A report warns that the United States will face a “critical shortage” of China expertise within a decade, threatening policymakers' ability to manage Washington’s most consequential strategic relationship. As China experts retire and the number of Americans studying in China sharply declines, the talent gap poses a “national security and an economic competitiveness” problem.
A report by an expert working group of the Washington-based non-profit US-China Education Trust warns that the United States will face a “critical shortage” of China expertise within a decade. This ageing cadre and weak pipeline risk eroding US-China policy, business insight, and national security preparedness as prowess dwindles, the report said on Monday. As China experts retire and the number of Americans studying in China sharply declines, the resulting talent gap presents a “national security and an economic competitiveness” problem. “America’s ability to understand and manage its most consequential strategic relationship is eroding,” the report observed, citing losses as specialists retire without replacement. Nicholas Burns, US ambassador to China under President Joe Biden, spoke at the report’s launch, saying: “It is a national security imperative that that happens,” underscoring studying Mandarin and living in China. The study, conducted from September 2025 to January 2026 and funded by the US embassy in Beijing under the President Donald Trump administration, argues that China expertise should be treated as a strategic asset. It urges Washington to elevate bilateral education exchanges to the same level as trade and security in US-China relations. The report blames factors on both sides, including restrictive visa policies, overblown espionage fears, deep mistrust, reduced budgets, and overly tight national security concerns.