Three cities. One conversation.

Theme · China Town Hall — The First 100 Days: President Trump's China Policy

The inaugural session of our Global Intelligence (GQ) Summit — a milestone in BCEA's mission to empower youth with the tools to become thoughtful citizen diplomats in an increasingly divided world. In partnership with the National Committee on U.S.–China Relations (NCUSCR), BCEA helped implement this year's China Town Hall in Los Angeles, pairing a national webcast with a local panel that brought students, faculty, and community members around one table for genuine, cross-sector dialogue.

National Webcast · The First 100 Days

Moderated by Steve Orlins (National Committee on U.S.–China Relations) with Ryan Hass (Brookings), Matthew Turpin (Hoover), and Lingling Wei (The Wall Street Journal).

Local Panel · Voices Around One Table

BCEA convened Joshua Shen, Prof. David Craig, Clarinda Blais, Prof. Aimei Yang, and Ziqi Luo for a cross-sector conversation on U.S.–China relations — pairing expert-led insights on policy and global risk with candid student reflections on identity and belonging.

A Beginning, Not an Ending

By convening students, faculty, and community members around one table, we transformed a campus event into a space for honest dialogue — and the start of a new community committed to understanding across difference.

Theme · Science Diplomacy and Public Diplomacy in a Fragmented World

In a world of increasing political fragmentation — how do science, knowledge exchange, and people-to-people diplomacy keep cooperation alive when formal channels fail? A grounded, honest look at how science diplomacy and public diplomacy actually work in practice.

Why This Moment

Political tension and institutional mistrust are reshaping how scientists, universities, and cultural institutions operate — yet climate, public health, energy, and food security cannot be solved without sustained cross-border collaboration.

Europe–China Academic Ties

Prof. Stéphanie Balme on how academic and scientific exchange sustains diplomatic ties under political strain.

Listening as Diplomacy

Prof. Nick Cull on exchange diplomacy and narrative-based engagement — and why listening is the most underrated tool in the diplomatic toolkit.

Oceans & Contested Waters

Dr. Vu Hai Dang on marine scientific research and hydrographic data as practical tools of science diplomacy in the South China Sea.

Infrastructure of Science Diplomacy

Dr. Kimberly Montgomery (AAAS · Science & Diplomacy) on how partnerships are built, sustained, and protected under political pressure — drawing on the IAEA, IIASA, NTI, and the U.S. House Science Committee.