Over the past week, I traveled through Xi’an, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, and Beijing with a delegation of U.S. intellectual property stakeholders.

Visits to Alibaba, Tencent, and Insta360 offered valuable perspectives on how leading Chinese companies are approaching innovation, artificial intelligence, intellectual property, and global markets. We also visited Dentons and participated in seminars that brought together representatives from government, law firms, industry, and academia for candid discussions of patent litigation, licensing, emerging technologies, and cross-border IP practice.

At the Supreme People’s Court, we engaged directly with judges about intellectual property adjudication and developments in our respective legal systems.

I was especially pleased to meet Penn State Dickinson Law student Shanell Powell, who is completing an internship with GEN Law, a leading intellectual property law firm in China. Shanell joined us for our visit to Tencent, where she observed a dialogue between our delegation and Tencent’s legal leadership. It was gratifying to see one of our students gaining firsthand exposure to international legal practice and high-level cross-border engagement.

In Beijing, I was honored to deliver opening remarks at the 2026 China-U.S. Intellectual Property Cooperation Dialogue at Renmin University of China. The Dialogue provided a forum for experts from both countries to address areas of disagreement, identify shared challenges, and consider opportunities for continued cooperation.

The visit also allowed us to deepen ties with several leading law schools, including those at Tsinghua University, Renmin University of China, Peking University (Beida), and the University of Science and Technology Beijing. I extended invitations to several key stakeholders to continue these conversations with us at the Hansen IP Conference at Fordham.

At a time when the broader relationship between the United States and China is increasingly complex, sustained professional and academic engagement matters. Dialogue does not require agreement. It does require listening, candor, and a willingness to keep channels of communication open.

My thanks to our hosts, organizers, speakers, and fellow delegates for their generous hospitality and thoughtful exchanges. I look forward to building on these relationships and continuing the dialogue.