USIP President Jim Marshall recently led a U.S. delegation to two Track 1.5 dialogues in Beijing aimed at moving quickly beyond intractable official government statements and finding ways for de-escalating tensions in East Asia.

20130711-5thPCACGroupPhoto-NF.jpg
Front row, left to right: ADM Gary Roughead (USN, ret.), CICIR President Ji Zhiye, USIP President Jim Marshall, Dr. Wu Xinbo, RADM Yang Yi (PLA Navy, ret.)

The U.S. delegation led by Marshall in late June included: Stephen Hadley, USIP senior advisor for international affairs and former national security advisor; Admiral Gary Roughead, former chief of Naval Operations; John Park, USIP senior Asia advisor; and a group of Pentagon and State Department officials.

USIP’s formulation and practice of “Track 1.5” diplomacy involves policy exchanges among select current and former policymakers, military officers, and policy experts.  By comparison, “Track 1” diplomacy typically involves high-level government and military representatives involved in official negotiations.  “Track 2” dialogues involve only non-governmental representatives who meet to build relationships and formulate recommendations and ideas that can be considered during the official diplomatic process.

The first meeting in Beijing was the fifth U.S.-China Project on Crisis Avoidance and Cooperation (PCAC) Track 1.5 Dialogue, which included a Chinese delegation led by the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

The second meeting was the second U.S.-China-Japan Track 1.5 Dialogue on Risk Reduction and Crisis Prevention (R2CP) with an additional Japanese delegation led by the Institute for International Policy Studies.

By convening recurring Track 1.5 dialogues, USIP fosters a deeper understanding of policy perspectives, generates policy proposals, and facilitates policy impact by helping to operationalize these proposals. You can learn more about USIP’s Track 1.5 work here.  


Related Publications

Dean Cheng on China’s Expanding Space Capabilities

Dean Cheng on China’s Expanding Space Capabilities

Monday, July 1, 2024

China’s successful trip to the far side of the moon — the first nation to accomplish the feat — is not only “great advertising” for potential technology partnerships, it’s “part of the larger Chinese space effort” that seeks to expand China’s own dual-use capabilities in space, says USIP’s Dean Cheng.

Type: Podcast

China in Peru: The Unspoken Costs of an Unequal Relationship

China in Peru: The Unspoken Costs of an Unequal Relationship

Monday, July 1, 2024

China’s political and economic influence in Latin America has increased dramatically since the turn of the century. This is especially true in resource-rich countries like Peru, where China has channeled billions of dollars of investment into the oil and mining sectors. This report takes a critical look at the narrative that closer engagement with China is the key to Peru’s future economic development and prosperity, and suggests ways that US agencies, corporations, and NGOs can support Peruvians’ efforts to create a more equitable balance in their country’s relationship with China.

Type: Special Report

Global Policy

US-China Rivalry in Asia and Africa: Lessons from the Cold War

US-China Rivalry in Asia and Africa: Lessons from the Cold War

Monday, June 24, 2024

One of the hallmarks of the Cold War era was a competition between the United States and its democratic allies, on the one hand, and Communist powers, on the other, for the allegiance of countries in Africa and Asia. In an echo of the Cold War, a similar competition between the United States and China is playing out today. This report examines the US-China rivalry then and now and offers insights and lessons that can guide US policymakers as they navigate the contemporary competition.

Type: Special Report

Global Policy

In Pyongyang, Putin and Kim Tighten Ties, Pledge Mutual Defense

In Pyongyang, Putin and Kim Tighten Ties, Pledge Mutual Defense

Thursday, June 20, 2024

As President Vladimir Putin’s illegal war on Ukraine grinds on, the Russian leader needs friends and supporters wherever he can get them. To that end, Putin traveled this week to North Korea for the first time in nearly 25 years, looking to deepen cooperation with the rogue regime and, chiefly, to get more ammunition for his war on Ukraine. Putin and Kim Jong Un inked what the North Korean leader called “the most powerful treaty” ever between the two countries. While strengthened ties between two of Washington’s most enduring adversaries are of unquestioned concern for the U.S., Beijing is also wary of the implications.

Type: Question and Answer

Global Policy

View All Publications