As we refreshed the YCW website through the latter half of 2024, a lot of the events we hosted in New York City didn’t quite make it on here. Below is a list of activities held with the vibrant China watching community here.

September Webinar
How to have a China Career | 9.12.2024

Recent graduates interested in building a career centered on China gained valuable insights during a dynamic panel discussion exploring the challenges and opportunities of navigating professional paths amidst evolving US-China relations. Attendees learned about current trends, received tailored career advice, and heard directly from expert panelists with deep experience in international business and cultural exchange.

Featured Speakers:

• Jeremy Goldkorn is an editor and writer whose work has focused on China, and he is an Editorial Fellow with ChinaFile. He co-founded the Sinica Podcast in 2010, and was Editor-in-Chief of The China Project from 2016 to 2023. Goldkorn moved from his hometown of Johannesburg, South Africa to China in 1995 and became Managing Editor of Beijing’s first independent English-language entertainment magazine. He later edited and founded several other publications, including the website Danwei, which tracked Chinese media, markets, politics, and business, and was acquired in 2013 by The Financial Times.
• Chenni Xu has 14 years of experience crafting and promoting cross-border stories for global, purpose-driven organizations. She has held significant roles, including Head of Corporate Communications in the Americas for Ant Financial and Senior Director of Communications for Ripple, and now is an independent communications consultant. Additionally, she serves as a Board Member for NuVoices, supporting the creative work of self-identified women focusing on China.
• Savannah Billman is a Senior Digital Communications Associate at the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, and founder of the Career China Newsletter. She graduated in 2021 with a MA in China Studies from the Yenching Academy of Peking University, and from NYU Shanghai in 2019 with a BA in Global China Studies and Chinese language. Additionally, Savannah has covered Chinese culture, society, and policy for media outlets such as The World of Chinese, TechNode, and Sixth Tone. Her passion is to promote greater understanding of China and deeper connections between young people in China and the United States.
• Moderator: Elaine Chow, Head of YCW New York

October Policy Picnic
The Case Against the China Consensus | 10.13.2024

Members joined YCW NY for a “policy podcast picnic” on Sunday, October 13 at the Pier 45 riverside park to chat about the future of US-China economic relations with other wonky minded folk amidst sunshine and snacks. We discussed points and questions raised by the Sinica podcast episode “The Case Against the China Consensus” with Jessica Chen Weiss, Professor of China Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. 

After serving 10 years at the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, Elizabeth moved to China in 1998 to be the American Co-Director of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies. She later spent 11 years in the private sector as President of Pearson Education China, Chief Representative of the Pearson Group, and then Managing Director of Kamsky Associates. She is a member of the Board of Directors of both the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and the American Mandarin Society, and serves also as a Senior Advisor to China Focus at The Carter Center.

We were excited to talk to her after the election to give us her views on the history of China engagement, and what the upcoming administration might have… or ought to have… in store for future U.S.-China diplomatic efforts. You can read our writeup of the talk on LinkedIN.