Lessons for the future of the U.S.-China relationship
Please join the MIT Energy Initiative as we welcome Nicholas Burns, former U.S. Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China and now the Goodman Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Ambassador Nicholas Burns will speak on the evolving state of U.S.–China relations and its implications for the global order. Drawing on his experience as U.S. ambassador to China, Burns will offer insights into managing strategic competition while sustaining channels for diplomacy during a period of profound international change. The discussion will highlight the increasingly central role of energy—spanning energy security, clean energy innovation, and climate cooperation—as both a source of competition and a potential platform for engagement. Burns will also discuss opportunities and constraints for cooperation in other areas beyond energy, and offer his thoughts on how the United States and China can manage rivalry, strengthen diplomacy, and pursue a more stable and constructive path forward.
This event is for the MIT Community.
About the speaker
Nicholas Burns is the Goodman Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He is the founder and faculty chair of the Future of Diplomacy Project and a faculty affiliate at Harvard’s Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies. Burns worked in the United States government for over three decades, serving six presidents and nine secretaries of state. Most recently, he served as the U.S. Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China from 2021-2025, leading public servants from 48 U.S. government agencies at the U.S. mission to China in overseeing one of America’s most important bilateral relationships. Burns is vice chairman of the Cohen Group and co-chair of the Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum. He has received fifteen honorary degrees, the Presidential Distinguished Service Award, the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award, and other awards. He has a BA in history from Boston College and an MA in international relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.