One glance at Robert Daly’s office is evidence enough of his interest in China. Pieces of traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy, a map of Asia, and of course pictures of his family all highlight a common theme. Married to a Chinese woman, the father of three is proud to have developed a diverse portfolio on the world’s most important bilateral relationship.

Robert Daly (second from right) unveils the Kissinger Institute’s new logo which uses the calligraphic Chinese character Ji (which means foundation and is the first character in Kissinger’s last name in Chinese), written and given as a gift by Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai.

At college Daly majored in cartoon illustration and American literature. He’s come a long way from those beginnings to become a renowned expert on China. Although his career path was anything but conventional, Daly’s diverse experiences have provided him with a better understanding of China-US relations, in all of its complexity.

In Daly’s view, China and the US now have a mature relationship with mature disagreements, which stem not necessarily from a lack of understanding but from a conflict of core interests. He believes that it is the confluence of technology more than geopolitics that is going to drive the future for both countries and for the world. He is hopeful that multilateralism can save China-US relations from spiraling downwards if we on both sides take a global perspective, find ways to manage our differences and work together for mankind’s common good.

(Source: Shanghai Institute of American Studies)