Tell us about the summit.
I was honored to be a delegate at the 2025 Duke-UNC China Leadership Summit. As a Global Affairs and Chinese major, this opportunity allowed me to learn from experts in the U.S.-China field and connect with other college students who are interested in this topic.
The theme of this year’s summit was Bridging the Pacific: Charting the Course of U.S.-China Relations. Over two days spent at Duke University, delegates heard from experts in governance, climate, literature, and economics.
Could you say more about how this experience supported your studies?
Speaker talks focused on rebuilding channels of cooperation between the U.S. and China amid today’s political climate and competing international interests. I have a regional interest in Asia and appreciated the chance to explore the details of the U.S.’s complicated and important relationship with China.
I was also able to connect with other conference delegates, both from the U.S. and China. I gained valuable industry knowledge from young professionals entering into international relations and diplomacy internships and careers. Learning from my fellow delegates’ experiences helped me connect my studies of Mandarin with plans for a future career in Asian international relations.
Any concluding thoughts?
This was an amazing opportunity to represent George Mason’s Modern and Classical Languages and Global Affairs departments as a delegate at this conference. I am grateful for the support of the Chinese program and Dr. Karl Zhang for helping me attend the Duke-UNC China Leadership Summit.
