On October 29–30, Wu Shicun, Chairman of the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, founding president of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS), and Chairman of the Academic Committee of the Institute for China-America Studies (ICAS), attended the "ICAS 2025 Annual Conference" in Washington, D.C., where he delivered opening remarks. Qiu Wenxing, Minister-Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in the United States attended the conference and delivered a keynote speech.

The event was hosted by ICAS and co-organized by NISCSS, the Carter Center, and the Institute for China-Europe Studies (ICES).

Wu Shicun highly commended ICAS for its continuous efforts over the past eleven years since its founding in 2014, to promote academic exchanges and mutual understanding between China and the United States, as well as for its growing influence in the international academic community.

He pointed out that as the most important bilateral relationship in today's world, China and the United States may face competition and differences, but they still share vast potential for cooperation in areas such as climate change, ocean governance, global trade stability, and artificial intelligence governance.

Wu also analyzed the coexistence of competition and cooperation in the South China Sea, emphasizing that the region is not destined to become a flashpoint of conflict but should instead be a sea of peace, cooperation, and friendship. He noted that China and the United States can use scientific collaboration, cultural exchange, and Track II dialogue as bridges to sustain pragmatic communication on key issues of global governance.

The conference, themed "Charting the Future: U.S.–China Relations in an Era of Global Realignment," brought together renowned experts and scholars from a wide range of think tanks and universities, including the Huayang Center, NISCSS, the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, Shanghai International Studies University, ICES, ICAS, the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, George Washington University, Carter Center, Harvard Kennedy School, BGR Group, the Alliance of Global Talent Organizations, and the China Institute at the University of Alberta, among others.

Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on topics such as "U.S.–China Strategic Competition and Global Conflicts" and "Trade, Technology, and the Future of Global Fragmentation."

During his visit to the United States, Wu Shicun also met with John Brandon, former Director of the International Relations Program at the Asia Foundation. The two held an in-depth exchange on China's relations with Southeast Asian countries and prospects for regional cooperation.