Reflections on the Latest Shifts in the U.S.-China Relationship: A Perspective from Shanghai

A Talk with Scott C. Walker, Former U.S. Consul General in Shanghai
Moderator, Mark Lambert, China Program Fellow

Few Americans have observed the U.S.-China relationship as closely as Scott Walker. He was the U.S. government's spokesperson in Beijing from 2018 to 2021, and he served as U.S. Consul General in Shanghai, China's commercial capital, from 2023 to 2026. How has the relationship changed in recent years, and what is driving the latest shifts? How do these changes look from Shanghai compared with Beijing? And what might come next for Washington and Beijing?

Join the China Program at Stanford APARC for a conversation with Mr. Walker, part of our ongoing series "Navigating U.S.-China Commercial & Diplomatic Realities." Mr. Walker recently concluded a 24-year career in the Foreign Service. He will reflect on his years in China and share his view of where U.S.-China relations stand today and where they may be heading.

Speaker: Scott C. Walker was a U.S. Foreign Service Officer from 2002 to 2026, most recently serving as U.S. Consul General in Shanghai from 2023 to 2026. Previously, he was Director of the Office of Korean and Mongolian Affairs (2021–2023) and spokesperson at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing (2018–2021). Over the course of his Foreign Service career, Walker held a range of diplomatic and public affairs positions in the United States and abroad, including assignments in Seoul, Shanghai, and Toronto, as well as multiple roles in the Office of Korean Affairs in Washington. He also served as a Pearson Fellow on Capitol Hill. A native of Fresno, California, Walker holds a BA from UC Santa Cruz and an MA from San Francisco State University.