China, Taiwan, and the U.S.:
Decisions Today That Will Shape the World of Tomorrow
May 4, 2026
University of California, Irvine
Humanities Gateway (HG) 1030
Sponsored by the Telos-Paul Piccone Institute and the UCI Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies
Event Description
The Chinese Communist Party has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since it took power in China in 1949, and China’s government has been rapidly developing its military capabilities to lay siege to or invade the island. At the same time, China, Taiwan, and the United States have developed economic relationships that would be threatened by any Chinese attempt to assert sovereignty over Taiwan. The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence recently revised its threat assessment to indicate that China would not invade Taiwan in 2027, as previously assumed, but there is still disagreement about China’s plans due to its continuing aggressive actions in the Taiwan Strait. The panelists for this event will discuss the following two questions: What is the nature of the regime in China and the threat to Taiwan? What should the United States do to face this threat?
Speakers
Russell A. Berman, President, Telos-Paul Piccone Institute; Walter A. Haas Professor in the Humanities, Stanford University; Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution; Former Member, Policy Planning Staff and Commission on Unalienable Rights, U.S. State Department
Gordon Chang, author of The Coming Collapse of China and The Great U.S.-China Tech War
John Graham, Professor Emeritus of the UCI Merage School of Business, Founding Director of the UCI Long US-China Institute, and co-author with Michael Lam of China Now: Doing Business in the World’s Most Dynamic Marketplace.
Eric Hendriks, Director, Telos-Paul Piccone Institute China Initiative; Visiting Fellow, Danube Institute
David Pan, Professor of European Studies, UC Irvine; Editor, Telos; Former Member, Commission on Unalienable Rights, U.S. State Department
Miles Yu, Professor of Military History and Modern China, U.S. Naval Academy; Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute; Former Principal China Policy Advisor, Policy Planning Staff, U.S. State Department
Schedule and Registration
NOTE: If you plan to attend both the panel discussions and the dinner reception, please be sure to register for both.
Panel Discussions
Time: 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm (doors open at 2:30 pm)
Location: UC Irvine, Humanities Gateway (HG) 1030. Parking is available in the Mesa Parking Structure ($16).
This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Reception and Dinner with the Panelists
Time: 6:30 pm
Location: Hotel Zessa, 201 E. MacArthur Blvd., Santa Ana, CA 92707
Registration rates:
- Regular registration: $200
- Benefactor: $500
- Table (8): $1,400
- Co-host: $5,000
Registration deadline: April 25
The amount of the registration above $100 per plate includes a tax-deductible donation to the Telos-Paul Piccone Institute.
This event is sponsored by the Telos-Paul Piccone Institute and the UC Irvine Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies.
