China in the World Initiative
The China in the World research program centers on studying the rise of China and its implications for international politics at both global and regional levels. Faculty members working in this cluster examine how a risen China has transformed the world order. Topics include:
- Sino-US strategic rivalry and the prospect of a new cold war
- China’s contentious relations with regional countries, such as Japan and Australia
- Relations across the Taiwan Strait and rising scenarios of military conflict
- China’s use of its Belt and Road initiative to reshape the geopolitical order
- China’s policies and strategies toward the Korean Peninsula
- China-ASEAN relations
- Escalating conflict between China and other countries in the South China Sea
- China’s new roles in global governance
- China’s electronic vehicle strategy and its global impact
Team Members
- Chung, Chien-Peng, Professor
- Zhang, Baohui, Professor
- Yang, Xiangfeng, Associate Professor
- Chen, Lisha, Postdoctoral Fellow
- Deb, Soumyodeep, Postdoctoral Fellow
- Prah, Paa Kwesi Wolseley, Postdoctoral Fellow
- Ph.D. students in the GOV Department
Current funded research
- A Humanities and Social Science Prestigious Fellowship Scheme (RGC) grant examining Management Innovation in Public Service Organizations (Richard M. Walker)]
- An Early Career Scheme (RGC) grant on “Epistemic Injustices and Corporate Arrangements” (Leo Kwok)
- A General Research Fund (RGC) grant on “How State Concessions Impact the Dynamics of Contention? Institutional Accommodation and the Changing Landscape of Veterans’ Activism in China” (Kai Yang)
- A General Research Fund (RGC) grant on “Reassessing and Explaining Identity Shift in Hong Kong: Machine Learning Classification and Experimental Designs” (Shen Yang)
A Lingnan Research Committee grant on “Political Economy of China’s Local Governments’ Energy Transition” (Hongshen Zhu)
Faculty Projects Supported by Grants and Fellowships
- A General Research Fund (GRF) grant to examine Sino-US relations (Baohui Zhang)
- Japan Foundation’s Japanese Studies Fellowship to examine Sino-Japanese relations (Xiangfeng Yang)
- MOU-IFES North Korean Studies Fellowship to study China-North Korea relations (Xiangfeng Yang)
Research Projects of Ph.D. Students
- Chen, Lisha: Regional middle powers’ responses to China’s rise
- Deb, Soumyodeep: China-India security rivalry
- Han, Seohyun: US-China high-tech competition
- Li, Jiayue: China-US competition over informational power
- Ma, Pan: China’s soft power in South Southeast Asia
- Obeng, Effah Kwaku: China’s impact on African development
- Theingi, Aung: China-Southeast Asian relations
Woldearegay, Ahmed Tewodros: Sino-US strategic competition in the Horn of Africa
Publication
Chen, Lisha, and Baohui Zhang. "Hedging no more: Security seeking and Japan’s dual-track China policy." Journal of
Contemporary China (2025): 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2025.2459621.
Chen, Lisha, and Baohui Zhang. "Beyond balancing: Australia’s dual-track China policy." The Chinese Journal of International Politics 18, no. 2 (2025): 220-245. https://doi.org/10.1093/cjip/poaf004.
Chen, Lisha, and Baohui Zhang. "What is Taiwan’s China policy? Unpacking a mystery." The Pacific Review (2024): 1-31. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09512748.2024.2427195.
Chung, Chien-peng. China’s belt and road power transition. SUNY Press, 2025. https://sunypress.edu/Books/C/China-s-Belt-and-Road-Power-Transition.
Chung, Chien-peng. "China’s digital silk road." East Asian Policy 15, no. 02 (2023): 123-137.
https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/10.1142/S1793930523000168.
Chung, Chien-peng. "China’s Buddhist diplomacy under Xi Jinping: A preliminary investigation." East Asia 39, no. 3 (2022): 259-278. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12140-021-09380-z.
Deb, Soumyodeep, and Li Jiayue. "The changing dynamics of China's threat perception toward India: A shift from asymmetry to symmetry?." Asia Policy 19, no. 4 (2024): 207-225. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/942843.
Yang, Xiangfeng. "Why can’t the drama stop? US–China rivalry and security triangulation on the Korean peninsula." Contemporary Politics 29, no. 5 (2023): 640-658. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13569775.2023.2215115.
Zhang, Baohui. "Hoping for the best, preparing for the worst: China’s varied responses to US strategic competition." Journal of Contemporary China 33, no. 146 (2024): 352-371. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10670564.2023.2201170.
Zhang, Baohui. "Polarity and strategic competition: A structural explanation of renewed great power rivalry." The Chinese Journal of International Politics 16, no. 4 (2023): 383-405. https://academic.oup.com/cjip/article/16/4/383/7313442.
Biweekly newsletters | China–Africa Relations
Prah, Paa Kwesi Wolseley
The Limits of Beijing's Embrace
https://chinaglobalsouth.com/analysis/china-strategic-partnerships-africa-security-risks/
Airspace as Arena: China, Africa, and the Slow Strangulation of Taiwan’s Diplomatic Space
https://cafradar.substack.com/p/airspace-as-arena-china-africa-and
Beijing Capitalizes on Washington’s Aggression
The Real Meaning of Han Zheng’s African Tour
https://cafradar.substack.com/p/beijing-capitalizes-on-washingtons
Will China Pursue a Military Base in Africa’s Atlantic Ocean?
Assessing Strategic and Diplomatic Realities
https://cafradar.substack.com/p/will-china-pursue-a-military-base
“Egypt is diversifying its military partners away from the US”
“Military takeovers in West Africa are reshaping diplomatic ties”
China is reshaping global power dynamics through diplomatic rituals
“China’s support for Mali’s military carries risks: researcher outlines what they are”- The Conversation
Ambiguous by Design
China’s Global Security Initiative and Africa’s Security Dilemma
https://cafradar.substack.com/p/ambiguous-by-design.
China’s Weapons for Burkina Faso
No Strings Attached, Many Chains Included
https://cafradar.substack.com/p/chinas-weapons-for-burkina-faso.
PLA Navy’s 48th Escort Group
Routine Rotation or Strategic Inflection Point?
https://cafradar.substack.com/p/pla-navys-48th-escort-group.
Mombasa’s Strategic Dilemma
Balancing Beijing’s Warships and Washington’s Partnership
https://cafradar.substack.com/p/mombasas-strategic-dilemma.
When Peace Serves Two Masters
China in South Sudan
https://cafradar.substack.com/p/when-peace-serves-two-masters.
Can Inexperience Train Inexperience
The Paradox of the PLA’s Military Training in Africa
https://cafradar.substack.com/p/can-inexperience-train-inexperience.
China’s Lavish Pledge
Will $51 Billion Buy Africa’s Military Loyalty to Beijing?
https://cafradar.substack.com/p/chinas-lavish-pledge.
Recognition
Staff working in the China in the World program have received worldwide recognition, as shown by their publications in high-impact journals and their frequent interviews with leading international media outlets. For more details, please see our research impact page.