2026 SCCEI China Conference: Understanding “DeepSeek Moments” and China’s Innovation Ecosystem

2026 SCCEI China Conference: Understanding “DeepSeek Moments” and China’s Innovation Ecosystem

Thursday, May 7, 2026
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
(Pacific)


Bechtel Conference Center
Encina Hall
616 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford University

This event is by invitation only.

2026 SCCEI China Conference will be held on May 7, 2026 and focus on Understanding “DeepSeek Moments” and China’s Innovation Ecosystem.

 

Governments, markets, and analysts in the United States and around the world frequently find themselves surprised by China’s capabilities in industries central to economic and national security—from artificial intelligence and robotics to pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing, and strategic supply chains. Episodes widely described as “DeepSeek moments” reflect more than isolated breakthroughs; they reveal a systematic failure to understand how China builds technological capacity and scales it with speed. Yet these cutting-edge advances are emerging against the backdrop of a sustained economic slowdown, raising new questions about whether China’s push for technological supremacy is occurring at the expense of broader economic health. 

The Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institution's (SCCEI) annual China Conference convenes leading experts to examine why prevailing frameworks consistently underestimate China’s industrial performance and assess how its technology ecosystem, industrial policies, and trade strategies function and interact to push many critical sectors to the frontier.



We are finalizing an outstanding lineup of speakers from academia, industry, and policy communities. Updates will be posted here as confirmed. 

*Schedule is subject to change  

Location: 
Bechtel Conference Center
Encina Hall
616 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford University

*Topics, speakers, and timing will be confirmed soon. 



10:00 AM - 10:30 AM  Registration & Light Breakfast

10:30 AM - 10:45 AM  Welcome & Opening Remarks


Scott Rozelle 
Faculty Co-Director of the Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institutions;
Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research
Stanford University


10:45 AM - 11:45 AM  Session 1 | What Distinguishes China's Innovation Ecosystem?


Session Panelists:
Barry Naughton
So Kwan Lok Chair of Chinese International Affairs
University of California, San Diego 

Philip Wong
Willard R. and Inez Kerr Bell Professor of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University
Chief Scientist Advisor, TSMC

Chenjian Li
Research Fellow, Hoover Institution
Stanford University

Moderator:
Hongbin Li 
Faculty Co-Director of the Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institutions; 
Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research
Stanford University
 

11:45 AM - 1:00 PM  Lunch
 
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM  Session 2 | Industrial Policy at the Tech Frontier

 

Session Panelists:
Heiwai Tang
Victor and William Fung Professor in Economics; Associate Vice President (Global); 
Associate Dean for External Relations, Business School
Hong Kong University

Scott Kennedy
Senior Adviser and Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics 
Center for Strategic and International Studies

Ruixue Jia
Professor of Economics, School of Global Policy and Strategy
University of California, San Diego

Moderator:
Shanjun Li
Professor of Environmental Social Sciences, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability; 
Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
Stanford University 
 

2:00 PM - 2:30 PM  Break
 
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM  Session 3 | Trade War Meets Tech War: Trade Technology in a Fragmented World


Session Panelists:
Jiajun Wu
Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Stanford University

Bingjing Li
Associate Professor of Economics
University of Hong Kong

Hong Ma
Professor and Chair, Department of Economics
Tsinghua University

Moderator:
Jennifer Pan
Professor of Communication
Stanford University

 

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM  Break

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM  Keynote Address


Rush Doshi
C.V. Starr Senior Fellow for Asia Studies and Director of the China Strategy Initiative, Council on Foreign Relations
Assistant Professor of Security Studies, Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University 

Moderator:
Scott Rozelle 
Faculty Co-Director of the Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institutions;
Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research
Stanford University



Questions? Contact scceichinaconference@stanford.edu