A recent visit by Princeton School of Public and International Affairs graduate students to Washington illustrates one of the SPIA DC Center’s primary assets – its capacity to bring classroom instruction to life by linking students with senior policymakers to discuss the day’s most pressing issues.

As part of Center Director Zach Vertin’s class “Managing Competition: U.S.-China Relations” twenty-five students participated in a full day of conversations with former government officials, top think tank experts, and Chinese diplomats in Washington.

“The change of U.S. administrations means strategists in both Beijing and Washington are right now re-calibrating the relationship,” said Vertin. “It’s an especially formative moment for students to consider both cooperation and competition in every domain—from economics to technology to global health.”

The day included discussions with General Mark Milley, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a Charles and Marie Robertson Visiting Professor and Visiting Lecturer at the School; Rush Doshi, a senior fellow and director of the China Strategy Initiative at the Council on Foreign Relations; Zack Cooper, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute; and Mirna Galic, a senior expert at the U.S. Institute of Peace. The group also visited the Chinese Embassy for a wide-ranging roundtable discussion with China’s deputy ambassador to the United States, Minister Jing Quan, and fellow Chinese diplomats working on economics, science and technology, political affairs, and communications.

Students expressed gratitude and enthusiasm for the opportunity.

“The series of meetings we had at SPIA in DC were an incredible complement to what I’ve been learning in the classroom in Princeton,” said MPA2 student Lauren D. Piper. “Most importantly, they offered a firsthand look at how academic theories I have studied throughout my time at Princeton, like balance of power, deterrence, and perception, play out in real-world policymaking. Engaging with experts on U.S. grand strategy and visiting the Chinese embassy also provided tangible examples of how these concepts shape diplomatic interactions and strategic decision-making.”

MPA1 student Patrick McCabe found the meetings “very valuable,” in part because of the wide-ranging viewpoints of those whom he met. “The speakers had an incredible amount of insight into the policymaking process and came with a wider diversity of perspectives than I was expecting,” he said.

“Managing Competition: U.S.-China Relations” draws on both policy choices from recent history and contemporary headlines. The policy-oriented graduate course considers foundational questions about the character and trajectory of the bilateral relationship.

“Whether our students intend to work directly U.S.-China relations or not,” Vertin said, “the relationship will shape foreign policy — and international order — for a generation to come, and our goal is to help these emerging policymakers develop their own assessment about how best to navigate the relationship.”