What insights are scholars in China drawing from the war in Ukraine, over two years on from Russia’s invasion in February 2022? Here, leading experts leverage recently translated scholarship to explore how Chinese analysts weigh the key dynamics, likely trajectory, and broader geopolitical implications of the war.

China’s flagship overseas infrastructure investment project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is entering its second decade. As is evident from recently translated Chinese scholarship on the future of the BRI, Chinese experts diagnose major risks, as well as opportunities, for the initiative going forward, including growing skepticism of Beijing’s objectives among host partner countries. Here, regional analysts explore how countries in Africa, Central Asia, Latin America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia are conceptualizing the future of the BRI and their involvement in the years ahead.

Recent tensions in the Middle East have drawn global attention to the region, where China’s engagement has grown substantially over the past decade. How does Beijing assess its relationships with states in the Arab world, and how are Chinese policymakers viewing the future of U.S.-China tensions in the region? Experts in China-Middle East relations analyze recently translated Chinese scholarship on Beijing’s evolving strategy for engagement with countries in the MENA region.

Drawing on newly translated scholarship, leading experts analyze China’s evolving relationships in Africa, both in terms of economic engagement with individual states and interactions with fellow major powers on the continent.

Drawing on newly translated scholarship, leading experts examine how Chinese analysts are assessing U.S. and partner deterrence strategies in the Indo-Pacific and in the Taiwan Strait.

How are Chinese scholars assessing what role Japan might play in a potential conflict in and around Taiwan? Here, we asked three leading experts to analyze newly translated assessments by Chinese scholars on Japan’s role in cross-Strait relations and implications for Beijing’s evolving relationship with Tokyo going forward.

What is China’s approach to crisis management, and how has it evolved over the past several decades? Here, three leading experts analyze newly translated assessments by Chinese security analysts and assess implications for U.S.-China security relations.

In the wake of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, how are Chinese strategists and scholars assessing U.S. deterrence strategy? What are the implications for Taiwan? Here, four leading foreign affairs experts—Rory Medcalf, Oriana Skylar Mastro, Hal Brands, and Michael Mazarr—analyze a newly translated article by a senior Chinese scholar which concludes that while the United States failed to deter Putin’s aggression, its actions in Ukraine are nonetheless impacting Beijing’s foreign policy calculations.

In contrast to the United States and other democratic governments, Beijing sees ideology as an integral component of its national security. Jude Blanchette puts a translated essay on this topic in the context of Beijing’s national security strategy.

How do Chinese foreign policy scholars view U.S. policy on China and the broader Indo-Pacific? Oxford University’s Rosemary Foot, CSIS scholars Ivan Kanapathy and Lily McElwee, and the Atlantic Council’s Chris Preble provide expert analysis of newly translated Chinese assessments.