Why the United States Needs China Expertise
From The US-China Podcast by National Committee on U.S.-China Relations
February 6, 2026 · 13 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the decline in American students studying in China and the implications for U.S. foreign policy due to a lack of China expertise.
Fourteen years ago, nearly 15,000 Americans were studying abroad in China – but now the number is less than 2,000 . Fewer economic opportunities for Americans in China and changing U.S. perceptions of China are partially to blame for this decline, but the need for China expertise, particularly to craft effective foreign policy, is growing as China continues to rise . However, the U.S. government has shuttered or slowed some of the paths people used to take to study China, such as the Fulbright and Peace Corp program . Why does the United States need China expertise and what does its loss mean for U.S. foreign policy? Rory Truex joined us in December 2025 to discuss the high barriers to studying China and the consequences a lack of China expertise could have for the future of U.S. foreign policy. Watch the video and learn more about the speaker here
People in this episode
Guest: Rory Truex
Topics covered
- China expertise
- U.S. foreign policy
- study abroad
- economic opportunities
- education
Keywords
- China
- U.S. foreign policy
- study abroad
- Rory Truex
- Fulbright
- Peace Corp
- China expertise
- economic opportunities
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Fulbright, Peace Corp
Places: United States, China
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