The Diplomat | Author
Zhuoran Li
Zhuoran Li is a Ph.D. candidate in China studies and a research assistant at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University. His work has been featured in The Diplomat and the National Interest, and he has appeared on Vox News.
Zhuoran Li is a Ph.D. candidate in China studies and a research assistant at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University. He received his BA at the University of Virginia and MA at SAIS. His research interests include Chinese politics, Japanese politics, and East Asian security and diplomacy. His works have been featured in The Diplomat, SAIS China Studies Review, and the National Interest, and he has appeared on Vox News.
January 10, 2025
The Real Roots of Formalism in Chinese Bureaucracy
By Zhuoran Li
Xi blames local leaders’ “lack of responsibility” as the root of formalism. However, interviews with local cadres suggest otherwise
December 07, 2024
Changing Cadre Incentives: The Untold Story of China’s Economic Challenge
By Zhuoran Li
Changes in the local cadre incentive structure are a crucial yet often overlooked factor in the performance of the Chinese economy.
November 11, 2024
The Inner Workings of a Chinese Embassy
By Zhuoran Li
Few things illustrate the fragmentation of Chinese foreign policy better than the operation of the country's embassies overseas.
August 19, 2024
The Real Challenge to the CCP’s Third Plenum Vision
By Zhuoran Li
Competition and friction between China’s different levels of government is going to complicate implementation of the reform agenda.
August 06, 2024
China’s EV Overcapacity Is Inevitable
By Zhuoran Li
China’s local governments have a strong interest in ensuring the survival and success of local car factories – regardless of market conditions.
March 29, 2024
More Than MOFA: China’s Comprehensive Diplomacy
By Zhuoran Li
The overarching goal of comprehensive diplomacy is to mobilize and coordinate various party-state agencies to advance China’s national strategic and diplomatic objectives.
March 25, 2024
China’s Third Plenum Is Long Overdue. That’s a Red Flag.
By Zhuoran Li
The absence of the Third Plenum is consequential and dangerous for China; it both reflects a notable divide within the CCP and causes greater political instability.
March 18, 2024
No, Japan Will Not Defend Taiwan
By Zhuoran Li
Whatever the Kishida administration might want, there are still strong domestic constraints to the country taking part in any conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
February 16, 2024
Can Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party Escape Factional Politics?
By Zhuoran Li
As long as the factions’ influence on personnel affairs continues, factionalism will not disappear within the LDP.
December 29, 2023
How Should Beijing Engage with the Next Taiwanese Administration?
By Zhuoran Li
Regardless of who wins Taiwan’s January 13 election, Beijing will have a golden opportunity to initiate talks without preconditions.
December 25, 2023
The Evolution of Identity in Taiwan
By Zhuoran Li
That more and more people in Taiwan identify as “Taiwanese” and not “Chinese” is partially the result of Beijing’s own policies.
December 19, 2023
The History and Future of China Studies in the US
By Zhuoran Li
Things may look bleak today, but it’s a far cry from the era of zero contact in the 1950s and ‘60s.
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