Han Dongping

Han Dongping

Professor, Warren Wilson College

Han Dongping is currently a political science professor at Warren Wilson College, USA. He teaches East Asian history, international politics of the Pacific, comparative government of the Global South, politics of developing states, Chinese government and politics, agriculture, community and the environment and the Chinese Cultural Revolution. His major works include: China through the eyes of an overseas Chinese (Chinese Social Science Press, 2019), “China’s rural reform and its impact on China’s food security” (Journal of Labor and Society, 2018), “Human Rights in a Realist World — A Review of Sino-U.S. Confrontation over Human Rights” (The Oriental Anthropologist, 2004) and “Impact of the Cultural Revolution on Rural Education and Economic Development” (Modern China, January 2001). He also wrote numerous commentaries for China Daily and other Chinese newspapers in both English and Chinese. He was guest professor at Hebei University, Wenzhou University, and Nanchang University.

A supporter holds up a sign in Manchester, New Hampshire, US, on 20 January 2024. (/Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

The US has never been so divided

Academic Han Dongping notes that the 2024 US presidential election will likely be a rematch between current President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. One thing for certain is that if Trump is re-elected, this will surely exacerbate the divide between "red" and "blue" America.
A person with an umbrella walks past a homeless person at Times Square during a rainy day on 19 January 2023 in New York City, US. (Angela Weiss/AFP)

Can the US afford a war with China?

The US’s propensity for spending more than it has has landed it in a US$31 trillion debt. Furthermore, the US’s actions against Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and China have weakened US dollar hegemony. US academic Han Dongping remarks that perhaps the US needs to focus on itself before it begins its sabre-rattling over issues such as the Taiwan Strait crisis.
Abortion rights protesters gather at the Utah State Capitol after the US Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion decision, in Salt Lake City, Utah, US, 24 June 2022. (Jim Urquhart/File Photo/Reuters)

The US is more divided than ever

US academic Han Dongping believes that the US society is more divided than ever and this has led to a high risk of violent social conflicts. Extreme actions taken by anti-abortionists, gunmen and white supremacists are just some of the issues that characterise today’s American society. Meanwhile, politicians either have their hands tied in solving these problems, or are using them as political campaign tools.
People walk through the snow in Manhattan on 7 January 2022 in New York City, US. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images/AFP)

US academic: Polarisation causing Americans to lose faith in the US system

Americans are losing confidence in their own country while the Chinese are gaining confidence in China. This change is profoundly significant, says US academic Han Dongping. The crux of America’s decline is the deep polarisation in a country which is no longer the land of opportunity and optimism for many who live in the cycle of poverty and crime. Is it a surprise that many college students are supporting socialism and looking for new models that might work?
People walk along a street in Beijing on 18 May 2021 past military propaganda which reads: "Courageous —  raise a new generation of spirited, capable, courageous and morally upright revolutionary soldiers." (Noel Celis/AFP)

What if China and Russia join forces?

The US would not like to see China and Russia getting too close, knowing that their combined strengths would be formidable. But history shows that full cooperation between China and Russia is not a straightforward matter at all. US academic Han Dongping discusses the forces pushing these two giants closer together and the possible scenarios that could unfold if they join forces.
 A couple plays with their two children on the outskirts of Shanghai, China, 3 June 2021. (Aly Song/Reuters)

China’s demographic crisis: The farmers should have a say

Han Dongping points out that the views of the rural population in China should be taken into account in the three-child policy or other population policies. They were the most affected group when the the one-child policy was implemented decades ago. The government made the mistake of not consulting them then, alienating their stronghold of support in the process. They should not make the mistake again.
US President Joe Biden and Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga walk through the Colonnade to take part in a joint press conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC on 16 April 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP)

US academic: Is Japan a true and loyal US ally?

US academic Han Dongping says that while many assume Japan to be a loyal friend of the US, their complicated history suggests otherwise. Having used the atomic bomb on Japan, the US has continued to leverage the outcome of WWII to keep Japan as a pawn in its international strategy. Americans may argue that they are protecting Japan, but ask the Japanese in private, and some of their answers may surprise you. He asks: will Japan still be a willing US flunky if the global situation changes?
Cyclists and vehicles wait at a traffic signal light in Beijing, China on 21 April 2021. (Yan Cong/Bloomberg)

No one in the world loves the US as much as the Chinese? Not anymore.

China is no longer as enamoured with the US as it used to be, with its realisation that the US will never allow it to reach to its level and stand on an equal footing. Freed from sentimentality towards the US, China may accelerate its search for new partners to ensure its survival, says Han Dongping.
Soldiers take part in a drill in a military base ahead of the Lunar New Year in Hsinchu, Taiwan, 19 January 2021. (Ann Wang/Reuters)

Will American soldiers lay down their lives for Taiwan?

History shows that whether it was the Korean or Vietnam War, or the later military campaigns in Iraq or Afghanistan, the US rarely won the war as it was simply not their war to fight. With little real skin in the game, their opponents fighting tooth and nail for their homeland often got the upper hand despite being much weaker. Can the Taiwan case, if ever any skirmishes break out, be any different?