My comment:
(a) There is no need to read the rest, which does not say anything new. I do not think readers of his WSJ essay misunderstood him in this point (quoted above).
(b) It was not as grand as "学术研讨会." It was just a TALK (so far, there is no transcript or news report on it--this talk). See
"China at the Crossroads? Reform Challenges," with Professor David Shambaugh. Sigur Center for Asian Studies, Elliot School of International Affairs, George Washington University, undated.
www2.gwu.edu/~sigur/news/events/events2015/2015_apr2_shambaugh.cfm
(to be held on Apr 2, 2015)