The Honorable William J. Perry will deliver the 2017 Barnett-Oksenberg Lecture on Sino-American Relations in Shanghai on Tuesday, March 21 at the Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai. Now in its eleventh year, this annual lecture affords the opportunity for a frank and forthright discussion of current and potential issues between the two countries; it is the first and only ongoing lecture series on U.S.-China relations that takes place on the Mainland. The most recent lecture (which took place in 2015) had an audience of approximately 325.

William Perry is the Michael and Barbara Berberian Professor (emeritus) at Stanford University. He is a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute and the Hoover Institution, and serves as director of the Preventive Defense Project. He is an expert in U.S. foreign policy, national security and arms control. He was the co-director of CISAC from 1988 to 1993.

Perry was the 19th secretary of defense for the United States, serving from February 1994 to January 1997. He previously served as deputy secretary of defense (1993-1994) and as under secretary of defense for research and engineering (1977-1981). He is on the board of directors of Covant and several emerging high-tech companies.

The lecture is named in honor of the late A. Doak Barnett and the late Michel Oksenberg, both American scholars and policymakers of distinction whose writing and actions had a direct impact on the bilateral relationship dating back to the 1960s. The two were also leaders of the National Committee and devoted much time and effort to the work of the organization. Doak was one of the founding members and second chairman of the Committee and both gentlemen served on our board for decades.