Sustaining diplomacy amid competition in US-China relations

Nicholas Burns, former U.S. ambassador to China, spoke at an MIT Energy Initiative event about the state of U.S.-China relations, describing them as competitive, tough, and adversarial across military, technology, trade, and values. He highlighted climate change and clean energy as potential areas for cooperation, while noting China's dominance in rare earth elements and clean energy production. Burns also drew attention to the stark disparity in STEM education between the two countries — 36% of Chinese university students major in STEM versus 5% in the U.S. — and emphasized the importance of sustained diplomacy to manage competition and avoid conflict.