February 26, 2025, Washington, DC – The Truman Center is pleased to share our latest report, “Bridges or Battlegrounds? American Cities in a Changing US-China Relationship.” Written by Truman’s Visiting Senior Fellows Dr. Kyle A. Jaros and Dr. Sara A. Newland, this report examines how American cities are navigating relations with China amid shifting geopolitical dynamics.

Since 2018, many US cities that built links to China during an era of engagement have found themselves caught in the middle of US-China geopolitical rivalry. Subnational interactions with China have come under intense scrutiny amid anti-China sentiment and fears of malign foreign influence. These challenges for city-level relations with China raise questions about how much contact is continuing —and whether it is worth preserving.

This report examines recent trends in and future prospects for city-level US-China relations, drawing upon a year of interview research that focused on four very different US cities: Los Angeles, California; Des Moines, Iowa; Jacksonville, Florida; and Hartford, Connecticut. The report also offers key recommendations for city, state, and federal policymakers aiming to address China-related threats while also preserving what they see as valuable forms of contact and cooperation with Chinese counterparts.

📖 Read the full report here

🎥 You can also find here a video of a public event hosted in partnership with Brookings China where the authors discuss their findings.