USC and China in the News, 2022

News organizations frequently turn to USC for expert analysis on trends in China. Below are links to stories drawing on USC faculty, staff and students as well as other stories about USC and China.

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August 19, 2022: The Diplomat

Leo Chu, a research assistant at the USC Center for Active Learning in International Studies, published an article arguing that Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan has convinced many in China that peaceful unification with Taiwan is impossible. He wrote, "When Pelosi planned her trip, the strategic logic was to ensure U.S. deterrence. But it may have done the opposite: increasing the likelihood of war by raising public demands for it within China."

August 10, 2022: Newsweek

Comments Clayton Dube of the USC U.S.-China Institute made in 2017 were quoted in an article about current Chinese efforts to build its technological capacity. Dube said that the Obama administration had "warned China against using its military might to intimidate others."

August 9, 2022: Fortune

Stanley Rosen, a USC political scientist, was quoted in a story about which American films have been approved for distribution in China. He said, “It’s clear that [Beijing is] punishing Marvel..." for comments made by an actor and director of recent Marvel films.

August 4, 2022: World Journal 世界日报 via Yahoo News

USC political scientist Stanley Rosen and Clayton Dube of the USC U.S.-China Institute were interviewed about possible consequences of the trip by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taipei. Dube noted Pelosi's likely to desire to visit while she was still the leader of the House of Representatives. She's also been anxious to promote standing up to autocracies, visiting Ukraine earlier in the year. Rosen noted that President Biden had spoken about defending Taiwan and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for recognition of Taiwan as an independent country. Dube argued that all three sides, Beijing, Taipei and Washington, would find the cost of breaking from the status quo on Taiwan extremely painful and he doubted the visit would have much impact on the long term relations among the three.

August 2, 2022: CNN International

The USC U.S.-China Institute's Clayton Dube was interviewed on whether or not Nancy Pelosi, as speaker of the House of Representatives, violated the spirit of the joint communiques issued by China and the United States in 1972, 1979 and 1982. Dube noted that the U.S. does not recognize Taiwan as an independent country, but has strong, multifaceted ties with institutions and people in Taiwan. Pelosi voiced admiration for Taiwan's democracy and pledged her support of it.

August 2, 2022: CBS KNX Radio

Clayton Dube of the USC U.S.-China Institute was interviewed on the importance of the visit by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. Pelosi had only just landed in Taiwan. Dube emphasized the messages Pelosi, the U.S. government, the Chinese government and the government of Taiwan were sending in advance of the visit and with the visit. Pelosi has long criticized China's authoritarian government, going so far in 1991 to memorialize in Tiananmen Square those who suffered in the crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations. She is unlikely to be Speaker after this year, so she wanted to signal her continued support for democratic principles. At the same time, Pelosi and President Joe Biden stressed that the visit does not signal a change in U.S. policy toward China, but reflects continued support for the people of Taiwan. Biden's phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier conveyed a similar message and included a call for all sides to remain cool. China's government and state media energetically condemned the visit as provocative and encouraging independence-minded elements in Taiwan. PRC representatives wanted to warn those in Taiwan and the U.S. to not disregard Beijing's postions and Chinese officials sought to remind people on the mainland that they should see this visit and American policies as offensive. For its part, the Taiwanese government did not formally announce the visit ahead of time and affirmed its commitment to maintaining the Taiwan strait status quo. Dube said that all sides were articulating firm principles, but that none wanted the visit to escalate tensions between China and Taiwan or between the U.S. and China.

July 26, 2022: Foreign Policy

USC U.S.-China Institute senior fellow Mike Chinoy published an essay, "What Does Nancy Pelosi Think She's Doing in Taiwan?" He recounted his own experience covering Pelosi's 1991 visit to Tiananmen Square and argued that her potential visit now was dramatic, but carried unnecessary risks. Chinoy noted that the visit had not been officially announced, but wrote "if Pelosi ignores Beijing’s warnings, it could trigger a dangerous new crisis over Taiwan." He argued that, "the prospect of a Pelosi visit has only heightened the sense of confusion about U.S. policy toward both China and Taiwan," noting that the Biden administration has had to repeatedly emphasize that U.S. policy hasn't changed, after Biden himself had said that the U.S. was committed to Taiwan's defense. Chinoy also criticized the timing of the visit, writing that it was "gratuitously provocative, linked more to the August congressional recess than any strategic planning." Chinoy's article was quoted by many publications, including the Straits Times and USA Today.

April 19, 2022: Columbia Journalism Review

An excerpt from a new book by the USC U.S.-China Institute's Mike Chinoy was published. The article focuses on the 1972 Nixon trip to China. It and the book are based on the institute's Assignment: China 12-part documentary series.

March 26, 2022: Insider

Baizhu Chen of the USC Marshall School of Business was quoted in an article about the potential for China's yuan to become an international reserve currency. He said, "The use of Chinese currency will inevitably expand and play a much bigger role in the world... Some countries feel their economies could be held hostage to US policies because the dollar is dominant, and countries want to diversify their risk."

March 22, 2022: New York Times

Discussing the investigation into the China Eastern plane crash in Southwestern China,  the head of the USC aviation safety and security program Thomas Anthony said, “There may be one thing that’s obvious, there may be one primary thing, but it’s never one thing.”

March 7, 2022: Xinhua

Liu Shan, who earned her graduate degrees at USC, divides her time between China and the U.S. and leads one of Tencent's technology development teams. She spoke on China's need to play a role in setting global tech standards. 

March 3, 2022: NPR

USC Annenberg scholar David Craig was interviewed about the silencing of prominent internet celebrities in China for not being patriotic enough. He said, "[W]hat we're witnessing here is this kind of platform nationalism in which the populist sentiment that's happening not only in China but in every country all around the world is expressing itself through these kind of mob-like behaviors on social media."

February 26, 2022: VOA

A report on Nixon's 1972 trip to China included part of an interview with Clayton Dube of the USC U.S.-China Institute. He explained that the U.S.-China relationship has never been without friction, but that pragmatism led to productive cooperation.

February 21, 2022: Foreign Policy

Mike Chinoy, a senior non-resident fellow of the USC U.S.-China Institute, published an essay about Harned Hoose, a Los Angeles attorney who grew up in China and sought to help Richard Nixon prepare for his trip to China. After the Nixon trip in 1972, Hoose worked to aid American businesses in China. Click here for more on Hoose and his family.

February 19, 2022: Los Angeles Times

Clayton Dube of the USC U.S.-China Institute was interviewed for a story about China's technology ambitions and its display of them during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. He said, "China wants to convey that it is not just a manufacturing superpower, the so-called workshop of the world. They also want to be a center of innovation" and for all to know it. Dube also noted that in Los Angeles there was an effort to spruce things up ahead of the Super Bowl. He suggested that China isn't unusual in wanting to put its best foot forward.

February 17, 2022: Los Angeles Times

USC Dornsife international relations and political economy specialist Carol Wise was interviewed about China and rising autocratic behavior in Latin America. She noted the Chinese promotion of their idea of non-interference: “They don’t say anything about you and you don’t say anything about them. That’s their rule.”

February 10, 2022: New York Times

A review panel for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration declined to approve Eli Lilly's new cancer drug sintilimab citing that it had only been tested and sold in China. Jorge Nieva of the USC Keck School of Medicine was the sole dissenting vote. He said that there was no evidence the drug didn't work, “Having more drugs competing for those same patients will have, I think, greater impact on equity than the need for diversity in clinical trial enrollment, which I believe is important.”

February 4, 2022: Los Angeles Times

In an article about the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Clayton Dube of the USC U.S.-China Institute was quoted. He spoke about China's determination to show, that despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, it can still deliver a complex global event. He said, "China is anxious to demonstrate now is that 2008 was no fluke and the country has only advanced since then."

February 4, 2022: Deadline via Yahoo

USC political scientist Stanley Rosen was interviewed about China's aims for the Winter Olympics. He contrasted the current aims with those in 2008, saying "China just wants to get through the games unscathed.”

February 3, 2022: ABC News

Ed Avol of the USC Department of Population and Public Health Sciences was interviewed for an article about pollution challenges and the Winter Olympics. He said, "That will make it more difficult for them to take in a deep breath and as effectively and efficiently get that oxygen into their muscles to convert to usable energy." He noted that the unwillingness of elite athletes to adjust their training regimes despite high pollution levels puts them at greater risk.

February 3, 2022: Los Angeles Times

Clayton Dube of the USC U.S.-China Institute was interviewed for a story on the Beijing's potential risks and benefits in hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics. The risks include the hazard posed by covid-19, "you can't invite people to a party and be happy if they take ill." Dube stressed that for the Chinese leadership, the domestic audience is all important.

January 31, 2022: Architectural Record

An article on troubles facing U.S. design firms in China included references to the USC American Academy in China.

January 10, 2022: Deadline

Stanley Rosen, USC political scientist, was interviewed for a story on Marvel Studios and the China film market. Rosen said, “Years ago, it was said, ‘If you’re a production company or a studio, in terms of what China thinks of you, you’re only as good as your worst film. You do one film that China doesn’t like, and none of your films are shown in China’.“