China has experienced uniquely turbulent relations with its neighbors and Western countries as Chinese leader Xi Jinping seeks to restore what he believes is the country’s natural position as a great power. With Xi’s unmatched political authority, this sense of mission drives the nation's foreign policy. In his new book, “The Dragon Roars Back: Transformational Leaders and Dynamics of Chinese Foreign Policy,” Suisheng Zhao takes a leadership-centered approach to analyzing shifts in Chinese foreign policy since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.  

On October 24, USIP, in cooperation with the SAIS China Research Center, hosted a conversation with Suisheng Zhao on China’s emergence as a global power, the forces that have shaped its international behavior and the implications for the United States.

Speakers

Suisheng Zhao
Professor and Director, Center for China-U.S. Cooperation, Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver 

David Bulman
Jill McGovern and Steven Muller Assistant Professor of China Studies and U.S. Director of the Pacific Community Initiative, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies 

Carla Freeman, moderator  
Senior Expert, China Program, U.S. Institute of Peace 

Related Publications

US-China Rivalry in Asia and Africa: Lessons from the Cold War

US-China Rivalry in Asia and Africa: Lessons from the Cold War

Monday, June 24, 2024

One of the hallmarks of the Cold War era was a competition between the United States and its democratic allies, on the one hand, and Communist powers, on the other, for the allegiance of countries in Africa and Asia. In an echo of the Cold War, a similar competition between the United States and China is playing out today. This report examines the US-China rivalry then and now and offers insights and lessons that can guide US policymakers as they navigate the contemporary competition.

Type: Special Report

Global Policy

In Pyongyang, Putin and Kim Tighten Ties, Pledge Mutual Defense

In Pyongyang, Putin and Kim Tighten Ties, Pledge Mutual Defense

Thursday, June 20, 2024

As President Vladimir Putin’s illegal war on Ukraine grinds on, the Russian leader needs friends and supporters wherever he can get them. To that end, Putin traveled this week to North Korea for the first time in nearly 25 years, looking to deepen cooperation with the rogue regime and, chiefly, to get more ammunition for his war on Ukraine. Putin and Kim Jong Un inked what the North Korean leader called “the most powerful treaty” ever between the two countries. While strengthened ties between two of Washington’s most enduring adversaries are of unquestioned concern for the U.S., Beijing is also wary of the implications.

Type: Question and Answer

Global Policy

Boiling the Frog: China’s Incrementalist Maritime Expansion

Boiling the Frog: China’s Incrementalist Maritime Expansion

Thursday, June 13, 2024

For over three decades, Beijing has deployed an initially slow but now accelerating campaign to degrade Philippine maritime rights and access in the West Philippine Sea. This long-term effort has been characterized by often seemingly benign actions and even conciliatory rhetoric interspersed with escalatory words and deeds designed to test the thresholds of neighbors and allies. Today, China’s rising aggression in the West Philippine Sea and broader South China Sea has pushed the region to the precipice of conflict.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

View All Publications