Conversation
11.02.17
Trump Goes to Asia
Chinese officials like to talk about practicing “win-win” diplomacy. Their American counterparts sometime joke that this means China wins twice. From November 3 to November 14, Donald Trump will visit Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines,...
ChinaFile Recommends
10.27.17Why Trump's Fawning over China's Xi Jinping Probably Won't Work
New Yorker
A couple of weeks ago, The Economist put a drawing of Xi Jinping, the President of China, on its cover under a headline that said “The world’s most powerful man.” In an editorial in the same issue, the editors acknowledged that China is still no...
ChinaFile Recommends
10.26.17Kushner Will Take a Diminished Role on Trump’s China Trip
Politico
Back in December 2016, the Chinese foreign minister traveled to Manhattan to meet privately with Jared Kushner for emergency discussions after President-elect Donald Trump’s unorthodox phone call with the president of Taiwan.
ChinaFile Recommends
10.26.17China’s Communist Party Has Come of Age – the West Should Wake Up
Guardian
The Chinese Communist party congress displayed all the qualities beloved by Leninist institutions over the ages, of deep secrecy mixed with stern pageantry, leveraged in the service of reinforcing their leaders’ inviolate right to rule.
ChinaFile Recommends
10.25.17Singapore’s Delicate Balancing Act between the US and China
CNN
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong may have been in Washington on Monday to consolidate his country's economic and political partnerships with the US, but he appeared to dedicate much of his time concentrating on another nation whose...
ChinaFile Recommends
10.19.17China Warns US to Drop Its Bias after Tillerson’s ‘Blunt’ Message
South China Morning Post
Beijing warned the United States to drop its bias against China after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Washington wanted to “dramatically deepen” ties with New Delhi to counter China’s influence in Asia.
ChinaFile Recommends
10.18.17China’s Challenges Abroad: How Do You Solve a Problem Like North Korea?
Forbes
The importance of the Chinese Communist Party’s 19th party congress to the future of Xi Jinping’s leadership and the direction of China has paralyzed policy debates on many issues, including North Korea. The paralysis has persisted despite the...
ChinaFile Recommends
10.12.17Xi Jinping Has More Clout Than Donald Trump. The World Should Be Wary
Economist
American presidents have a habit of describing their Chinese counterparts in terms of awe. A fawning Richard Nixon said to Mao Zedong that the chairman’s writings had “changed the world”. To Jimmy Carter, Deng Xiaoping was a string of flattering...
ChinaFile Recommends
10.12.17China Threatens U.S. Congress for Crossing Its ‘Red Line’ on Taiwan
Washington Post
In a rare pressure campaign, the Chinese government is demanding that the U.S. Congress back off passing new laws that would strengthen the U.S. relationship with Taiwan. Beijing’s efforts are the latest sign that it is stepping up its campaign to...
The NYRB China Archive
10.12.17
The Chinese World Order
from New York Review of Books
Ten years ago the journalist James Mann published a book called The China Fantasy, in which he criticized American policymakers for using something he called “the Soothing Scenario” to justify the policy of diplomatic and economic engagement with...
ChinaFile Recommends
10.11.17China Grabbed American as Spy Wars Flare
Politico
The sun was setting over Chengdu when they grabbed the American. It was January 2016. The U.S. official had been working out of the American consulate in the central Chinese metropolis of more than 10 million. He may not have seen the plainclothes...
ChinaFile Recommends
10.06.17U.S. Confronts China over Suspected Cyberattack as Fugitive Guo Wengui Appears in Washington
Washington Post
A suspected Chinese cyberattack on the website of a prominent Washington think tank drew a complaint from U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions this week in a meeting with top Chinese government officials.
10.05.17
Foreign NGO Law Discussed at the First U.S.-China Social and Cultural Dialogue
The Foreign NGO Law and civil society cooperation more generally featured at the inaugural U.S.-China Social and Cultural Dialogue on September 28. As described in the U.S. statement on the dialogue, “Both sides discussed China’s foreign NGO...
ChinaFile Recommends
10.05.17Bannon’s Back and Targeting China
Bloomberg
As President Trump’s chief strategist, Steve Bannon operated mostly behind the scenes to press his hard-right brand of nationalist politics, with only intermittent success. Since leaving the White House on Aug. 18, he’s taken on a much more public...
ChinaFile Recommends
10.05.17White House Conducting Wide-Ranging Review of China Policy
Politico
The White House is quietly conducting a comprehensive review of its approach toward China, according to administration officials and outside advisers with knowledge of the plan.
ChinaFile Recommends
10.05.17High-Level US-China Talks Focus on Immigration, Fugitives
Voice of America
Shilan Zhao, former wife of fugitive Chinese official Jianjun Qiao, pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges by the U.S. government of conspiring to commit immigration fraud related to the EB5 “investor” visa program.
ChinaFile Recommends
10.04.17Ivanka Trump’s Business in China Shrouded in Secrecy as Public Trade Data Disappears
Independent
It is no secret that the bulk of Ivanka Trump's merchandise comes from China. But just which Chinese companies manufacture and export her handbags, shoes and clothes is more secret than ever, an Associated Press investigation has found.
Media
09.29.17
Trump on China
In the run-up to and during his race toward the presidency of the United States, Donald Trump made frequent statements about China, its people, and the government in Beijing, in remarks that ranged from effusive praise to outright attack, and which...
ChinaFile Recommends
09.28.17How China and America Can Protect the World’s Antiquities
Foreign Affairs
In 1971, a ping-pong match between the U.S. and Chinese national teams helped open relations between the two countries. Since then, people-to-people diplomacy has been a bright spot in otherwise tense interactions. But civil society engagement has...
ChinaFile Recommends
09.27.17This Is What World War III with China Might Look Like
Nation
For the past 50 years, American leaders have been supremely confident that they could suffer military setbacks in places like Cuba or Vietnam without having their system of global hegemony, backed by the world’s wealthiest economy and finest...
ChinaFile Recommends
09.27.17There’s One North Korea Taboo China's Leaders Won’t Talk About
Bloomberg
In discussions between the U.S. and China about reining in North Korea, one topic remains taboo: What would happen if Kim Jong Un’s regime collapses?
China in the World Podcast
09.25.17
Cyber Norms in U.S.-China Relations
from Carnegie China
The United States and China agreed in 2015 that neither government would support or conduct cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property and committed to working with international partners to identify appropriate norms in cyberspace. Both countries...
ChinaFile Recommends
09.25.17US Commerce Secretary Visits Beijing Ahead of Trump Trip
Washington Post
U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Monday that Washington is hoping for concrete progress during President Donald Trump’s planned trip to China amid rising trade tensions.
ChinaFile Recommends
09.25.17Wang Qishan's Bannon Ties Fuel Talk of Second Term
Financial Times
The recent secret meeting between the godfather of the US “alt right” movement and the Chinese Communist party’s ruthless anti-graft tsar was consistent with Beijing’s rapidly growing interest in US economic nationalism.
ChinaFile Recommends
09.19.17Lankov: Russia, China Nearing N. Korea Limit
CNN
North Korea watcher Andrei Lankov tells CNN both Russia and China are coming close to their own red line concerning North Korea.
ChinaFile Recommends
09.19.17Trump to Punish China outside WTO
Forbes
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said Monday that the Trump Administration is drawing up plans to punish China outside the World Trade Organization.
ChinaFile Recommends
09.19.17Why China Won’t Pressure North Korea as Much as Trump Wants
New Yorker
At the center of the North Korean nuclear crisis is a pivotal question: How much is China really willing to pressure and punish its longtime ally in Pyongyang? Recent conversations in Beijing and Washington suggest that Chinese leaders have decided...
Media
09.18.17
Asia’s Reckoning: China, Japan, and the Fate of U.S. Power in the Pacific Century
The following is an edited transcript of a live event hosted at Asia Society in New York on September 7, 2017, and named for a new book by Richard McGregor, the former Beijing Bureau Chief of the Financial Times, “ChinaFile Presents: ‘Asia’s...
ChinaFile Recommends
09.18.17China’s State Media Blasts US Handling of North Korea Crisis
South China Morning Post
China has shown its deepening frustration over the North Korean missile test crisis, with a commentary in the state-run People’s Daily blaming the United States for hindering efforts to resolve the issue.
Conversation
09.15.17
Bannon Says the U.S. Is at ‘Economic War with China.’ Is He Right?
Steve Bannon, whose controversial views on China remain hugely influential in the White House, is visiting Hong Kong this week to speak at a China investment conference. In August, before he left his White House position as chief strategist, Bannon...
ChinaFile Recommends
09.13.17What Would China Do If North Korea and the United States Go to War?
South China Morning Post
The US should sit down with China before pursuing a discussion with North Korea on how to solve the Korean peninsula’s nuclear crisis, former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon told the South China Morning Post on Tuesday.
ChinaFile Recommends
09.12.17China and Russia Warn the U.S. Not to Seek North Korean Regime Change
Bloomberg
In supporting a watered-down version of North Korea sanctions, China and Russia had a stern warning for the U.S.: Don’t try to overthrow Kim Jong Un’s regime.
ChinaFile Recommends
09.11.17Next Stop for the Steve Bannon Insurgency: China
New York Times
Stephen K. Bannon plans to travel to Hong Kong to deliver a keynote address at an investor conference, where he will articulate his call for a much tougher American policy toward China.
ChinaFile Recommends
09.08.17Lacking a Point Person on China, U.S. Risks Aggravating Tensions
New York Times
The National Security Council is conducting a review of the White House’s China policy — taking into account Mr. Trump’s populist trade agenda and differences over how to curb the rogue government in North Korea. Aside from Mr. Trump himself, it...
ChinaFile Recommends
09.05.17North Korea Nuclear Test Puts Pressure on China and Undercuts Xi
New York Times
It was supposed to be Xi Jinping’s moment to bask in global prestige, as the Chinese president hosted the leaders of some of the world’s most dynamic economies at a summit meeting just weeks before a Communist Party leadership conference.
Sinica Podcast
08.30.17
U.S.-China Relations After Six Months of Trump
from Sinica Podcast
Has the last half year of turbulent U.S.-China relations and Chinese politics passed you by? Confused you? Perhaps you’d like a clear recap in plain English? If yes, then this is the podcast episode for you.
Conversation
08.29.17
Is the United States Still the Predominant Power in the Pacific?
In late August, a U.S. destroyer collided with an oil tanker—the fourth such accident for the U.S. Navy in Asia since January. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has increased troop commitments in Afghanistan, threatened to strike North Korea with “...
ChinaFile Recommends
08.23.17China Demands U.S. Immediately Withdraw N. Korea Sanctions, Warns Will Hit Ties
Washington Post
China demanded the United States immediately withdraw a package of sanctions on companies and individuals trading with North Korea on Wednesday, and said the decision by the Trump administration will damage Sino–U.S. ties.
ChinaFile Recommends
08.23.17If a Crisis Shuts down the South China Sea, Here Are the Losers — and a Few Winners
CNBC
Several industries are trying to assess what open confrontation in the South China Sea would cost them, and a lot of them don't like what they’re finding. The world’s second–largest economy is getting more wary — and...
ChinaFile Recommends
08.22.17After U.S. Destroyer Collision, Chinese Paper Says U.S. Navy a Hazard
Reuters
The U.S. navy’s latest collision at sea, the fourth in its Pacific fleet this year, shows it is becoming an increasing risk to shipping in Asia despite its claims of helping to protect freedom of navigation, an official Chinese newspaper said.
ChinaFile Recommends
08.22.17Ford in Talks to Launch Fully Electric Cars in China
Financial Times
Ford is in talks to launch fully electric cars for the Chinese market as the US carmaker plays catch up to international rivals in the race to develop battery vehicles.
Conversation
08.16.17
Trump Says He Wants Fairer Trade with China. Will His Latest Move Work?
On Monday, Donald Trump returned to Washington from his summer vacation for the public signing of an executive order requesting that the United States Trade Representative begin a review to determine wether the U.S. should investigate China over...
ChinaFile Recommends
08.16.17Can the United States Play North Korea against China?
Washington Post
For decades, the United States has been trying to get China to use its influence and power to isolate North Korea. Now, experts are asking, why doesn’t the United States try working with North Korea to isolate China? That could be a game...
ChinaFile Recommends
08.16.17China's Crackdown on North Korea over U.N. Sanctions Starts to Pinch
New York Times
Trucks packed with seafood were backed up, bumper to bumper, at the Chinese border with North Korea. Protesters carried red banners demanding compensation. And Chinese businessmen who have been making big money from North Korean crabs,...
ChinaFile Recommends
08.16.17China Reclaims Spot as World's Biggest Holder of Treasuries
Bloomberg
China reclaimed its position as the top foreign owner of U.S. Treasuries after increasing its holdings for the fifth straight month.China’s holdings of U.S. bonds, notes and bills rose to $1.15 trillion in June, up $44.3 billion from a month earlier...
ChinaFile Recommends
08.16.17US, China Military Chiefs Reach Deal to Reduce 'Risk of Miscalculation’
CNN
Top US and Chinese military commanders have signed a deal to improve communications between the two forces amid ongoing disputes in the South and East China seas.
ChinaFile Recommends
08.15.17Trump Administration Goes After China Over Intellectual Property, Advanced Technology
Washington Post
President Trump signed an executive memorandum Monday afternoon that will likely trigger an investigation into China’s alleged theft of U.S. intellectual property, a measure that could eventually result in a wide range of penalties as the...
Conversation
08.10.17
Should China Support the U.S. in a War with North Korea?
On August 9, U.S. President Donald Trump warned North Korea that if it does not stop threatening the United States, it will be “met with fire and fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before.” Just hours later, the...
ChinaFile Recommends
08.03.17As Washington Tries to Protect Tech, China Could Fight Back
New York Times
As the Trump administration moves to take on China over intellectual property, Washington will find it has limited firepower. Beijing has a strong grip on American technology companies, and global trade rules could favor China.
ChinaFile Recommends
08.03.17A grand bargain with China could remove North’s nuclear threat — but it would destroy America’s global influence
Los Angeles Times
With North Korea’s latest test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, one apparently capable of reaching California, the American foreign policy community is struggling to find a way — short of war — to end the threat from Pyongyang. In the media...
ChinaFile Recommends
08.03.17China Welcomes U.S. Seeking Dialogue with North Korea
Reuters
China on Thursday welcomed comments by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that the United States does not seek to topple the North Korean government and would like dialogue with Pyongyang at some point, saying China had always supported talks.
ChinaFile Recommends
07.18.17U.S.-China Trade Rifts Resurface Even After Friendly Summit
Associated Press
The Trump administration risks igniting a trade war by considering slapping tariffs on steel imports.
Books
07.10.17

Destined for War
China and the United States are headed toward a war neither wants. The reason is Thucydides’s Trap, a deadly pattern of structural stress that results when a rising power challenges a ruling one. This phenomenon is as old as history itself. About the Peloponnesian War that devastated ancient Greece, the historian Thucydides explained: “It was the rise of Athens and the fear that this instilled in Sparta that made war inevitable.” Over the past 500 years, these conditions have occurred 16 times. War broke out in 12 of them. Today, as an unstoppable China approaches an immovable America and both Xi Jinping and Donald Trump promise to make their countries “great again,” the 17th case looks grim. Unless China is willing to scale back its ambitions or Washington can accept becoming number two in the Pacific, a trade conflict, cyberattack, or accident at sea could soon escalate into all-out war.In Destined for War, the eminent Harvard scholar Graham Allison explains why Thucydides’s Trap is the best lens for understanding U.S.-China relations in the 21st century. Through uncanny historical parallels and war scenarios, he shows how close we are to the unthinkable. Yet, stressing that war is not inevitable, Allison also reveals how clashing powers have kept the peace in the past—and what painful steps the United States and China must take to avoid disaster today. —Houghton Mifflin Harcourt{chop}
ChinaFile Recommends
07.06.17How China Misread Donald Trump
Politico
Trump’s view of China is quickly turning sour. The reason for his dwindling patience is Beijing’s failure to rein in North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s nuclear program.
ChinaFile Recommends
06.28.17Trump Is China’s Chump
New York Times
Beijing is now quietly encouraging everyone in the neighborhood to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, China’s free-trade competitor to TPP.
ChinaFile Recommends
06.27.17Liu Xiaobo: China Tells U.S. not to Interfere Over Jailed Dissident
BBC
Beijing has hit back at Washington for "irresponsible remarks" after the US criticised its treatment of Chinese Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo.
ChinaFile Recommends
06.23.17Why I'm Building a Network of 10,000 Elite Scholars Who Understand China
CNBC
By 2007 China had become a critical player on the world's stage but few people had a deep understanding of the cultural values and traditions that underpin that nation's business, political and everyday life.
ChinaFile Recommends
06.21.17U.S., China Meet on North Korea after Trump Points to Failed Chinese Effort
Reuters
Top diplomats and defense chiefs from the United States and China began a day of talks in Washington on Wednesday looking for ways to press North Korea to give up its nuclear and missile programs.
Viewpoint
06.08.17
Can China Really Lead the World on Climate?
On Wednesday, the governor of California, Jerry Brown, found himself, not for the first time, with more in common with Chinese President Xi Jinping than with the president of his own nation, Donald Trump. Just days after President Trump announced...
ChinaFile Recommends
06.07.17Beijing Lashes Out Over Pentagon Report on Chinese Military
Associated Press
Beijing says it is “firmly opposed” to a Pentagon report that highlighted China's construction of military facilities in the South China Sea and speculated that Beijing would likely build more bases overseas.