Thomas J. Christensen is James T. Shotwell Professor of International Relations at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and the Pritzker Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. From 2006-2008 he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs with responsibility for relations with China, Taiwan, and Mongolia. He has also taught at Princeton University, MIT, and Cornell.
Ryan Hass is director of the John L. Thornton China Center and the Chen-Fu and Cecilia Yen Koo Chair in Taiwan Studies at Brookings. Previously, he served from 2013-2017 as the director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia at the National Security Council (NSC) staff. He also served as a State Department Foreign Service Officer with tours in Beijing, Seoul, and Washington, DC.