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.
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.
November 18, 2023
The Power – and Limits – of Xi Jinping
By Zhuoran Li
Xi may have more power than any Chinese leader since Mao Zedong, but even he can’t fully implement his policy preferences.
November 04, 2023
The 2-Level Game in Japan’s Agriculture Trade Negotiations
By Zhuoran Li
The Japanese agriculture sector has a long history of obstructing international trade talks.
July 13, 2023
The Human Level of China’s Security State
By Zhuoran Li
People still occupy the front and center of Xi’s social control vision, and technology only aims to complement the “mass line.”
June 16, 2023
Abe’s Unfinished Business: Japan’s Agriculture Reform
By Zhuoran Li
Abe Shinzo is often considered Japan’s most powerful prime minister. But he faced steep political opposition in one of his primary goals.
June 10, 2023
What Is the Impact of China’s New Rural Initiative?
By Zhuoran Li
China is more tightly controlling how farmland can be used in an attempt to bolster food security – but it risks undoing the progress made in alleviating rural poverty.
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