The China Institute of International Studies

This renewal grant, together with a recommended grant to Stanford University, would fund high-level dialogues between Chinese and American decision makers and experts. Over the next year, the American and Chinese teams involved in the dialogues would work to bring China more actively into the global dialogue on nuclear weapons as well as into efforts to contain North Korea’s nuclear program. The project brings a host of high-level American and Chinese participants to the table.

Renewing support for the China Institute of International Studies’ U.S.-China dialogue would allow the Institute to continue its efforts to bring diverse Chinese views into unofficial strategic discussions. The dialogues, held in concert with Stanford’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, bring together high-level American and Chinese nuclear weapons scientists, former military officials, and policy advisors to support a more collaborative approach to disarmament issues in both countries. These unofficial discussions have been heralded by government officials as a good basis for subsequent official discussions of extremely sensitive strategic issues.

The Arms Control and International Security Studies Center at the China Institute of International Studies is a newly formed research center affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This grant would support work conducted by a diverse group of Chinese scholars, from the military, nuclear weapons labs, and foreign ministry, to collaborate with American scholars at Stanford University in creating a joint vision for the role China should play in global efforts to reignite work toward international disarmament. The Hewlett Foundation is already supporting the Stanford Unviersity side of this project with a much larger grant. Ultimately, unofficial meetings among influential former government officials will help both countries to collaborate more effectively to achieve mutual goals, such as mitigating the damage from North Korea's nuclear weapons program, reducing the number of nuclear weapons deployed worldwide, and bringing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty into force internationally.