The Carter Center’s China Focus is seeking two interns to support its online engagement projects, event programming, and general administration.
President Carter’s decision to normalize diplomatic relations between the United States and the People’s Republic of China in 1979 changed both countries and the world. Facilitating expanded bilateral trade, investment, and people-to-people exchange between the two countries has allowed East Asia to enjoy relative peace and prosperity for decades.
However, the U.S.-China relationship is now under immense strain. Since 2009, the Chinese Communist Party has veered from the path of “reform and opening” that encouraged slow and steady progress toward political and economic liberalization. Washington began to criticize China’s attempts to revise the international system, and Beijing responded by accusing the U.S. of containing China’s rise. As President Carter wrote in February 2021, “Government officials in both countries have adopted rhetoric and policies that reflect the hostility that Vice Premier Deng and I sought to calm in 1978.”
The Carter Center remains committed to preserving the legacy of President Carter and Deng Xiaoping’s historic decision while adapting to the demands of the 21st century. This requires navigating a bilateral relationship fraught with global crises, ideological divergence, human rights crises, nationalist tension, and the looming threat of conflict in the Taiwan Strait. Through its research, workshops, and online engagement initiatives, the China Focus fosters greater dialogue, exchange, and critical reflection on the past, present, and future of U.S.-China relations.
Interested in applying for an internship in the Center's China Focus? View application deadlines »
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Spring 2025
Application Deadline: Oct. 14, 2024
Start Date (Orientation): Jan. 14, 2025
Summer 2025
Application Opens: Early January 2025
Applications Deadline: March 3, 2025
Start dates: May 20, 2025 or May 27, 2025