During the presidency of Ma Ying-jeou, political, economic, and social exchanges across the Taiwan Strait have reached new levels. As Ma approaches the end of his term and presidential candidates launch their campaigns for the January 2016 elections, Taipei and Beijing face both opportunities and challenges in enhancing and consolidating cross-strait relations.

On July 13, the Center for East Asia Policy Studies and John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings, the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Taiwan-based Association of Foreign Relations will co-host a public conference to identify and analyze key opportunities and challenges in cross-strait relations under changing domestic, regional, and global conditions. Leading experts from Taiwan, the United States, and mainland China will review recent events in cross-strait relations and analyze prospects for further development. Panelists will discuss Taipei-Washington-Beijing relations, and will examine current political and economic development conditions in mainland China and how they impact mainland China’s approach to Taiwan. Andrew Hsia, minister of the Mainland Affairs Council, will make an opening keynote address.

Lunch will be provided to conference guests. After each session, the participants will take audience questions.

9:30 AM -- Welcome

Moderator: Richard Bush, Chen-Fu and Cecilia Yen Koo Chair in Taiwan Studies, Senior Fellow and Director, Center for East Asia Policy Studies, The Brookings Institution

9:35 AM -- Keynote address

Andrew L.Y. Hsia, Minister, Mainland Affairs Council, Executive Yuan

10:30 AM -- Panel 1: Opportunities and challenges in cross-strait relations

Moderator: Richard Bush, Chen-Fu and Cecilia Yen Koo Chair in Taiwan Studies, Senior Fellow and Director, Center for East Asia Policy Studies, The Brookings Institution
Guo Baogang, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for International Education, Dalton State University
Alexander C. Huang, Assistant Professor, Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, Tamkang University
Alan Romberg, Distinguished Fellow and Director, East Asia Program,  The Stimson Center
Samuel S. G. Wu, Professor of Public Administration and Policy National Taipei University

12:00 PM -- Lunch

Raymond Burghardt, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, American Institute in Taiwan

1:15 PM -- Panel 2: Opportunities and challenges of political and economic developments in mainland China

Moderator: Cheng Li, Senior Fellow and Director, John L. Thornton China Center, The Brookings Institution 
Scott Kennedy, Deputy Director, Freeman Chair in China Studies, Director, Project on Chinese Business and Political Economy, CSIS
Leng Tse-Kang, Professor of Political Science, National Chengchi University; Research Fellow, Institute of Political Science, Academia Sinica
Hans H. Tung, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, National Taiwan University
Zeng Jin, Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations, Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs, Florida International University

3:00 PM -- Panel 3: Opportunities and challenges for the new context in U.S.-Taiwan-mainland China relations

Moderator: Bonnie Glaser, Senior Adviser for Asia, Director, Project on Chinese Power, CSIS
Huang Kwei-Bo, Secretary-General, Association of Foreign Relations; Associate Professor, Department of Diplomacy, National Chengchi University
Steven Goldstein, Sophia Smith Professor of Government, Smith College
Wang Yuan-kang, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology Western Michigan University
Zhao Suisheng, Director, Center for China-U.S. Cooperation; Professor, Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver