2025.11.17
From 12 to 14 November, Grandview Institution and lPAX sapiens (U.S.) jointly convened the 3rd Third-Country Forum on China–U.S. Relations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The three-day forum brought together experts, scholars, and former officials from China, the United States, and ASEAN countries to examine the evolution of China–U.S. relations and its implications for Southeast Asia, with particular attention to national positions and the security dynamics in the South China Sea.
The Forum sought to enhance mutual understanding and explore pathways for constructive engagement amid major-power competition. Discussions covered a wide range of topics, including: the evolution of China–U.S. relations; cross-strait and domestic influences in bilateral relations; economic interaction and strategic competition; crisis management and regional stability; shifting dynamics in the South China Sea; legal and normative dimensions of maritime disputes; regional and maritime security; regional actors and economic competition; ASEAN’s role in major power competition; cooperative approaches in the South China Sea.
List of Participants
U.S. Delegation
1. Christopher B. Johnstone
Partner and Chair, Defense & National Security, The Asia Group; former U.S. government official
2. Heino Klinck
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia
3. Benjamin Moeling
Retired U.S. diplomat and former senior official at the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
4. David Sauer
Retired senior Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer specializing in East Asian and South Asian affairs
5. Jacob Stokes
Senior Fellow, Indo-Pacific Security Program, Center for a New American Security
6. Drew Thompson
Senior Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University
Chinese Delegation
1. Prof. Shen Dingli
Director, Center for U.S. Studies, Grandview Institution; Professor Emeritus, Fudan University
2. Colonel (Rtd) Fan Gaoyue
Senior Research Fellow, Grandview Institution
3. Prof. Chen Qi
Deputy Director, Center for International Security and Strategy; Professor, Department of International Relations, Tsinghua University
4. Captain (Rtd) Liu Xiaobo
Director, Maritime Research Center, Grandview Institution
5. Prof. Zhang Yun
Professor, School of International Relations, Nanjing University
6. Prof. Zha Wen
Professor, Institute of International Relations, China Foreign Affairs University
7. Yi Wushuang
Research Fellow, Maritime Research Center, Grandview Institution
ASEAN Delegation
1. Dr. Rommel Banlaoi (Philippines)
Chairman, Philippine Association for Chinese Studies
2. Dr. Julia Luong Dinh (Vietnam)
Senior Researcher, Institute for Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies, Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam
3. Tan Sri Mohamed Jawhar Hassan (Malaysia)
Former Chairman, Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia; former Chief Secretary, National Security Council, Prime Minister’s Office
4. Dato’ Abdul Majit bin Ahmad Khan (Malaysia)
Former Ambassador of Malaysia to the People’s Republic of China
5. Dr. Chiew-Ping Hoo (Malaysia)
Founder and Senior Fellow, Malaysia East Asian International Relations Association
6. Dr. Ngeow Chow Bing (Malaysia)
Director, Institute of China Studies, University of Malaya
Grandview Institution Founder Ren Libo, Eric Richardson, Director of the China–U.S. Program at PAX sapiens, and project consultant Zhang Yuqi and Zeng Ziyi also took part in the Forum.