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Zhuoran Li

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.

Posts by Zhuoran Li
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.

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. 

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