To honor the 45th anniversary of normalization of diplomatic ties, the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) co-organized a special gathering of academic leaders in Washington, D.C. CUSEF President James Chau moderated the discussion, featuring distinguished speakers from the U.S., China, and the United Nations. The event took place on January 29, 2024, and was co-hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and the Shanghai Institute for International Studies (SIIS).

It follows CUSEF's participation in the Jimmy Carter Forum in Atlanta, where Mr. Chau moderated a discussion on climate and health with Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, former Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and American political scientist Deborah Seligsohn. The academic symposium in Washington, D.C. comes 45 years after U.S. President Jimmy Carter and China's Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping normalized relations between their countries, creating an historic alliance that would build peace and prosperity for humankind.