The Expert Voices Initiative, formerly known as the American Voices Initiative, is a series of on-camera, sit-down interviews with leading experts on important issues in the U.S.-China bilateral relationship.
The series seeks to elicit candid opinions from experts across a range of topics, extending from economics, trade, and soft power initiatives to security, politics and foreign policy.
Our goal is to provide for a global audience in-depth expert views from various national perspectives on a topical issue of significance in U.S.-China relations.
January 22, 2025
In January 2025, the Institute for China-America Studies (ICAS) launched a new Expert Voices Initiative (EVI) series dedicated to exploring the Arctic. This series will bring together leading experts from the five Arctic littoral states and other stakeholder nations to share their research and perspectives on a wide range of Arctic-related topics. These include geopolitics, international law, shipping, environmental conservation, resource management, mining, the rights of Indigenous peoples, climate change, and multilateral cooperation.
To inaugurate this Arctic-focused series, on January 22, 2025, Dr. Adam Lajeunesse, an Arctic expert from St. Francis Xavier University in Canada, met virtually with ICAS Executive Director and Senior Fellow Dr. Nong Hong to discuss significant developments in the Arctic in recent years. These include discussions about the role of the Arctic Council amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the subsequent sanctions on Russia, as well as U.S. President Trump’s announcements in 2019 and again in 2025 about the possibility of purchasing Greenland. As one of the five Arctic Ocean littoral states and a key member of the Arctic Council, Canada plays a pivotal role in shaping the region’s future.
This insightful interview focused on several critical topics, including Canada’s Arctic strategy, geopolitical shifts and external influences, Canada-U.S. Arctic relations, the functionality of Arctic governance, perspectives on Arctic security, and the rights of Indigenous peoples. Through this dialogue, ICAS aims to provide nuanced analysis and foster greater understanding of the pressing issues shaping the Arctic’s governance and development.
Adam Lajeunesse, PhD is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Public Policy and Governance program at St. Francis Xavier University (StFX). Currently a Fulbright Scholar (2024-2025), he is part of the foundation’s Arctic Initiative, where he is continuing work on information operations begun as a Killam Scholar (2024) at the University of Calgary.
Dr. Lajeunesse’s research focuses principally on Northern sovereignty and security. He has published several books, seven edited volumes and over 80 academic and think-tank articles and is a frequent contributor to national media conversations. Dr. Lajeunesse also manages the Canadian Naval Review and is the Research Coordinator for the Naval Association of Canada, a Research Associate at the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies and the Arctic Institute of North America, as well as a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. Furthermore, he sits on the editorial boards of Arctic, the American Review of Canadian Studies, and is the editor of the Arctic Operational Histories.
Heavily engaged in public policy research and discussions, Dr. Lajeunesse is also the Arctic and Maritime Security Chair at the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government and the Director of the Canadian Maritime Security Network (CMSN), a Department of National Defence funded research network examining maritime defence, safety, and security. In addition, Lajeunesse is the Research Coordinator for the Naval Association of Canada and a Research Associate at the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies and a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. He received a Bachelor of Humanities from Carleton University (2005), an MA in History from the University of Calgary (2007), and a PhD in history at the University of Calgary (2013).
March 15, 2024
On March 15, 2024, the Institute for China-America Studies (ICAS) Expert Voices Initiative (EVI) conducted an interview with Dr. Wu Shicun, Chairman of the ICAS Academic Advisory Board, to discuss the current state of the U.S.-China bilateral relationship, summarize the trending topics at the 2024 Munich Security Conference, assess the situation in the South China Sea as tensions rise between China and the Philippine, and examine the value of people-to-people exchanges following the joint vision of the San Francisco Summit between President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden. The interview was hosted virtually via Zoom by Research Associate Yilun Zhang.
The interview began with an overview of the current state of the U.S.-China bilateral relationship and how the election result in Taiwan and the upcoming 2024 U.S. elections may impact the bilateral relationship in the near term. Among other topics, Dr. Wu Shicun also provided a comprehensive review of his in-person experience at the 2024 Munich Security Conference where Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered a speech outlining China’s vision to the western countries. Following a lengthy discussion on South China Sea perspectives, Dr. Wu Shicun stressed the critical value of people-to-people exchanges, especially Track-II dialogues, during a time when domestic politics is trumping foreign policymaking. The discussion concluded on a positive note that the two countries should correct their misunderstanding about each other and embrace positive views that allow coexistence.
Dr. Wu Shicun serves as Chair of the Advisory Board at the Institute for China-America Studies. He is also founding president, director of academic committee and senior research fellow at China’s National Institute for South China Sea Studies, chairman of the Huayang Institute for Research on Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, chairman of board of directors of the China-Southeast Asia Research Center on the South China Sea, vice president of the China Institute for Free Trade Ports Studies, and adjunct professor of Nanjing University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Dr. Wu has a PhD in history. His research interests cover the history and geography of the South China Sea, maritime delimitation, maritime economy, international relations and regional security strategy. His recent books include: Hainan Free Trade Port: A Global Perspective (Guangdong People’s Publishing House, 2021), The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road: Challenges and Opportunities for Asia and Europe (Routledge, 2019), South China Sea Lawfare: Post-Arbitration Policy Options and Future Prospects (South China Sea Think Tank / Taiwan Center for Security Studies, 2017), Arbitration Concerning the South China Sea: Philippines versus China (Ashgate, 2016), UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the South China Sea (Ashgate, 2015), Non-Traditional Security Issues and the South China Sea-Shaping a New Framework for Cooperation (Ashgate, 2014), Recent Developments in the South China Sea Dispute: The Prospect of a Joint Development Regime (Routledge, 2014), and Solving Disputes for Regional Cooperation and Development in the South China Sea: A Chinese Perspective (Chandos Publishing, 2013). Dr. Wu has also published widely in academic journals and been the subject of frequent media interviews as a senior commentator on South China Sea, regional security issues, the Belt & Road Initiative and the development of Hainan Free Trade Port.
November 1, 2023
On November 1, 2023, the Institute for China-America Studies (ICAS) Expert Voices Initiative (EVI) conducted an interview with Prof. Gordon Houlden, Director Emeritus at the China Institute of the University of Alberta, to discuss the China-Canada-U.S. trilateral relationship, review the outlook of the China-Canada bilateral relationship, and assess the U.S.-China bilateral relationship from a third country perspective. The interview was hosted in-person at the ICAS office in Washington, D.C. by Research Associate Yilun Zhang.
There was an in-depth discussion on whether China’s relationship with the West, particularly that with Canada and the U.S., has changed over time. The interview discussed the importance of restoring and strengthening people-to-people exchanges between China and the U.S. and Canada during a period of uncertainty and geopolitical tensions among the great powers.
Professor Gordon Houlden is Director Emeritus of the China Institute, Professor of Political Science and Adjunct Professor of the Alberta School of Business at the University of Alberta. Professor Gordon Houlden joined the Canadian Foreign Service in 1976, serving in Ottawa and abroad. Twenty-two of his thirty-two years in the Canadian Foreign Service were spent working on Chinese economic, trade and political affairs for the Government of Canada including five postings in China. He also served at the Canadian Embassy in Havana and Warsaw, and at Canada National Defence College. His last assignment before joining the University of Alberta in 2008 was as Director General of the East Asian Bureau of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, responsible for Greater China, Japan, the Koreas and Mongolia. Under Professor Houlden’s leadership, the China Institute focused on contemporary China studies, with an emphasis on Canada’s trade, investment and bilateral relations with the PRC, and Asian security issues. His third co-edited book on the South China Sea was published in the summer of 2021 by Bristol University Press.
September 1, 2023
On September 1, 2023, the Institute for China-America Studies (ICAS) Expert Voices Initiative (EVI) conducted an interview with Mr. William Vogt, an author and adjunct lecturer at Georgetown University, to discuss the current state and future potential of the “Chinese Internet.” The interview was hosted in-person at the ICAS office in Washington, D.C. by Yilun Zhang, Trade ‘n Technology (TnT) Program Manager.
To many Western observers, China’s Internet appears to be a mysterious ‘black box’ of unknowns and mixed signals. On one hand, the Internet is becoming a symbol of China’s economic growth and opening up with the country’s rapidly growing community of netizens and e-commerce businesses. Widely-used social media platforms like WeChat and Douyin (TikTok) make China one of the leading countries in this new era of information technology. On the other hand, the Internet remains rather closed off due to the Chinese government’s tightening control and censorship over online content and its recent crackdowns on Internet and technology companies. How should observers properly assess China’s Internet society? Is the Chinese Internet a land of free speech or is it more-so a tool for centralized control? This EVI aims to discuss and assess the current state of China’s Internet and provide another depiction of this often unknown territory. Additionally, this event also seeks to explore the roles of various actors in this complex dynamic environment of the Chinese Internet.
William Vogt is an experienced consultant and social media analyst who has published articles and a full-length book on modern China and the impact of information technology in emerging market countries. He previously taught a survey of the Chinese Internet at the Catholic University of America. He has previous experience in global risk management serving public and private sector clients and was Founder and Managing Principal of Weilian Poder Global Consulting, a firm that facilitated client engagements with senior business leaders in mainland China.
Vogt is a two-time graduate of Georgetown University, with a B.S. from the School of Foreign Service and an M.A. from the Communication, Culture, and Technology program. At Georgetown, he founded and led the university’s New Media in Asia Research Group and won a Hanban (Confucius Institute) scholarship to visit Nanjing University. He also studied at Capital University of Economics and Business in Beijing and Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador.
The Institute for China-America Studies is an independent nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to strengthening the understanding of U.S.-China relations through expert analysis and practical policy solutions.
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