Jan Berris's guest appearances

Jan Berris

NCUSCR Events

NCUSCR Interviews

Sinica Podcast

Ryan Hass

Carl Minzner

Jing Tsu

Howard French

Barbara Finamore

Ian Johnson

John Pomfret

Margaret Lewis

Rory Truex

Stephen Roach

Gary Liu

Cheng Li

Arthur Kroeber

Jude Blanchette

Mei Fong

OwlTail

On April 12, 1972, the Chinese national ping pong team arrived in Detroit, the first unofficial visitors from the People’s Republic of China to the United States since the establishment of the PRC in 1949. One of the many excited people waiting on the tarmac to welcome the team was Jan Berris – at that time a program associate with the National Committee, now its vice president. Fifty years later, on April 12, 2022, Jan Berris shared stories of the historic process – from the funny to the momentous – and reflected on the enduring legacy of Ping Pong Diplomacy on U.S.-China relations. Jan Berris has been with the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations since 1971 – beginning as program associate, moving on to program director, and vice president. She is responsible for overseeing all program activities of the Committee: this includes the preparation and execution of hundreds of Chinese delegations to the United States, American delegations to China, as well as NCUSCR’s Track II programs, and other flagship programs. Given her familiarity with the Chinese media at the time, the U.S. State Department asked her to coordinate Chinese press activities during Premier Deng Xiaoping’s February 1979 visit to the United States, and she has been the lead for the Committee’s hosting of major welcoming events for all of the most senior Chinese leaders. Prior to joining the Committee, Ms. Berris was a foreign service officer, stationed in Hong Kong and Washington, D.C. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan.

On April 12, 1972, the Chinese national ping pong team arrived in Detroit, the first unofficial visitors from the People’s Republic of China to the United States since the establishment of the PRC in 1949. One of the many excited people waiting on the tarmac to welcome the team was Jan Berris – at that time a program associate with the National Committee, now its vice president. Fifty years later, on April 12, 2022, Jan Berris shared stories of the historic process – from the funny to the momentous – and reflected on the enduring legacy of Ping Pong Diplomacy on U.S.-China relations. Jan Berris has been with the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations since 1971 – beginning as program associate, moving on to program director, and vice president. She is responsible for overseeing all program activities of the Committee: this includes the preparation and execution of hundreds of Chinese delegations to the United States, American delegations to China, as well as NCUSCR’s Track II programs, and other flagship programs. Given her familiarity with the Chinese media at the time, the U.S. State Department asked her to coordinate Chinese press activities during Premier Deng Xiaoping’s February 1979 visit to the United States, and she has been the lead for the Committee’s hosting of major welcoming events for all of the most senior Chinese leaders. Prior to joining the Committee, Ms. Berris was a foreign service officer, stationed in Hong Kong and Washington, D.C. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan.

Ping Pong Diplomacy’s 50-year Legacy: The Courtside View with Jan Berris

Rosie Levine

Last month, the National Committee on United States-China Relations (NCUSCR) published a report for the Carnegie Corporation of New York titled “American International Relations and Security Programs Focused on China: A Survey of the Field.” This week on Sinica, Kaiser chats with the report’s lead author, Rosie Levine, and with Jan Berris, long-serving vice president of the NCUSCR, who celebrates her 50th year with the National Committee this month. The report surveyed academic institutions, NGOs, and think tanks about the state of the field of American China studies at a time when relations between the U.S. and China are at their lowest in the five decades since the opening to China began under Nixon. Rosie and Jan review their findings and reflect on the challenges that the NCUSCR faces in these difficult days.1:53: The mysterious and tragic disappearance of Rye and Caraway Triscuits13:30: Growing demand for China-related content18:35: Choked-off information flows out of China, fears over detention and the Two Michaels27:35: The impact of the U.S. political environment on China discourse and scholarship34:22: The singular focus on national security in U.S. discourse on China48:22: How the National Committee is weathering the stormA transcript of this interview is available on SupChina.com.RecommendationsJan: Going back to summer camp, going off the grid, and re-reading HemingwayRosie: "Why does it cost so much to build thins in America?" from Vox; a Freakomics interview with Pete Buttigieg and Elaine Chao, the current and former Secretaries of Transportation.Kaiser: Ezra Klein's recent interview with Robert Wright on Afghanistan, China, and U.S. foreign policy; and the 1975 Steven Spielberg film Jaws, which is the favorite film of Jude Blanchette, interviewed recently in The Wire China.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last month, the National Committee on United States-China Relations (NCUSCR) published a report for the Carnegie Corporation of New York titled “American International Relations and Security Programs Focused on China: A Survey of the Field.” This week on Sinica, Kaiser chats with the report’s lead author, Rosie Levine, and with Jan Berris, long-serving vice president of the NCUSCR, who celebrates her 50th year with the National Committee this month. The report surveyed academic institutions, NGOs, and think tanks about the state of the field of American China studies at a time when relations between the U.S. and China are at their lowest in the five decades since the opening to China began under Nixon. Rosie and Jan review their findings and reflect on the challenges that the NCUSCR faces in these difficult days.1:53: The mysterious and tragic disappearance of Rye and Caraway Triscuits13:30: Growing demand for China-related content18:35: Choked-off information flows out of China, fears over detention and the Two Michaels27:35: The impact of the U.S. political environment on China discourse and scholarship34:22: The singular focus on national security in U.S. discourse on China48:22: How the National Committee is weathering the storm<a href="https://supchina.com/2021/09/09/the-state-of-china-studies-in-america-unpacking-a-national-committee-survey/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">A transcript of this interview is available on SupChina.com</a>.RecommendationsJan: Going back to summer camp, going off the grid, and re-reading HemingwayRosie: "<a href="https://www.vox.com/22534714/rail-roads-infrastructure-costs-america" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Why does it cost so much to build thins in America</a>?" from Vox; a <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mayor-pete-and-elaine-chao-hit-the-road/id354668519?i=1000531041564" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Freakomics interview</a> with Pete Buttigieg and Elaine Chao, the current and former Secretaries of Transportation.Kaiser: Ezra Klein's <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-foreign-policy-conversation-washington-doesnt/id1548604447?i=1000533286262" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">recent interview with Robert Wright</a> on Afghanistan, China, and U.S. foreign policy; and the 1975 Steven Spielberg film Jaws, which is the favorite film of Jude Blanchette,<a href="https://www.thewirechina.com/2021/08/29/jude-blanchette-on-the-enduring-intellectual-puzzle-of-china/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"> interviewed recently in The Wire China</a>.See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.

The state of the field: U.S. China programs, with Rosie Levine and Jan Berris of the NCUSCR

Judy Hoarfrost

Doug Spelman

Alex DeAngelis

On April 28, 2021, the National Committee hosted a virtual celebration of the 50th anniversary of ping pong diplomacy. Ms. Jan Berris, vice president of the National Committee who accompanied the Chinese ping pong delegation on its travels; Ms. Judy Hoarfrost, a former United States table tennis champion who visited China with the U.S. team; and Dr. Doug Spelman, a retired foreign service officer and academic who served as an interpreter for the Chinese team discussed ping pong diplomacy – how it came to be, its historical and political context, and its significance then and now. The conversation was moderated by Mr. Alex DeAngelis, a staff member at the Committee on Scholarly Communication with the People’s Republic of China for much of the 1970s, who then moved to the National Science Foundation, based in Washington and Beijing.

On April 28, 2021, the National Committee hosted a virtual celebration of the 50th anniversary of ping pong diplomacy. Ms. Jan Berris, vice president of the National Committee who accompanied the Chinese ping pong delegation on its travels; Ms. Judy Hoarfrost, a former United States table tennis champion who visited China with the U.S. team; and Dr. Doug Spelman, a retired foreign service officer and academic who served as an interpreter for the Chinese team discussed ping pong diplomacy – how it came to be, its historical and political context, and its significance then and now. The conversation was moderated by Mr. Alex DeAngelis, a staff member at the Committee on Scholarly Communication with the People’s Republic of China for much of the 1970s, who then moved to the National Science Foundation, based in Washington and Beijing.

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Ping Pong Diplomacy | Jan Berris, Judy Hoarfrost, Doug Spelman, Alex DeAngelis