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U.S. Chamber / AmCham China - Annual China Business Conference

May 11-13, 2026
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
1615 H St NW
Washington, D.C.

 

The China Business Conference, now in its 16th year, is the premier forum in the United States, and one of the premier forums globally, for exchanging ideas on U.S.-China economic and commercial relations, including economic, political, and regulatory developments affecting American business in China.

The annual event brings together business leaders, public officials, and policy experts to explore the latest on economic and political developments in China, discuss critical issues in the relationship, and shape the bilateral and global policy agendas around China. As U.S.-China competition intensifies, and the linkages between economic and national security proliferate, it is essential that government and business work together to promote vast commercial opportunities that don’t implicate national security, advance clear communication, and support people-to-people exchanges that support stable and constructive ties.

This year’s program will focus on geopolitical risk; technology and industrial competition; and industrial overcapacity, while also exploring the boundaries—and the future—of U.S.-China investment and commercial cooperation.


The Conference will open with a welcome reception on the evening of May 11, followed by substantive panels over two days on May 12 and 13 covering the full suite of issues weighing on bilateral relations.

 

Draft Agenda 

All times are listed in U.S. Eastern Time (ET)
Schedule and topics are subject to change. Please check back for updates.


All sessions in this Conference are off-the-record and closed to the press, unless otherwise specified.

5:30 – 7:30 pm:          Opening Reception 

8:00 – 8:30 am:              Registration and Networking Breakfast

 

8:30 – 8:45 am:              Opening Remarks 

  • Jeremie Waterman, President, China Center, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

  • Jim Zimmerman, Chairman, American Chamber of Commerce in China

 

8:45 – 9:35 am:            Hold, Exit, or Double Down?: The Operating Environment for Foreign Business in China 

 

Moderator: Jim McGregor, Chairman, Greater China, APCO

  • Carlo D’Andrea, Vice President, EU Chamber of Commerce in China; Founder and Managing Partner of D’Andrea & Partners 

  • Michael Hart, President, AmCham China 

  • Eric Zheng, President, AmCham Shanghai 

 

9:35 – 10:05 am:         Morning Keynote 

  • Fireside Chat with The Honorable John Moolenaar, U.S. Representative from Michigan and Chair of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party 

 

10:05 – 10:20 am:          Coffee Break

 

10:20– 11:10 am:          Chinese Politics in The Year of the Fire Horse: Where is President Xi Jinping Taking China? 

Moderator: Paul Haenle, Head of Asia-Pacific Policy and Strategic Competitiveness, JPMorgan Chase

  • Chris Johnson, President and CEO of China Strategies Group
  • HE the Hon Dr Kevin Rudd AC, Australia’s Ambassador to the United States

 

11:10 am – 12:10 pm:    Macro Weakness, Micro Strength, and Lots of Exports: China’s Economy and Implications for Foreign Business 

Moderator: Andrew Polk Partner, Trivium China

  • Jon Anderson, President, Emerging Advisors Group 
  • Fred Neumann, Chief Asia Economist and Co-head of Global Investment Research Asia, Managing Director, HSBC
  • Krishna Srinivasan, Director, Asia and Pacific Department, International Monetary Fund
  • Ning Zhu, Professor of Finance, Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF)

 

12:10 – 1:30 pm:           Transition to Buffet Lunch 

 

1:30 – 2:00 pm:              Afternoon Keynote

  • Fireside Chat with The Honorable Brian Mast, U.S. Representative from Florida, Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee

 

2:00 – 3:00 pm:              China’s 15th FYP and Made in China 2030: Looking to the Next Generation of PRC Industrial Policies  

Moderator: Daniel Rosen, Co-Founder, Rhodium Group

  • Mikko Huotari, Executive Director, MERICS
  • Oliver Melton, Director, China Practice, Rhodium Group
  • Barry Naughton, Professor and So Kwan Lok Chair of Chinese International Affairs School of Global Policy and Strategy, UC San Diego
  • Kazumi Nishikawa, Deputy Director-General for Economic Security, Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) (Invited)

 

3:00 – 3:15 pm:              Break

 

3:15 – 4:15 pm:              Sectoral Drivers of Advantage in U.S.-China Economic Competition  

Moderator:  Chris McGuire, Senior Fellow for China and Emerging Technologies, Council on Foreign Relations

  • Michael Dunne, CEO, Dunne Insights
  • Kevin Kolevar, Vice President, Global Policy and Government, Dow Chemical
  • Chris Miller, Professor of International History, Fletcher School, Tufts University
  • Michelle Rozo, Vice Chair, National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology

 

4:15 – 5:15 pm:              Looking Past Busan and May Flowers: The Benefits and Risks of Inaction with the PRC  

Moderator: Sara Schuman, Managing Director, Beacon Global Strategies

  • Elizabeth Cannon, former executive director, Office of Information and Communications Technology and Services (OICTS), Department of Commerce
  • David Feith, Adjunct Senior Fellow, Indo-Pacific Security Program, Center for a New American Security (CNAS) 
  • Jonathan Fritz, former principal deputy secretary of state for East Asian & Pacific Affairs, Department of State
  • Peter Harrell, Nonresident Fellow, American Statecraft Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
  • Sarah Stewart, CEO and Executive Director, Silverado Policy Accelerator

 

8:00 – 9:00am:              Networking Breakfast

 

9:00 – 9:45am:              The Great AI Race: Who is Winning and What Does it Portend?  

Moderator: David Barboza, Co-Founder, The Wire Digital Inc. (Invited)

  • Jason Matheny, President and Chief Executive Officer, RAND

 

9:45 – 10:45 am:           The Future Commanding Heights of Global Finance: The Dollar, RMB and Global Payments Infrastructure 

Moderator: Gerard DiPippo, Director, Global Macro, Eurasia Group

  • Martin Chorzempa, Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE)
  • Josh Lipsky, Vice President & Chair, International Economics, and Senior Director, GeoEconomics Center, Atlantic Council
  • Matt Higginson, Partner, McKinsey & Company (Invited)

 

10:45 – 11:00 am:         Coffee Break

 

11:00 am – 12:00 pm:   China’s Great Leap into Future Industries: Can the U.S. Compete? 

Moderator: Greg Ip, Chief Economics Commentator, Wall Street Journal

  • Rob Atkinson, President, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
  • Eric Chewning, Executive Vice President, Maritime Systems & Corporate Strategy, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII)
  • Rush Doshi, C.V. Starr Senior Fellow for Asia Studies and Director, China Strategy Initiative, Council on Foreign Relations
  • Jimmy Goodrich, Senior Advisor for Technology Analysis, RAND Corporation

 

12:00 – 12:15 pm:         Transition to Buffet Lunch

 

12:15 – 2:00 pm:           Luncheon Keynote

 

2:00 – 3:00 pm:            Free Riding Versus Cooperative Imperatives: Whither Collaboration on China Challenges 

Moderator: Charles Freeman, Senior Vice President for Asia, U.S. Chamber of Commerce 

  • The Honorable Jens Hanefeld, German Ambassador to the United States (Invited)
  • The Honorable Vinay Kwatra, Indian Ambassador to the United States (Invited)

 

3:00 – 3:15 pm:            Break 

 

3:15 – 4:15 pm:            U.S. Recalibration in the Indo Pacific? Opportunities and Risks for American Business

 

Moderator: Bonnie Glaser, Indo-Pacific Program Managing Director, German Marshall Fund

  • Michael Allen, Managing Director, Beacon Global Strategies
  • Ely Ratner, Principal, The Marathon Initiative
  • Jennifer Welch, Chief Geoeconomics Analyst, Bloomberg Economics
  • Rick Waters, Senior Director for the Indo-Pacific, Exxon Mobil

 

4:15 – 5:15 pm:            A Mid-Term Assessment of Trump Administration Policy on China: What Should the U.S. Do Next 

Moderator: Demetri Sevastopulo, U.S.-China Correspondent, Financial Times

  • Kurt Campbell, Chairman and Co-Founder, The Asia Group

 

5:15 – 5:30 pm:           Closing Remarks

 

5:30 – 7:30 pm:           Closing Reception

 

Registration

Register today! Early-bird 20% discount available through April 17.

U.S. Chamber / AmCham China Member

$700

Non-Member

$1650

*All registrations for the Conference are subject to U.S. Chamber China Center and AmCham China Approval

**U.S. Chamber China Center members are entitled to one complimentary registration.

***Discounted rates available for governments and think tank / academic institutions. 

Please contact cbc@uschamber.com for more information. 

Register

Knowledge Partner

 

We are excited to be supported by Trivium China who will serve as this year's Conference Knowledge Partner. Trivium is a policy research team producing readable, primary source-driven analysis on China's political economy. 
 

Contact

To learn more about the China Business Conference or if you have any questions, please reach out to cbc@uschamber.com.