Streaming live from the Oslo Freedom Forum, June 1
On June 1, veteran debate forum Open to Debate returns to the Oslo Freedom Forum in Norway for their second debate in partnership with the Human Rights Foundation. The question under debate this year: “Is it Ethical to Cooperate with Chinese State Institutions to Secure Incremental Change?” The debate will be held in front of a live audience of dissidents, journalists, artists, philanthropists, technologists, entrepreneurs, policymakers, academics, and world leaders at the event and will be streamed live online for anyone who can’t attend in person.
As democratic governments, universities, and civil society organizations grapple with how to engage China, a central ethical question persists: should cooperation with Chinese state institutions, which tightly control everything from education to commerce, be pursued as a pathway to incremental change, or does such engagement ultimately legitimize repression and undermine fundamental freedoms? This debate brings together leading voices to examine the moral and strategic tradeoffs of engagement versus principled distance. Can working within constrained systems create meaningful progress, or are some compromises too costly to justify?
Arguing YES is Joanna Chiu, managing partner at Nüora Global Advisors, where she helps companies navigate shifting technology, media, and geopolitical landscapes while doing business in Asia. Arguing NO is Isaac Stone Fish, the CEO and founder of Strategy Risks, a business intelligence firm which quantifies corporate exposure to China and helps companies and entities manage and reduce their China risk.
The debate will take place Monday, June 1 at 10:15 AM ET at the Oslo Freedom Forum and stream live online from both the Open to Debate and Human Rights Foundation’s YouTube channels. Media can email [email protected] for information on how to tune in live or watch it afterward.
Debaters Bio
Joanna Chiu: Managing Partner, Nüora Global Advisors
Joanna Chiu is managing partner at Nüora Global Advisors, where she helps companies navigate shifting technology, media, and geopolitical landscapes while doing business in Asia. She leads bespoke research and advisory teams drawn from Nüora Global’s international network of researchers and subject-matter experts.
A former award-winning investigative journalist and author of China Unbound, Chiu previously led China technology coverage at Rest of World and served as B.C. bureau chief for Toronto Star. She has reported extensively across mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Mongolia for outlets including The Economist, The Globe and Mail, Agence France-Presse, The Guardian, Foreign Policy, The Associated Press, and South China Morning Post. She has also appeared as a commentator on broadcasters including BBC, NPR, CBC, and CTV News.
She is also a founder and board member of NüVoices, a nonprofit organization elevating diverse expert perspectives on China. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Isaac Stone Fish: CEO, Strategy Risks
Isaac Stone Fish is the CEO and founder of Strategy Risks, a business intelligence firm which quantifies corporate exposure to China and helps companies and entities manage and reduce their China risk. He is the author of America Second (Knopf, 2022), a book about Beijing’s influence in the United States. He is also a visiting fellow at the Atlantic Council, an adjunct at New York University, and the author of a column on China risk for Barron’s.
Formerly a Beijing correspondent for Newsweek, Stone Fish spent seven years living in China. He has traveled widely in the region and in the country, visiting every Chinese province, autonomous region, and municipality. He was previously Asia Editor at Foreign Policy Magazine, senior fellow at the Asia Society’s Center on U.S.-China Relations, an on-air contributor to CBS, a contributing columnist to the Washington Post, and an international affairs analyst on PRI’s The World.
Stone Fish is a graduate of Columbia University, where he studied Chinese literature. He is also a Truman National Security Project fellow, an alumni of the World Economic Forum Global Shaper’s program, and a term member at the Council on Foreign Relations.
About Open to Debate
Open to Debate addresses a fundamental problem in America: the extreme polarization of our nation and our politics. We are the nation’s only nonpartisan, debate-driven media organization dedicated to bringing multiple viewpoints together for a constructive, balanced, respectful exchange of ideas. Open to Debate is a platform for intellectually curious and open-minded people to engage with others holding opposing views on complex issues. We know debate works to find common ground: On average, 32% of the Open to Debate audience changes their mind on contentious topics after hearing a debate. That’s the power of debate done right, and at scale, it can change the direction we’re headed in America. Open to Debate is broadcast as a weekly public radio program, carried on NPR stations including WNYC (#1 in the nation). Open to Debate is made available as a podcast, video series, and digital platform, and records episodes with live audiences nationwide. Learn more at opentodebate.org, and subscribe to Open to Debate’s Substack to access more than 350 debate archives, explore exclusive content, and engage with our community.
About The Human Rights Foundation
The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies.
The Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) is an international human rights conference series hosted and produced by HRF. Bringing together the world’s most engaging human rights advocates, journalists, artists, tech entrepreneurs, and world leaders, we aim to share their stories and brainstorm ways to expand freedom and unleash human potential across the globe.
Media Request
For interview requests or media inquiries, please fill out the form below.
For more information on Open to Debate, please contact Ray Padgett ([email protected]) or Mark Satlof ([email protected]) at Shore Fire Media.
