Michael Kovrig is Senior Adviser for North East Asia with the International Crisis Group. He conducts research and provides analysis and advocacy on foreign affairs, geopolitics, and security policy with a focus on China. He previously worked as a Canadian diplomat in Beijing and Hong Kong, at the United Nations in New York as a strategic communication specialist for the U.N. Development Program, and as a China analyst for the firm that is now Rhodium Group. As a foreign service officer with Global Affairs Canada, he worked primarily on global security. A Mandarin Chinese speaker, Kovrig has a Master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University.
Last Updated: September 28, 2017
Viewpoint
10.23.18
With an Influx of Blue Helmets and Cash, China’s Role in African Security Grows More Pervasive
China’s growing engagement with African countries got a publicity boost on September 3 and 4 with the latest Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit. The triennial event brought leaders and officials from 53 African countries and the...
Conversation
08.01.18
What Would a U.S. War—or Peace—with Iran mean for China?
China is the largest buyer of Iranian oil, Iran’s largest trading partner, and arguably its most important positive political relationship. What do Trump’s threats to Iran mean for China’s relationship with the country? And how would a war between...
Conversation
03.28.18
Kim Jong-un Visits Beijing
After two days of rumors, on Wednesday March 28, the official news agencies of China and North Korea announced that North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un had just completed a visit to Beijing. The “unofficial visit,” as Xinhua put it, was Kim’s first...
Conversation
09.21.17
What Will China Do if the U.S. Attacks North Korea?
During a speech at the United Nations General Assembly on September 19, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that if North Korea threatened the United States or its allies, he would “totally destroy” the nation. As tensions continue to rise between...