The third annual Yale-Renmin Student Dialogue on AI, Emerging Technology, and U.S.-China Relations took place at the Jackson School of Global Affairs this spring, with a weeklong visit by a 21-person student and faculty delegation from Renmin University of China. The Schmidt Program on Artificial Intelligence, Emerging Technologies, and National Power, together with the MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies and the Johnson Center for the Study of American Diplomacy, hosted a series of intensive conversations between Renmin and Yale students, along with a number of faculty and other Yale-affiliated practitioners, focused on the strategic implications of technology competition and broader challenges in Sino-American relations.

Jackson School undergraduate and graduate students in two courses – one offered by associate professor of political science Dan Mattingly on Chinese foreign policy, and the other taught by Schmidt Program director and senior lecturer Ted Wittenstein – engaged in a wide range of discussions and other activities with their Renmin peers throughout the week. Students prepared background papers and oral statements in advance of the dialogue, taking part in a series of assignments designed to replicate preparation for a high-level government exchange between American and Chinese counterparts.

“What struck me most is that we met with students who very well could be leading members of China’s government one day, our contemporaries across the table in a few decades,” said Fiona Bultonsheen MPP ’26. “To be able to volley on political hot topics from our respective countries in this low-stakes sandbox of collegiate discourse was a genuine privilege; it’s an education that I’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.”

Schmidt Program students traveled to Renmin University in Beijing in the spring of 2024 for the prior iteration of the student dialogue; the first iteration took place over Zoom in the spring of 2023. Over the three years, Yale and Renmin students have explored some of the most challenging issues in bilateral relations, including the shared threats and opportunities associated with AI, ethical frameworks for AI governance, semiconductor and supply chain geopolitics, cross-strait relations, and how to mitigate the risk of conflict.

“The relationship between China and the U.S. has been rocky and, in hard times like these, dialogue is more important than ever. It’s also harder to make happen,” said Mattingly. “I am grateful that faculty and student colleagues from Renmin were willing to travel thousands of miles to meet with us. I’m also proud of the Yale and Renmin students who engaged in fruitful discussions about the strategic relationship between China and the U.S.”

“This dialogue with Renmin University has become a crucial avenue for student, faculty, and practitioner exchange between the U.S. and China on the extraordinary challenges associated with AI,” added Wittenstein. “Frank, transparent exchange of this sort can help ensure that technology competition does not devolve into inadvertent conflict. I was so impressed with the thoughtful engagement of our Yale students and their willingness to debate Renmin peers during this especially volatile period in U.S.-China relations.”

Jackson Senior Fellow Hanscom Smith, who served as another delegation leader for the dialogue, added, “The U.S. and China are intense competitors who dominate AI and other emerging technologies. Against this challenging backdrop, I was struck by every participant’s commitment to addressing difficult issues, and delighted to see Renmin counterparts experience the vibrancy and openness of Yale’s academic environment.”

The Yale and Renmin students also met with former U.S. Ambassador to China and Yale alum Gary Locke; Bonny Lin, director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a distinguished practitioner in Yale’s Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy; and Jessica Chen Weiss, professor of China studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. The group also viewed the Henry A. Kissinger Papers in the Beinecke Library, and Renmin faculty visited with scholars and practitioners at the Paul Tsai China Center at Yale Law School.

“Getting to know the Renmin students was a wonderful experience, especially seeing so many familiar faces from the dialogue last year,” said Pranav Pattatathunaduvil, a joint BA-MPP student at the Jackson School. “Events like this will be essential for building lasting connections between the next generation of leaders on both sides.”