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Understanding the China Threat by Bradley Thayer and Lianchao Han

  • Seminar Room G, Manor Road Building Oxford OX1 3UQ United Kingdom (map)

Tuesday Lunchtime Seminar Series
Michaelmas Term 2019: Week 6

Seminars at 1pm, Seminar Room G, Manor Road Building, Oxford. A light sandwich lunch is served at 12.45pm. All are welcome.


Understanding the China Threat

Bradley Thayer (University of texas San Antonio) and Lianchao Han (Understanding the China Threat)

Despite the importance of the worsening Sino-American relationship, the nature and scope of the threat remain poorly defined.  Understanding the future of the Sino-American confrontation requires comprehending why China and the United States possess motivations for conflict.  To address this, we explain the two causes of the Sino-American confrontation.  First, the change in the balance of power in China’s favor.  Second, the conflicting ideologies of the two states.  We submit that the relationship is likely to become much worse due to increasing security competition.

Bradley A. Thayer is Professor of Political Science at the University of Texas San Antonio and is the co-author of How China Sees the World: Han-Centrism and the Balance of Power in International Politics. Lianchao Han is vice president of Citizen Power Initiatives for China. After the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989, Dr. Han was one of the founders of the Independent Federation of Chinese Students and Scholars. He worked in the U.S. Senate for 12 years, as legislative counsel and policy director for three Senators.