 

Stephen Hadley is a principal of Rice, Hadley, Gates & Manuel LLC (RHGM), an international strategic consulting firm founded with Condoleezza Rice, Robert Gates and Anja Manuel. He is also the former Board Chair of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and an Executive Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Council.

Hadley served for four years as the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (2005-2009) and was the Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor, serving under then National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice (2001-2005). He had previously served on the National Security Council staff and in the U.S. Department of Defense, including as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy (1989-1993). During his professional career, Hadley has served on a number of corporate and advisory boards, including: the National Security Advisory Panel to the Director of Central Intelligence, the Department of Defense Policy Board and the State Department’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board. He is a member of the Aspen Strategy Group. In 2023, he co-edited the book “Hand-Off: The Foreign Policy George W. Bush Passed to Barack Obama,” a remarkable volume based on new essays and 30 now-declassified Transition Memoranda prepared by President Bush’s National Security Council experts for President Obama.  

Susan Shirk

Susan Shirk is the founding chair of the 21st Century China Center and research professor at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy. She first visited China in 1971 and has been teaching, researching and engaging China diplomatically ever since. Shirk is one of the most influential experts working on U.S.-China relations and Chinese politics, and her views on a range of issues relating to modern Chinese politics are highly sought. Shirk is a prolific researcher and writer. Her 2008 book “China: Fragile Superpower” helped frame the policy debate on China in the U.S. and other countries. Her latest book is “Overreach: How China Derailed its Peaceful Rise,” published in 2022. Shirk previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State from 1997 to 2000. She is director emeritus of the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC). Susan co-chairs the Task Force on U.S.-China Policy and the UC San Diego Forum on U.S.-China Relations, along with Stephen Hadley and Charlene Barshefsky.