The 2023 Understanding China Conference was held from December 1 to 3 in Guangzhou, the capital of south China's Guangdong Province. At a forum titled "Straight Talk: Navigating the Future of China-U.S. Relations," Prof. Stephen Roach, a senior fellow of the Paul Tsai China Center at Yale Law School, said the American companies would rather not be dragged before congressional committees to testify and explain their business with China. The expertise level in the U.S. government about China is extremely weak, he said, adding that the real shortfall for the U.S. is the lack of a whole generation of Kissinger-like operatives in policy positions.