Talk: The US, China and the changing geopolitics

With the US and China now in an era of almost perpetual contention, and President’s Trump and Xi seeking the optimal deal for their respective countries, this discussion between former Foreign Secretary of Britain, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, and Professor Kerry Brown, Director of the Lau China Institute, looks at the broader new geopolitics we now see emerging, and how the history of the last forty years might give some clues to what we can expect to unfold in the next decade or so. China’s ambitions will be key to this, and the kind of role it wants, with the status of Taiwan sitting at the heart of this. Will the US deal with this challenge through confrontation, negotiation, or another option? And what will China do as it seeks to solidify its global and regional status?

Join us for an engaging discussion on the US, China and Taiwan with special guest Sir Malcolm Rifkind in conversation with Kerry Brown, Professor of Chinese Studies, King’s College London as part of the Lau China Institute’s China Week 2025.

This is an in-person event. Registration is required. Those without tickets will not be admitted.

NB This is a free event, which means we overbook to allow for no-shows and avoid empty seats. While we generally do not have to turn people away, this does mean we cannot guarantee all ticket holders a place. Admission is on a first come, first served basis. Those without tickets will not be admitted.

About the speakers

Sir Malcolm Rifkind is a Visiting Professor at King’s College London and a Senior Associate Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute. Sir Malcolm was one of only five ministers to serve for 18 years, throughout the whole Prime Ministerships of both Margaret Thatcher and John Major. In 1997, he was knighted in recognition of his public service. Sir Malcolm was re-elected as a Member of Parliament in May 2005 for Kensington and Chelsea. He was elected as Member of Parliament for Kensington in May 2010 and remained in Parliament until 2015. He served as UK representative on the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group 2010-2011 and as Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, which provides oversight of the UK’s intelligence agencies, MI6,MI5 and GCHQ, from 2010 until 2015. He is currently a member of the OSCE’s Eminent Persons Group, which has reported on relations between Russia and the West. He also serves on the Board of the Nuclear Threat Initiative in Washington DC.

Kerry Brown is Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Lau China Institute at King’s College, London. He is an Associate of the Asia Pacific Programme at Chatham House, London, an adjunct of the Australia New Zealand School of Government in Melbourne, and the co-editor of the Journal of Current Chinese Affairs, run from the German Institute for Global Affairs in Hamburg. He is the author of almost 20 books on modern Chinese politics, and has written for every major international news outlet, and been interviewed by every major news channel on issues relating to contemporary China.

Please contact lauchina@kcl.ac.uk if you have any questions or specific participatory requirements.