Ketian Zhang

Kzhang20@gmu.edu
View Ketian’s website
703-993-4983
Aquia, Room 329, MS 3F4
4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030 

EDUCATION

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ph.D., Political Science (2018)

University of Wisconsin-Madison, B.A. (Phi Beta Kappa), Political Science (with distinction) and Sociology (2012)

ACADEMIC POSITION

George Mason University (August 2019-)
Assistant Professor of International Security, Schar School of Policy and Government

PAST POSITIONS AND AFFILIATIONS

Stanford University (October 2018-July 2019)
Postdoctoral research fellow, Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center

Harvard Kennedy School (2017-2018)
Pre-doctoral research fellow, International Security Program, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

George Washington University (2016-2017)
Pre-doctoral research fellow, The Institute for Security and Conflict Studies

Tsinghua University (2015-2016)
Visiting student, Department of International Relations

The China National Institute of South China Sea Studies (2016) Visiting scholar

BOOKS

China’s Gambits – Explaining Chinese Coercion (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2024)
Runner-up and honorable mention in the 2019 Kenneth N. Waltz Prize from the American Political Science Association for best dissertation written in the field of security studies

Media coverage in VOA Chinese, BBC Vietnam

Book talks given at: CATO Institute, University of Maryland, University of Notre Dame, University of Pennsylvania, John Quincy Adams Society

Reviews:

• Vijay Gokhale, former Indian foreign secretary and Ambassador to China, The Hindu, February 16, 2024
• H-Diplo Roundtable Book Review, forthcoming, fall 2024

Second book project: Economic Interdependence and Rising Power Grand Strategies 

PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES

“Just Do it: Explaining the Characteristics and Rationale of Chinese Economic Sanctions,” forthcoming at Texas National Security Review.

“Chinese Military Coercion in Sino-Indian Border Disputes,” Journal of Contemporary China, Vol. 32, No. 141 (May 2023), pp. 399-416.

“Explaining China’s large-scale land reclamation in the South China Sea: Timing and rationale,” Journal of Strategic Studies, Volume 46, Issue 6-7 (2023), pp. 1185-1214.

“Signals, Deterrence, and QUAD,” Asia Policy, Vol. 17, No. 4 (October 2022), pp. 43-48.

“Bringing the Economy Back In: Economic Development and China’s Grand Strategy,” Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, January 2022.

“Cautious Bully: Reputation, Resolve, and Beijing’s Use of Coercion in the South China Sea,” International Security, Vol. 44, No. 1 (Summer 2019), pp. 117-159.

Winner of the 2019International Studies Association Patricia Weitsman Award for the best graduate student paper in security studies

Reviewed by Audrye Wongat H-Diplo/ISSF

Correspondence:
Tongfi Kim, Andrew Taffer and Ketian Zhang, “Correspondence: Is China a Cautious Bully?,” International Security, Vol 45, Issue 2 (Fall 2020).

PEER REVIEWED BOOK CHAPTERS

Book chapter on Nationalism and China’s anti-foreign protests (Forthcoming in Routledge Studies in US Foreign Policy series)

“China's Military Coercion: Patterns and Rationale,” in James A. Siebens ed., China's Use of Armed Coercion: To Win Without Fighting, Routledge Asian Security Studies Series (London: Routledge, 2023)

Book chapter on China’s grand strategy in East Asia Grand Strategy (Under contract with Georgetown University Press)

EDITOR REVIEWED BOOK CHAPTER

“Beijing's Nonmilitary Coercion – Tactics and Rationale,” in Tarun Chhabra, Rush Doshi, Ryan Hass, and Emilie Kimball eds., Global China: Assessing China's Growing Role in the World (Washington D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2021)

WORKS-IN- PROGRESS

“Alliances with Chinese Characteristics? The Conceptualization and Effects of China's Strategic Partnerships” (Invited for a special issue at International Politics)

“Evaluating the effectiveness of the PLA in China’s SEA strategy.”

“Third Party Intervention and Alliance Choices in the Chinese Civil War.”

“A campaign analysis of PRC submarine blockade against Taiwanese shipping.”

POLICY PUBLICATIONS

“The PLA As a Part of PRC Strategy in Southeast Asia,” forthcoming with the National Bureau of Asian Research.

“Conflict Scenarios between the United States and China at Sea,” Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy, 2023.

“The Quad and Sino-Indian Relations,” China-India Brief#207, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, July 16, 2022.

“The Third Taiwan Strait Crisis, 1995-1996” in “Deterrence in Southern Asia,” Nuclear Learning initiative, Stimson Center.

“Chinese Coercion in the South China Sea: Resolve and Costs,” Policy Brief (International Security), Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center, January 2020.

“Cautious Bully: Reputation, Resolve, and Beijing’s Use of Coercion in the South China Sea,” Ambassador's Brief, August 18, 2019.

“A View from the United States,” National Commentaries, The Asan Forum, Vol. 7, No. 3 (May-June 2019).

“China is pushing back against Taiwan for these three reasons,” Washington Post/Monkey Cage, April 8, 2019.

“Chinese non-military coercion—Tactics and rationale,” Brookings Institution, January 22, 2019.

“’Patriots’ with Different Characteristics: Deconstructing the Chinese Anti–Japan Protests in 2012,” Précis, MIT Center for International Relations, 2015 (Spring).

MEDIA COVERAGE/ INTERVIEWS

WSJ, Washington Post, CBS, Financial Times, BBC, BBC Vietnam, Economist, PRI, Politico, RFA, The Hill, The Wire China, USA Today, The Express, Defense One, Bloomberg Quint-India, The Hindu, The Hindustan Times, India Today, The Philippine Star, El Pais, The Storm Media

“Cautious Bully,” Podcast with Pekingology at CSIS, May 20, 2021.

“China’s Maritime Coercion,” Podcast with the China Centre at the University of Oxford, May 12, 2021.

John Reed and Christian Shepherd, “Manila confronts Beijing’s ‘utter disregard’ for law in South China Sea,” Financial Times, April 8, 2021.

Sea Control 237 – Sansha City in China's South China Sea Strategy with Zachary Haver & Dr. Ketian Zhang, Center for International Maritime Security's Sea Control podcast, April 4, 2021.

Jude Blanchette, “Beijing's visions of American decline,” POLITICO China Watcher at Politico, March 11, 2021.

Interview with the Young China Watchers, “Voices on China,” January 30, 2021.

Interview with The Express, “Taiwan showdown: China WILL invade if major red line is crossed - world on brink,” September 26, 2020.

Interview with Bloomberg Quint-India, “Why China Bullies? Expert Decodes Xi Jinping’s Aggressive Moves,” June 25, 2020.

Interview with David Rennie at the Economist, later reported here at Chaguan (David Rennie), “Why China bullies,” The Economist, June18, 2020.

Interview with Radio Free Asia, May 14, 2020

Podcast: “Chinese Coercion in the South China Sea,” with Admiral Scott Swift and retired diplomat Susan Thornton, Belfer Center at Harvard Kennedy School, November 14, 2019.

Interview with BBC Newshour, November 3, 2019.

Interview with Critical State, Public Radio International's weekly Global Security newsletter, October 28, 2019.

“Full steam ahead: naval competition with China,” Podcast, War On The Rocks, December 21, 2018.

ACADEMIC BOOK AND ARTICLE REVIEWS

Book review of War and Peace in the Taiwan Strait by Scott L. Kastner, Political Science Quarterly, 2023.

H-Diplo Roundtable XXIII-10 on Lüthi.Cold Wars: Asia, The Middle East, Europe Positive? Negative? Complicated? November 8, 2021.

“Strategies, Signals, And Conflict Propensity: Rising States, Declining States, And Contemporary U.S.-China Relations,” Journal of East Asian Studies, Vol. 20, Issue 2 (August 2020), pp. 161-172.

Book review of How China Sees the World: Han-Centrism and the Balance of Power in International Politics by John M. Friend and Bradley A. Thayer, Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 135, Issue 1 (Spring 2020), pp. 149-150.

H-Diplo/ISSF Roundtable 11-19 on Rebranding China: Contested Status Signaling in the Changing Global Order, July 10, 2020.

Europe and China’s sea disputes: between normative politics, power balancing and acquiescence by Andrew Cottey, H-Diplo/ISSF.

SELECT GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS, AND AWARDS

The Charles Koch Foundation Research Grant ($35,000)

Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards ($10,000, 2020- 2021)

Japanese Studies Fellowship, The Japan Foundation (2020-2021)

2019 International Studies Association Patricia Weitsman Award for the best graduate student paper in security studies

Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, Stanford University (2018-2019)

The Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation Dissertation Fellowship (2017- 2018)

Pre-doctoral Research Fellowship, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School (2017-2018)

Pre-doctoral Research Fellowship, the Institute for Security and Conflict Studies (ISCS), George Washington University (2016-2017)

Smith Richardson Foundation World Politics and Statecraft Fellowship (2016)

SELECT INVITED TALKS

University of Virginia, Feb7, 2024

American University, Dec7, 2023

NBR and INDOPACOM Annual Conference on the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia, June 9-11, 2023

Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto, Feb and Mar, 2023

Georgetown University, Nov 28, 2022

U.S. State Department, Nov 3, 2022

U.S. Air War College, Oct 26, 2022

TedxGeorge Mason, May 3, 2022

University of Washington International Security Colloquium, Mar 4, 2022

Harvard University, Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement, Apr 16, 2021

The University of Pennsylvania, Feb 18, 2021

University of Oxford, Dec 4, 2020

The Canada-China Roundtable, Department of Finance Canada, Oct 22, 2020

Foreign Correspondents' Club China, June25, 2020 

Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Aug 2020

Center for Security Policy Studies, George Mason University, Feb 21, 2020

Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, Stanford University, Apr 16, 2019

U.S. Naval War College, Dec 12,2018

Belfer Center, Harvard Kennedy School, Mar 8, 2018 

Department of Political Science, Brown University, Nov 1, 2017

LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin, Oct 25, 2017

The Ash Center at the Harvard Kennedy School, Sep 26, 2016

CONFERENCES AND PRESENTATIONS

Annual Meetings (P= paper author & presenter, O = panel organizer, D= discussant, C = Chair)

American Political Science Association: 2021(P), 2019 (D),2018 (P, O), 2016 (P), 2015 (P, D)

International Studies Association: 2024(P, D), 2022(P), 2021 (P,O, D, C), 2020 (P, O, D, C), 2019 (P, O, D), 2018 (P), 2016 (P, O)

Peace Science Society (International) Annual Conference: 2019 (P)

Midwest Political Science Association: 2015 (P), 2023 (C, D)

International Security Studies Section of ISA & the International Security and Arms Control Section of APSA (ISSS-ISAC): 2014 (P)

OTHER CONFERENCES/ WORKSHOPS (INVITED PARTICIPANT)

“Cooperation, Competition, and Conflict in East Asia” at William & Mary, Feb 2024

“Reimagining Alliances” workshop, Virginia Commonwealth University/University of Maryland, Nov 7-8, 2023

The Graduate Research and Development Network on Asian Security (GRADNAS), Panel Discussion: China and the Region, Oct 23, 2023

Oxford-UKM Workshop on “Bounding Power in the Island Chains,” Sep 2022

“Coercion and Crisis Management in the Taiwan Strait,” Stimson Center, Sep 2022 

“The Future of U.S.-China Relations,” MIT Starr Forum, Feb 24, 2022

“Minilateral deterrence in the Indo-Pacific virtual workshop,” Australian National University and Stanford University, Feb 10, 2022

“U.S. & China: At the Brink?”, Hayden Center at George Mason University, Nov 23, 2021

“IR Theory and China-India Relations” Conference, University of Denver/National University of Singapore, Nov 19-21, 2021

“Rising Powers: History and Strategy,” Virginia Military Institute, Nov 15, 2021

Workshop on the Future of Alliances in Asia, School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University, Oct 30, 2020

Social Science Reading Group, CISAC, Stanford University, May 23, 2019

China Social Science Workshop, Stanford University, Feb 20, 2019

International Security Studies Research Workshop, Yale University, Sep 21–22, 2018

Bridging the Gap New Era Foreign Policy Workshop, American University, Mar 2018

Boston International Security Graduate Conference, Feb 23, 2018

Harvard International Security Conference, Oct 14, 2017

Harvard-MIT-BU Chinese Politics Workshop (CCPRW),Oct 4, 2017

Emerging Scholars in Grand Strategy Conference, Notre Dame University, May 26, 2017

Research in Progress Workshop, George Washington University, Feb 6, 2017

China and International Relations Graduate Research Workshop, Penn CSCC, Nov 2016

The National Institute for South China Sea Studies of China, Apr 7, 2016

China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies of Wuhan University, Apr 20, 2016

Tsinghua University of China, Sep 24, 2015

TEACHING, SERVICE, AND ADVISING

George Mason University, Grand Strategy (Fall 2019, Spring2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023); Chinese Foreign Policy(Spring 2020,Fall 2021, Spring2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Spring2024)

Ph.D. dissertation committee member:

• Defended: Hyun Jung(Henry) Kim; Matt Fay
• In progress: Brian Davis; Connor Monie

Faculty mentor for Ph.D. students:

• Matt Kuhlman

Faculty mentor for undergraduate honors program, URAP, and OSCAR:

• Completed: Jenna Pan, Yulin Wu, Noah Schwartz, Abdallah Ali, Pearl Matibe, Kevin Ligthtner, Tenzin Tsering, Yara Hussein, Anthony Guzman, Remmy Salinas Calderon, Luke Smith, Kayla Repuyan, Declan Holmes, Lesley Chen, Ian Chai, Gabriel Yossick, and Ninya Khabush
• In progress: Lesley Chen (independent study)

Schar School Ph.D. students IR comprehensive exam committee member: Spring 2022; Summer 2022; Spring 2023

Member of the Schar School search committee for the tenure-track position on international security and law, fall 2022

The MIT Kaufman Teaching Certificate (awarded June 2015)

SERVICE TO THE FIELD

Reviewer, International Security, World Politics, International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Conflict Resolution, International Affairs, Security Studies, Asian Survey, Asian Security, Journal of Chinese Political Science, Issues & Studies, The Singapore Economic Review, Journal of Asian and African Studies, Contexto Internacional, Pacific Review, Political Science Quarterly, China: An International Journal, Third World Quarterly, Oxford University Press

Coordinator, Harvard-MIT-BU Chinese Politics Workshop, 2013-2015

MEMBERSHIP

American Political Science Association; International Studies Association

RESEARCH SKILLS AND TRAINING

Chinese: native
English: proficient
Japanese: beginner

Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research (IQMR), Syracuse University, June 2015

Completion of the Kaufman Teaching Certificate Program (KTCP)at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2015 Spring)

2018 RAND Nuclear Strategic Stability Boot Camp, August 2018

Fieldwork conducted: Summer 2013 (2 months, China);Winter 2014 (1 month, China); Summer 2014 (6 weeks, China); Winter 2014 (1 month, China); July2015 to July2016 (12 months, China); August 2016 to May 2017 (9 months, Washington D.C.); Winter 2017 (1 month, China), Summer2017 (2 months, China), Winter 2018 (1 month, China),Spring 2018 (2 weeks, China),Winter 2019-2020 (2 months, China), Spring2023 (1 week),Summer 2024 (planned)

REFERENCES

M. Taylor Fravel
Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor of Political Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
fravel@mit.edu

Richard Samuels
Ford International Professor of Political Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
samuels@mit.edu

Vipin Narang
Professor of Political Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
narangv@mit.edu

Stephen Van Evera
Ford International Professor of Political Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
vanevera@mit.edu