Tensions between the U.S. and China are escalating with relations between the dueling world powers sinking to the lowest in decades. Are the two largest economies slipping into a new Cold War? What are the causes and the future of the most important bilateral relationship in the world? These are the crucially important questions that this conversation will address.

Sam Zhao is a professor of Chinese politics and foreign policy and the director of the Center for China-U.S. Cooperation at the Korbel School. He is an expert on U.S.-China relations, Asia-Pacific regional security, Chinese foreign policy, Chinese politics, Chinese nationalism, East Asian international relations and Asian regionalism. He is the founding editor of the Journal of Contemporary China and the author and editor of more than a dozen of books, including "A Nation-State by Construction: Dynamics of Modern Chinese Nationalism" (Stanford, 2004). His most recent books (ed.) are "China’s Global Reach: The Belt and Road Initiative" (BRI) and "Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Volume II" (Routledge, 2020).