Chinese Foreign Policy

Deepening understanding of China’s foreign policy behaviors and their motivations and impact

In China Research

How China interacts with the international community will help define the 21st century’s political, economic, military, and governance norms worldwide. The intersection of China’s growing ambition for global influence and existing U.S. overseas engagement is where the two countries are forced to contend with how their national interests, goals, and worldviews converge and diverge. The Chinese Foreign Policy project assesses China’s strategic intentions and foreign policy behaviors to reduce the likelihood of misunderstanding, misperception, and miscalculation. By furthering dialogue among regional actors, we work to expand interaction between the Chinese foreign policy community and their counterparts in other countries, aiming for a nuanced and realistic understanding of Chinese strategic intentions valuable for policymakers, practitioners, and experts.

Commentary
In walking the line, China has managed to keep its strategic competitor and trade front and center
Jason Li
Op-Ed
On April 6, parties to the Iran nuclear deal will meet in Vienna to identify “needed actions,” including lifting sanctions and imposing implementation measures, for a resumption of the agreement by all parties.
Yun Sun

Reports & Papers

Issue Brief
Current Chinese participation in trilateral arms control agreements seems unlikely. However, there are several steps the U.S. can take to improve the chances of future trilateral arrangements.
David C. Logan
Issue Brief
Taiwan is entrapped by a clash between the U.S. and China. In order to renew strategic stability between these great powers, Biden must strengthen the policy of dual deterrence.
David Keegan
Policy Paper
The COVID-19 pandemic is pushing many countries to the edge of default. Workouts will be done in the Paris Club, but China is not a member despite being one of the largest creditors
Lex Rieffel
Issue Brief
The security challenges that emerged from the Rohingya crisis have augmented China’s security interests associated with Rakhine.
Yun Sun

Additional Research

Project Note
AsiaGlobal Podcast on the aspects of current Chinese foreign policy to watch.
Jason Li
Policy Memo
While the Trump administration pursued “everything” on North Korea and the Obama administration “nothing,” it appears the Biden administration is open to exploring “something in the middle,” guided by lessons from the past.
Hyun-wook Kim
Policy Memo
South Korea remains caught in the middle of an intensifying strategic competition between the United States and China.
Heung-Kyu Kim
Policy Memo
By prioritizing an "alliance-first" strategy over denuclearization, the Biden administration's policy toward North Korea seems doomed to fail.
Nan Li
Policy Memo
As threat perceptions toward China grow, South Korea faces the challenge of maintaining a strategic equilibrium between Beijing and Washington, a role that keenly interests China.
Tong Zhao
Policy Memo
South Korea’s potential role in a Taiwan contingency is of great importance to Chinese policy planning. Therefore, understanding and preparing for China's strategic reactions is critical for all parties.
Yun Sun
Policy Memo
South Korea’s recent joint statement with the U.S. reflects a departure from its usual ambiguity about its relations with China and the U.S. But the country’s potential role in a Taiwan contingency—an issue that has yet to enter the country’s mainstream political agenda—will depend upon a number of factors.
Seong-Hyon Lee
Policy Memo
China and North Korea have maintained their relationship in the pandemic, but 2021 prospects depend on Biden’s policies towards them
Pamela Kennedy • Yun Sun • Jason Li

News & Commentary

Commentary
New controls on metals used in semiconductor manufacturing will lead to smuggling and force countries to rethink their supply chains
Sarah Godek
Commentary
In walking the line, China has managed to keep its strategic competitor and trade front and center
Jason Li
Commentary
What new foreign policy leadership suggests about the future
Yun Sun
Op-Ed
The key challenge for Biden is to reaffirm a historically rock-solid partnership network at a time of pressing global challenges in Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific.
Jason Li
Commentary
NATO turns its attention to China as a strategic challenge to the Euro-Atlantic region.
Sydney Tucker
Commentary
As President Biden’s Asia trip comes to a close, Stimson experts weigh in on its impact across four critical players: South Korea, China, Taiwan, and Japan.
Pamela Kennedy • Yun Sun • Yuki Tatsumi...
Commentary
As the war in Ukraine heats up, China and its Middle East partners grow closer over a shared distaste for the United States
Yun Sun
Commentary
Questions are rampant as to what role China will play to mediate and when.
Yun Sun

Events

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Publications & Project Lists

38 North: News and Analysis on North Korea