Scholar heads to Boston to gauge American views on US-China rivalry

Starting a year-long appointment as a senior visiting scholar at Harvard Kennedy School’s Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia, the author will tour the United States to converse with policymakers, academics and business figures about the trajectory of US-China ties. In preparation, he erased all personal data from his phone, following a common precaution advised to Chinese travelers heading to America and echoed by Americans traveling to China.

The goal is to map the boundary between inevitable friction and possible cooperation. He highlights structural worries: in Washington, a perceived decline in manufacturing dominance and global standing; in Beijing, a belief that a still-powerful United States seeks to curb China’s rise through tariffs, technology export restrictions and strategic alliances. By gathering diverse American perspectives, he hopes to identify common ground that could ease the rivalry.