China and the World: How Citizens View Their Country's Global Future
Join us as we discuss the results of the first-ever survey of Chinese public opinion on foreign policy and what these findings mean for US-China relations and China's role in the world.
Sep
3
Aaron Favila / AP
About This Event
What do ordinary Chinese citizens think about their country's role in the world? For the first time, the Chicago Council, in partnership with the Carter Center and with support from the Dr. Scholl Foundation, has conducted a comprehensive public opinion survey across mainland China to better understand Chinese public sentiment on foreign policy. What role do Chinese citizens see for China in the world? How do they view the US, trade relationships, and international cooperation? Join Paul Heer, Yawei Liu, and Dina Smeltz for a conversation moderated by Leslie Vinjamuri as they discuss the survey's findings and their implications for understanding one of the world's most significant bilateral relationships.
About the Speakers
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Lester Crown Center on US Foreign Policy
Prior to joining the Council as a nonresident fellow, Paul Heer served for 30 years as a specialist on East Asian affairs in the US intelligence community. He served on the staff of the president's daily brief and as a member of the senior analytic service at the CIA before becoming the national intelligence officer for East Asia, a position he held from 2007 to 2015.
Senior Advisor, China Focus, Carter Center
Dr. Yawei Liu is the senior advisor on China at The Carter Center and adjunct professor of political science at Emory University. An expert on US-China relations and Chinese grassroots democracy, he currently directs the Carter Center’s China Focus and is the associate director of the China Research Center in Atlanta.
Vice President, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy
Dina Smeltz, a polling expert, has more than 25 years of experience designing and fielding international social and political surveys. Prior to joining the Council to lead its annual survey of American attitudes on US foreign policy, she served in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research at the US State Department's Office of Research from 1992 to 2008.
President & Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri joined the Council in 2025 as the president and chief executive officer, after previously serving as director of the US and the Americas program at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, known as Chatham House, in London. She brings more than 20 years of experience working at the intersection of international affairs, research, policy, and public engagement.