Zha Daojiong

Zha Daojiong

Professor of International Political Economy, Peking University

Zha Daojiong is Professor of International Political Economy at the School of International Studies and the Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development at Peking University in Beijing, China.

Paramilitary police stand guard south of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on 5 March 2023. (Greg Baker/AFP)

Talk of a US-China war: How frightening?

Rhetoric by the Chinese elite of an America in decline has US political circles guessing at China’s intentions. In truth, even if talk of “decoupling” or “de-risking” from China is on the rise, this is still insufficient cause for war. Echo chambers amplifying the issue is the last thing both countries need.
A general view of a Chinese military vessel docked at the port in Richards Bay on 22 February 2023, during a 10-day joint military exercise with Russia and South Africa. (Guillen Sartorio/AFP)

The Chinese offer of a Global Security Initiative: Anything new?

Last week, the Chinese foreign ministry launched "The Global Security Initiative Concept Paper", following from the Boao Forum for Asia in April 2022, when Chinese President Xi Jinping raised the concept of a Global Security Initiative, which includes respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, abiding by the UN Charter, and taking the legitimate security concerns of all countries seriously. What does all this mean for ASEAN?
A worker in a protective suit stands near commuters at a subway station in Shanghai, China, 2 June 2022. (Aly Song/Reuters)

[State of our world] Is the world really heading into disorder?

Shutting out the din of international debates on US-China competition, Professor Zha Daojiong puts perspective on changing global dynamics, asserting that China is circumspect about its place in the world and the prospect of decoupling is further than people think. Besides, other players, albeit smaller ones, hold sway over the changing global order too. This is the first in a series of four articles contemplating a changing world order.
A tree on a pickup truck before the Lights of Lugoff Christmas Parade on 12 December 2020 in Lugoff, South Carolina. (Sean Rayford/AFP)

Even as US-China competition intensifies, the world can look forward to a few good things

Post Covid-19, while it seems that a world economy with two centres of dynamism — one America, the other China — is setting in, and “decoupling” and “deglobalisation” are becoming catchwords of the new era, academic Zha Daojiong notes that there are a few bright spots amid the gloom. Moreover, the new normal in China-US relations may be more stable and less worrying for Southeast Asia than commonly thought.