CHINA Town Hall

Program

CHINA Town Hall connects leading China experts with Americans around the country for a national conversation on the implications of China’s rise on U.S.-China relations and its impact on our towns, states, and nation.

The National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR) will present its 14th annual CHINA Town Hall on November 10, 2020, at 4:00 PM (Pacific Time). The two-part event, sponsored by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and the Washington State China Relations Council (WSCRC) as a local host, features a national webcast keynote as well as an local virtual discussion.

The national webcast is schedules from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM (Eastern) / 4:00-5:00 PM (Pacific), where Ray Dalio, renowned investor, philanthropist, and New York Times best-selling author, will discuss today’s most important issues, and the critical roles the United States and China play in an era of rapid global change. The local virtual discussion will take place immediately after the national webcast from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM (Pacific). Moderated by Dr. Spencer Cohen, this session will convene an accompanying town hall conversation to delve deeper into the issues and concerns of Washington State.

In light of the growing downturn in U.S.-China relations over the past year, CHINA Town Hall has expanded from a single night into a multi-night series of programming to address the range of issues confronting the relationship. In addition to the keynote event, three additional events will be held on subsequent evenings, each focused on a specific issue area: economics and trade, climate and health, and society and culture. In addition, a fifth Mandarin-language event will be held for Chinese-speaking audiences in the United States, China, and around the world. Please visit NCUSCR’s website for detailed information regarding these other events.

National Webcast Speaker

Ray Dalio is the founder, co-chief investment officer, and co-chairman of Bridgewater Associates, LP, the largest hedge fund in the world. Ray Dalio and Bridgewater have been deeply involved in the evolution of the Chinese economy and markets for 36 years. He was drawn to China at first by curiosity and later by a deep affection for the Chinese people and culture. His earliest visit was in 1984 as a guest of CITIC when the company invited Mr. Dalio to teach them how financial markets work and to help them develop their financial system. Mr. Dalio visited China for many years just for the pleasure of it, but eventually he and Bridgewater began managing investments and providing advice to China’s top investment institutions and senior policy makers; in 2003 he began trading in Chinese markets. Over the past year and a half, Bridgewater has launched two All Weather China strategies – one for non-Chinese institutional investors to gain exposure to Chinese assets, and the other for domestic investors in China. Bridgewater has followed the development of China’s markets as they have opened up, and the firm has secured licenses to access that allow it to increase diversification locally. Bridgewater maintains offices in Beijing and Shanghai.

Mr. Dalio’s close relationship with China extended to his family, who joined him on visits to China starting in 1985. That led to his son Matthew going to an all-Chinese school in Beijing when he was 11 and to his setting up the China Care Foundation to help Chinese orphans with special needs when he was 16. The Dalio family continues to support child welfare and education initiatives through the Beijing Dalio Foundation. Mr. Dalio also established, with Bill Gates and three Chinese philanthropists, the China Global Philanthropy Institute, which teaches Chinese philanthropists and policy-makers best practices in philanthropy.

Local Virtual Program Moderator 

Dr. Spencer Cohen is Principal and Founder of High Peak Strategy & Analytics, a research consulting firm focused on U.S.-China relations, industry analysis, and international trade and ports. He has written extensively on the U.S.-China trade war and its impacts to local economies. He is a frequent public speaker on U.S.-China trade relations, China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and regional economic trends in the U.S. He has in-depth knowledge of China-related economic and political issues, both in China and as they relate to the U.S. regional economy.

From 2013 to 2020, he served as senior economist for a Seattle-based consulting firm, where he supervised and led projects on international trade policy, economic impact analysis, and regional economic forecasting. Previously, Spencer served as senior policy advisor for the Washington Economic Development Commission, and as research manager with the Washington State Department of Commerce.

Spencer has a B.A. in mathematics and history from the University of Connecticut, a M.A. in China studies from University of Washington, and a Ph.D. in economic geography, also from the University of Washington, where his research focused on China’s economic growth model through the lens of local government finance and land issues. Spencer has advanced fluency in Mandarin Chinese, having lived and studied in China and conducted doctoral research there. His academic work focused on China’s growth model through the lens of local government finance and land use. Spencer is currently a World Affairs Council fellow.