Benjamin Haas
on September 16, 2019
Benjamin Haas is a Visiting Academic Fellow at the Mercator Institute for China Studies and a freelance journalist. He was previously a foreign correspondent for The Guardian and Agence France-Presse.
Why Is the FBI Investigating Americans Who Study in China?
A ChinaFile Conversation
on September 13, 2019
Over the last two years, the FBI has questioned at least five U.S. citizens who have studied at Yenching Academy, a Master’s degree program hosted by Peking University. The purpose of the interviews, according to NPR, is to “ascertain whether they have been co-opted by Chinese espionage efforts.” This intensified attention follows increased scrutiny of Chinese students studying at U.S. universities, especially those linked to the military, reflecting the growing rivalry between the two powers.
Searching for Home
on September 13, 2019
Balloons over a wire fence, plastic toys hanging from a man-made rock, a few printed tiles on a wall, a pink sleep shirt with a sketch of a butterfly and dandelions: Peng’s photos capture the colorful glimmers of modest, unabashed desire. She seems drawn to objects that transcend the basic needs of survival, but nevertheless radiate a primal, childlike longing.
Dan Keane
on September 12, 2019
Dan Keane is a Lecturer in the Writing Program at NYU Shanghai. His reporting, fiction, and criticism have appeared in Harper’s, The Washington Post, The Austin Chronicle, McSweeney’s, Zoetrope: All-Story, ArtForum, and The Best Nonrequired American Reading, among others. A graduate of the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michigan, he formerly worked as the Bolivia correspondent for The Associated Press.
Johanna M. Costigan
on September 11, 2019
Johanna M. Costigan is a writer and editor. Her writing focuses on China’s digital governance, modern history and contested memory, and heterogeneous publics. Costigan was a Junior Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis. She has an M.Sc. in Contemporary Chinese Studies from the University of Oxford and graduated from Bard College with degrees in East Asian Studies and Written Arts.
Rebecca Arcesati
on September 11, 2019
Rebecca Arcesati is a Junior Analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS). Her research focuses on the nexus between China’s foreign policy and its industrial, digital, and technology policies at home. Prior to joining MERICS, she was involved in a project helping Italian tech startups scale up in China and worked on gender equality issues with the United Nations in Beijing. Arcesati holds a Master of Laws in China Studies with a focus on Politics and International Relations from Peking University, where she was a Yenching Scholar, as well as a Master’s degree in International Affairs from the University of Turin. She also studied Chinese language in Beijing and Dalian and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Language Mediation and Cross-Cultural Communication from the University of Milan.
Rosie Levine
on September 11, 2019
Rosie Levine is a Program Officer at the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, where she works primarily on the Public Intellectuals Program, among other programs.
Levine grew up in Beijing from ages four until nine. Since returning to the United States, she has been striving to understand her second home. This led her to specialize in history, Asian language and cultures, and museum studies at the University of Michigan. She focused her studies on U.S. popular culture, modern Chinese history, cultural heritage, and public history. She wrote her undergraduate honors thesis on U.S. popular responses to the Boxer Rebellion, focusing on how Americans came to understand China during that time. She graduated with High Honors and Highest Distinction in May 2014.
After graduation, Levine moved back to Beijing, where she conducted research and prepared exhibits for a gallery that collects old maps and photographs of Beijing. She then worked for the Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center, a Chinese NGO. She completed an M.A. in Chinese studies at Yenching Academy (Peking University), specializing in history and archaeology.
Mengwen Cao
on September 10, 2019
Mengwen Cao is a photographer, artist, and educator. Born and raised in China, they are currently based in New York.
As a queer immigrant, they use care and tenderness to explore spaces between race, gender, and cultural identity. As a board member of Authority Collective, they champion diverse narratives and perspectives in the media industry.
Their projects have been featured in publications such as Aperture, The New York Times, NPR, Mashable, BUST, Foreign Policy, The Guardian, Sina, and Tencent. They have participated in international exhibitions like Photoville, Jimei Arles, and Lianzhou Foto Festival.
Cao graduated from the New Media Narratives and Documentary Practice program at the International Center of Photography. They received NLGJA’s Excellence in Photojournalism Award in 2019. They were recognized by The Lit List in 2018, PDN 30 New and Emerging Photographers to Watch in 2019, and World Press Photo 6x6 Asia Talent in 2020.
Is the U.S.-China Relationship in Free Fall?: Part II
A China in the World Podcast
on September 5, 2019
Da Wei argues that shifting domestic politics in China and the United States are negatively impacting bilateral ties. In Washington, there is no longer widespread support for engagement with China. In Beijing, debates over the role of the state in the economy, driven by a fear of falling into the middle-income trap, are limiting progress in implementing economic reforms. In the international sphere, China has abandoned its policy of “hide and bide” and is pursuing a more active foreign policy representative of it growing strength. The confluence of the above factors is exacerbating tensions between Beijing and Washington, as well as between China and other countries in the Asia-Pacific. No matter who wins the next set of U.S. election, Da Wei argues, China’s focus will be on creating a more stable and predictable relationship. Specifically, this will require Beijing and Washington to focus on defining clear areas of competition and cooperation.
Is the U.S.-China Relationship in Free Fall?: Part I
A China in the World Podcast
on September 5, 2019
The Trump administration has focused China’s attention on the need to address underlying issues in the bilateral relationship, but it has overstepped. Trump’s use of tariffs has hardened Chinese views and limited Beijing’s ability to make concessions, even if they are in China’s self-interest, without appearing weak. His decision to impose new tariffs on China following the Osaka G20 meeting and Shanghai negotiations reinforced Chinese views that Trump is unreliable and may even change his mind even if a deal is struck. Officials in the administration have a range of economic and security goals that are not necessarily aligned with Trump’s. However, a majority of Chinese people now believe that the United States seeks to undermine China’s rise.
