Abigail Grace is a Research Associate in the Asia-Pacific Security Program at the Center for New American Security (CNAS). Her work focuses on U.S. strategic competition with China, China’s foreign policy, U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy, and Chinese approaches to multilateralism.

Prior to joining CNAS, Grace was a member of the National Security Council staff from 2016 to 2018. There, she contributed to the development and operationalization of the competitive approach to U.S.-China relations, the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy, and the international campaign to maximize pressure on North Korea.

A frequent commentator to the media on Asian security issues, Grace’s commentary and analysis has appeared in several media outlets, including The Washington Post, The New Yorker, CNN.com, BBC Radio, USA Today, PBS, US News & World Report, Foreign Policy, Axios, Vox News, and others. Her writings have been featured in Foreign Policy, The Straits Times, The National Interest, China Brief, Global Security Review, Cornell International Affairs Review, and the Ohio State Journal for Politics and International Affairs.

Grace received her B.S.F.S. degree with honors in International Politics and a certificate in Asian Studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

Last Updated: October 9, 2018

The U.S. and China as Peer Competitors in the Indo-Pacific

Paul Haenle & Abigail Grace from Carnegie China
The Trump administration has taken a more confrontational approach to bilateral relations with China, implementing tariffs on nearly half of all Chinese exports to the U.S. and treating Beijing as a strategic competitor across many aspects of the...