Should the U.S. Decouple from China? Open to Debate and CFR Live Debate April 21 in NYC

For decades, China has been a central node in global supply chains and a primary trade partner for the U.S. However, with retaliatory tariffs and the rise of China’s geopolitical and technological influence, concerns have emerged that economic interdependence may be empowering a regime increasingly hostile to U.S. interests On Monday, April 21, nonpartisan debate series Open to Debate in partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is taping a live debate in New York City on the question “Should the U.S. Decouple from China?”

Arguing “YES” are Derek Scissors, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he focuses on the Chinese and Indian economies and on U.S. economic relations with Asia, and Isaac Stone Fish, the CEO and founder of Strategy Risks, a business intelligence firm which quantifies corporate exposure to China and helps companies and entities manage and reduce their China risk,

Arguing “NO” are Susan Shirk, a research professor at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy and director emeritus of its 21st Century China Center, and Dr. Benn Steil, senior fellow and director of international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations.

The debate will tape in front of an invite-only audience on Monday, April 21 at the Council on Foreign Relations’ office in New York City. Media are invited to attend and can email raypadgett@shorefire.com for access.

DEBATER BIOS – ARGUING YES

* Derek Scissors: Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute 
Derek Scissors is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he focuses on the Chinese and Indian economies and on U.S. economic relations with Asia. He is concurrently the chief economist of the China Beige Book. Dr. Scissors is the author of the China Global Investment Tracker. Since 2008, in a series of papers, he has been chronicling the end of pro-market reforms in China and the resulting slide toward economic stagnation. He has also written multiple papers on the best course for Indian economic development. Before joining AEI, he was a senior research fellow in the Asian Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation and an adjunct professor of economics at George Washington University. He has worked for London-based Intelligence Research Ltd., taught economics at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, and served as an action officer in international economics and energy for the U.S. Department of Defense. He also served as a commissioner on the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Dr. Scissors has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, a master’s degree from the University of Chicago, and a doctorate from Stanford University.

Isaac Stone Fish: CEO and Founder of Strategy Risks 
Isaac Stone Fish is the CEO and founder of Strategy Risks, a business intelligence firm which quantifies corporate exposure to China, and helps companies and entities manage and reduce their China risk. He is the author of “America Second,” a book about Beijing's influence in the United States. He is also a visiting fellow at the Atlantic Council, an adjunct at New York University, and the author of a column on China risk for Barron's. Formerly a Beijing correspondent for Newsweek, Stone Fish spent seven years living in China. He has traveled widely in the region and in the country, visiting every Chinese province, autonomous region, and municipality. He was previously Asia Editor at Foreign Policy Magazine, senior fellow at the Asia Society's Center on U.S.-China Relations, an on-air contributor to CBS, a contributing columnist to the Washington Post, and an international affairs analyst on PRI's “The World.” He is also a Truman National Security Project fellow, an alumni of the World Economic Forum Global Shaper's program, and a term member at the Council on Foreign Relations. Stone Fish is a graduate of Columbia University, where he studied Chinese literature.

DEBATER BIOS – ARGUING NO

* Susan Shirk: Research Professor and Director Emeritus of the 21st Century China Center at UC San Diego School of Global Policy 
Susan Shirk is a research professor at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy and director emeritus of its 21st Century China Center. She is considered one of the most influential experts working on U.S.-China relations and Chinese politics. She is also director emeritus of the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation. Shirk first visited China in 1971 and has been teaching, researching and engaging China diplomatically ever since. Shirk previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs, with responsibility for China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Mongolia. She is the author of "Overreach: How China Derailed Its Peaceful Rise" and "China: Fragile Superpower" and her other publications include "The Political Logic of Economic Reform in China" and "How China Opened its Door." Her articles have appeared in leading academic publications in the fields of political science, international relations and China studies. Shirk co-chairs a task force of China experts that issued its second report “Course Correction: Toward an Effective and Sustainable China Policy,” in February 2019. She is also co-chair of the UC San Diego Forum on U.S.-China Relations, the first ongoing high-level forum focused entirely on the U.S.-China relationship.

* Benn Steil: Senior Fellow and Director of International Economics at Council on Foreign Relations 
Dr. Benn Steil is senior fellow and director of international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations, where he is also the lead writer of their Geo-Graphics blog and the creator of eight web-based interactives tracking Global Monetary Policy, Global Imbalances, Global Trade, Global Growth, and more. He also writes a monthly column for Barron’s. He has written and spoken widely on international finance, monetary policy, financial markets, and economic and diplomatic history. He is the author of five books. His most recent, “The World That Wasn’t: Henry Wallace and the Fate of the American Century,” was named in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Financial Times' “best books of 2024” lists. “The Marshall Plan: Dawn of the Cold War” won multiple awards, including the New York Historical Society’s Barbara and David Zalaznick Prize for best work on American history and the American Academy of Diplomacy’s Douglas Dillon Prize. He has testified before the U.S. House, Senate, and CFTC. Prior to joining the Council, he was the director of the International Economics Programme at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in the UK and a Lloyd’s of London Tercentenary Research Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford, where he received his MPhil and DPhil in economics.

ABOUT OPEN TO DEBATE
Open to Debate addresses a fundamental problem in America: the extreme polarization of our nation and our politics. We are the nation's only nonpartisan, debate-driven media organization dedicated to bringing multiple viewpoints together for a constructive, balanced, respectful exchange of ideas. Open to Debate is a platform for intellectually curious and open-minded people to engage with others holding opposing views on complex issues. We know debate works to find common ground: On average, 32% of the Open to Debate audience changes their mind on contentious topics after hearing a debate. That’s the power of debate done right, and at scale, it can change the direction we’re headed in America. Open to Debate is broadcast as a weekly public radio program, carried on NPR stations including WNYC (#1 in the nation). Open to Debate is made available as a podcast, video series, and digital platform, and records episodes with live audiences nationwide. Visit opentodebate.org to become a member, access an archive of more than 220 debates, and attend live events.

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ABOUT THE COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries. CFR takes no institutional positions on policy issues and has no affiliation with the U.S. government. All views expressed in its publications and on its website are the sole responsibility of the author or authors.

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For more information on Open to Debate, contact Ray Padgett (raypadgett@shorefire.com) or Mark Satlof (msatlof@shorefire.com) at Shore Fire Media.