Think Tank Dialogue

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China - June 12, 2024

Pictured above: participating experts and audience members stand in front of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences at the 2024 U.S.-China Agriculture Roundtable Think Tank Dialogue in Beijing.

On June 12th, the 2024 Think Tank Dialogue was held in Beijing at the esteemed Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), as part of the 4th Annual U.S.-China Agriculture Roundtable. An assemblage of 30 experts addressed an audience of over 100 agricultural scientists and practitioners to discuss opportunities for the U.S. and China to work together as we jointly face the immense challenges of climate change, food security, and agricultural development.

Pictured above: Susan Thornton, Vice-Chair of USHCA provides opening remarks at the 2024 U.S.-China Agriculture Roundtable Think Tank Dialogue in Beijing.

Representatives of the host organizations–including Zhang Yuyan, Academician of CASS, Director of Institute of World Economics and Politics, CASS, Kenneth M. Quinn, USHCA Strategic Advisor, World Food Prize Foundation President Emeritus, former U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia, and Susan Thornton, USHCA Vice Chair–provided opening remarks, underscoring the pivotal role of the U.S.-China cooperation in stabilizing the global food supply chain amid rising geopolitical tensions and environmental challenges.

Pictured above: Michael Doane, Global Managing Director, Food & Freshwater Systems at The Nature Conservancy gives a keynotes address at the 2024 U.S.-China Agriculture Roundtable Think Tank Dialogue in Beijing.

These experts deliberated on five crucial topics:

  • Opportunities for U.S.-China agricultural cooperation to help Africa
  • Agricultural and rural development in China and the U.S.
  • U.S.-China agricultural economic trade and cooperation
  • Climate-smart agriculture and sustainable agriculture
  • Global food security situation and governance
Pictured above: members of the Agriculture Education Delegation and Ag & Food Business Delegation and researchers at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences attend the 2024 U.S.-China Agriculture Roundtable Think Tank Dialogue in Beijing.

This full-day session was brimming with influential thought leaders and leading experts from both countries. The symposium was packed with stirring and data rich presentations; it was made clear by the enthusiasm of each of the panelists that there was a strong desire between Chinese and American researchers to engage in more regular in-depth analysis with their counterparts on such critical issues as those addressed at this conference. The consensus of the participating experts and practitioners was that the governments of the two countries, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations will need to strengthen research collaboration and jointly promote sustainable agricultural practices across the planet. 


This year’s Think Tank Dialogue was a resounding success and a pivotal part of the 4th Annual U.S.-China Agriculture Roundtable, serving as a platform for experts to present their latest research, generate ideas, and devise a path forward. We extend our sincere gratitude to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, as well as the many participants who shared their invaluable insights and experiences. Together, we have strengthened our resolve to collectively tackle the pressing challenges of climate change, food security, and agricultural development.

Full list of presenters below:

Opening Remarks

Host: Wang Lei, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

  1. Zhang Yuyan, Academician of CASS, Director of Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
  2. Kenneth M. Quinn, Strategic Advisor, United States Heartland China Association, World Food Prize Foundation President Emeritus, former U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia
  3. Susan Thornton, Vice Chair, United States Heartland China Association, Senior Fellow and Research Scholar, Yale University Law School, Former Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
  4. Stan Born, Past Chair of USSEC and current Chair of the American Soybean Association’s Trade Policy & International Affairs Advocacy Team
  5. Wu Haizhong, deputy director and researcher of the International Cooperation Bureau of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Keynote Speeches

Moderator: Wang Lei, Deputy Director of Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

  1. Wei Houkai, Senior Fellow, Director of Rural Development Institute, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
  2. Zhang Hongyu, Former Director of Department of Industrial Policies and Laws & Department of Rural Economic System and Operation Management, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, President of China Agricultural Risk Management Association
  3. Michael Doane, Global Managing Director, Food & Freshwater Systems at The Nature Conservancy
  4. Li Chengwei, Professor, President of Henan Agricultural University

Panel Discussion (1): China-U.S. Third-Party Agricultural Cooperation in Africa

Moderator: Zheng Fengtian, Professor, Director of Rural Development Institute, Renmin University of China

  1. Dr. Vera Songwe (virtual), Chair and Founder of the Liquidity and Sustainability Facility, Senior Adviser, Bank of International Settlements (Basel) and Non-Resident Senior Fellow Brookings Institution.
  2. Yu Jia, Senior Fellow at Beijing University Institute of New Structural Economics, Director of International Development Cooperation Division
  3. Tang Lixia, Professor at College of International Development and Global Agriculture/National Institute for Rural Revitalization Studies, China Agricultural University
  4. Yike Fu, Policy Analyst and Program Manager at Development Reimagined
  5. Wang Miao, General Manager of Zhongdi Overseas Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., Vice President of China Agricultural International Exchange Association, Director of China-Africa Green Agriculture Development Research Center

Discussant: Zhang Chunyu, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of West-Asian and African Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Panel Discussion (2): Agricultural and Rural Development in China and the U.S.

Moderator:  Li Chengwei, Professor, President of Henan Agricultural University

  1. Dr. Karen Mancl, Professor in the Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering at The Ohio State University
  2. Hu Bingchuan, Senior Fellow, Rural Development Institute, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
  3. Dr. Han Zheng, Representative and China Program Director at Landsea
  4. Dr. KuoRay Mao, Associate Professor of Sociology at Colorado State University

Discussant: Dr. Lou Swanson, Professor of Sociology Emeritus, Vice President of Engagement Emeritus, Colorado State University

Panel Discussion (3): China-U.S. Agricultural Economic and Trade Cooperation

Moderator: Min Fan, Executive Director of U.S. Heartland China Association

  1. Sun Zhongye, Dean and Professor, School of Economics, Henan University of Technology
  2. Li Chunding, Professor, College of Economics and Management, China Agricultural University
  3. Dr. Wendong Zhang, Assistant Professor, Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University
  4. Even R. Pay, Director and Head of Agricultural Practice, Trivium China

Discussant: Wei Wei, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Panel Discussion (4): Climate-Smart Agriculture and Sustainable Agriculture

Moderator: Jennifer Turner, Director of the China Environment Forum, Wilson Center

  1. Zheng Fengtian, Professor, Director of Rural Development Institute, Renmin University of China
  2. Britt Groosman (virtual), Vice President of Climate Smart Agriculture at the Environmental Defense Fund
  3. Hu Zhiquan, Chief Researcher of the Agricultural and Rural Modernization Theory and Policy Innovation Team, Institute of Agricultural Economics, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
  4. Kang Chunpeng, Senior Research Fellow

Discussant: Dr. Karen Mancl, Professor in the Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering at The Ohio State University

Panel Discussion (5): Global Food Security Situation and Governance

Moderator: Ren Lin, Senior Fellow,Head of Global Governance Research Division, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

  1. Dr. Rattan Lal (Virtual), Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science and Director of the CFAES Rattan Lal Center for Carbon Management and Sequestration, The Ohio State University
  2. Han Yang, Director and Researcher of the Rural Economy Research Department of the Development Research Center of the State Council
  3. Chen Yangfen, Researcher at Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Division Director of Major Projects Bureau
  4. Wang Yongzhong, Senior Fellow,Head of International Commodity Research Division, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Discussant: Liu Changquan, Senior Fellow, Head of Industrial Economy Research Division, Rural Development Institute, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Closing Ceremony

Min Fan, Executive Director, U.S. Heartland China Association

Wang Lei, Deputy Director, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

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