When I talk with foreign friends in Beijing, some of them mention that they are increasingly confused about China’s foreign policy. Does China want to change the status quo in the Asia-Pacific? Is China using Europe as a bargaining chip with the United States? How did “wolf warrior” diplomacy come about? Their questions are interesting … Read more
While predicting China’s trajectory has always been fraught with danger, there are a few trend lines that provide some guidance. These trend lines stem from what the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Neil Thomas has astutely framed as Xi Jinping’s three “balancing acts”: balancing economic growth with security, balancing diplomatic “struggle” against the United States with … Read more
On February 1, 2024, after renewing diplomatic ties with Nauru, a former ally of Taiwan, Qian Bo, China’s special envoy to Pacific Island nations, expressed China’s willingness to cooperate with Nauru in combating climate change. This initiative is part of a wider trend in China’s engagement with developing countries on environmental issues. Over the past … Read more
The Diplomat author Mercy Kuo regularly engages subject-matter experts, policy practitioners, and strategic thinkers across the globe for their diverse insights into U.S. Asia policy. This conversation with Dr. Fe-Ling Wang – professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology, and author of “The China Trilogy”: “The China Order: Centralia, World Empire, and … Read more
The Diplomat author Mercy Kuo regularly engages subject-matter experts, policy practitioners, and strategic thinkers across the globe for their diverse insights into U.S. Asia policy. This conversation with Steve Tsang and Olivia Cheung – director and research fellow, respectively, of the China Institute at SOAS University of London and co-authors of “The Political Thought of … Read more
Xi Jinping’s announcement of three global initiatives since 2021 has sparked considerable debate about Beijing’s articulation of the international order. However, much of the analysis and commentary surrounding these initiatives have focused on the degree to which they illustrate China’s revisionism. As a result, they fall short in three regards. First, the status quo-revisionist binary … Read more
U.S. President Joe Biden participates in a bilateral meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine during the G77 Summit, at the Grand Prince Hotel in Hiroshima, Japan, May 21, 2023, Credit: Official White House Photo by Cameron Smith “Supporting Ukraine’s ability to fight off Russian aggression and defend its sovereignty requires a worldwide commitment,” U.S. … Read more
Advertisement There seems to be every take under the sun about what BRICS expansion means. Recent headlines range from “BRICS expansion is all about China” to “BRICS Expansion Is No Triumph for China,” and queries like “The BRICS Summit 2023: Seeking an Alternate World Order?” and “Brics summit: Is a new bloc emerging to rival … Read more
Advertisement Hardly a day goes by without more pronouncements about China’s intent to remodel the world order. “China is the only country with both the intent to reshape the international order and the power to do it,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned. Beijing’s “clear goal is a systemic change of the international order … Read more
China Power | Diplomacy | East Asia Analysis of 30 years of U.N. data reveals that China and Russia have been far more successful in winning support for their positions from the global community. Advertisement It is no secret that China and Russia have been among the most vocal critics of the U.S.-led international world order, actively working to … Read more