CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies

What does the future of China's economic strategy look like? Listen to @cfr_org’s @ZongyuanZoeLiu discuss her framework for understanding Chinese economic power on this episode of Pekingology with host @Henrietta_Ivy. csis.org/podcasts/pekin…

Thrilled to join @Henrietta_Ivy from @CSISFreeman on her Pekingology podcast to chat about what happened at the Two Sessions, what's in the new Five-Year Plan, and what on earth is going on in Chinese elite politics! "In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Neil Thomas, Fellow on Chinese Politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis. They discuss the significance of China's recent "Two Sessions," where the National People's Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference come together with great pageantry to announce new policies. Neil unpacks the state of China's elite politics and purges, the highlights of the 15th Five-Year Plan, President Xi's conservative approach to policymaking, and who might rise to important roles during Xi's fourth term."

🚨New Pekingology Podcast🚨 Last week, China concluded its Two Sessions, the annual parallel meetings of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. @AsiaPolicy’s @NeilThomas123 joined Senior Fellow @Henrietta_Ivy to unpack the state of China’s elite politics, recent purges, the 15th Five-Year Plan, and more. 🎧 Listen here: csis.org/podcasts/pekin…

On the latest episode of The Asia Chessboard, Mike joins Toshi Yoshihara to explore the significance of the First Island Chain in U.S. strategic thinking on Asia. Listen here: csis.org/podcasts/asia-…

“By the end of the century, you get well less than half of the population who are of working age,” says @CEPAR_research’s Philip O’Keefe of China’s aging problem. He joined Pekingology to discuss the consequences of China’s changing demographics. Revisit the conversation here: csis.org/podcasts/pekin…

The geographic scope of the U.S.-Philippines-Japan trilateral partnership allows for a comprehensive approach to deterrence across the East China Sea, South China Sea, and the waters around Taiwan. Discover how this trilateral can become a central platform for countering China’s destabilizing coercion: foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/07/tri…

“If the United States were to cripple the PRC’s standing in Latin America but relinquish its own influence in Asia in the process, history would remember the ‘Trump Corollary’ as a Pyrrhic victory.” ICYMI: Senior Fellow @Henrietta_Ivy writes for @BrookingsFP on China's strategy for Latin America and the impact of the "Trump Corollary": brookings.edu/commentary/chi…

“The economic cost of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan— estimated to reach $10 trillion—would fall heavily on the developing world.” What position would nations in the Global South take in the case of a Taiwan contingency? Read more: csis.org/analysis/under…

China and Vietnam recently held a “3+3” ministerial dialogue in Hanoi and announced plans to incorporate live-fire drills into their joint navy exercises. How does Vietnam walk the balance between the United States and China? Senior Fellow @Henrietta_Ivy warned in this 2025 @ForeignPolicy article that concessions to the U.S. as a result of tariffs could force Vietnam to strike commensurate deals with Beijing to restore strategic balance. Revisit the full analysis here: foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/16/us-…

A contested succession of the Dalai Lama could reignite conflict at the China-India border and destabilize the Himalayan region. Beijing is swiftly consolidating control over religious life and the selection of Tibetan reincarnation. Learn more in this January @CSIS report: csis.org/analysis/when-…

China once appeared to be on the path to democracy. Instead, it turned to totalitarianism. Hear @CMCnews’s Minxin Pei discuss why on this episode of Pekingology, where he talks about his new book, "The Broken China Dream: How Reform Revived Totalitarianism." Listen here: csis.org/podcasts/pekin…

Please join us at 8am EST on Thursday, 3/26 for a @CrisisGroup webinar to preview the Trump-Xi summit. @le2huong will moderate a conversation between @WilliamYang120, myself, and two esteemed guests: @Henrietta_Ivy and @ZongyuanZoeLiu. Register at us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regist….

What are the CCP’s views on the Catholic Church? ICYMI: Pekingology host @Henrietta_Ivy talked religion in modern China with @SantaClaraUniv’s Paul Mariani. Listen here: csis.org/podcasts/pekin…

💡ICYMI: @Henrietta_Ivy and guest @CEPAR_research's Philip O'Keefe unpacked the aging of Chinese society and its impact on China's politics, economy, and more. 🎧Listen here: csis.org/podcasts/pekin…

🔔ICYMI: Leading scholars from around the world joined Sr. Fellow @Henrietta_Levin for this @CSIS panel to discuss the findings of a year-long task force on Taiwan’s engagement with the Global South and cross-Strait dynamics. 📺Watch here: csis.org/events/underst…

What is the meaning of China’s most recent policy paper Latin America and the Caribbean? @RyanBergPhD, Bonnie Lin, and @Henrietta_Ivy answer for @CSIS Critical Questions. Read here: csis.org/analysis/china…

China just passed a new law on “ethnic unity,” requiring all ethnic minorities to learn Mandarin. Why is the CCP intent on assimilation, and how does this effort fit into Xi Jinping’s views of a modern China? For context, revisit this translation of a 2023 speech by Xi from @CSIS_Interpret. interpret.csis.org/translations/x…