Is China-US re-engagement getting back on track in 2026?

"Isolation is a death sentence for universities." That's how Harvard professor William Kirby describes the risks of cutting off academic ties between China and the United States. In this special episode, he explains to CGTN host Liu Xin why re-engagement is not just desirable, but necessary. As geopolitical tensions rise and cooperation becomes more complicated, the future of the relationship may depend less on politics and more on people: students, researchers and institutions still willing to work together. So, in 2026, are China and the US drifting further apart or finding a way back? How can both sides further tap into the potential of a steady relationship?