Focus on security issues constrains US-based China research, report says
- US demand for China research increased, but it focused on how the Asian country as a security threat, according to a survey
- China has often been reduced to a target in US domestic rhetoric, rather than a complex subject of multidisciplinary study, respondents say
US-based China researchers battled new restraints as interest became narrowly focused on security issues while China became increasingly inaccessible to them, according to an advisory organisation.
US demand for China research increased as the country evolved into a global powerhouse, but it focused on how the Asian country as a security threat, according to a survey published by the National Committee on United States-China Relations (NCUSCR) on Thursday.
“The current environment in the US in the geopolitical relationship towards China has pushed everything that’s happening in the China field toward this narrow lens of security,” said Rosie Levine, senior programme officer at NCUSCR that led the survey.
While interest increased in understanding China’s military modernisation, technological advances, and meteoric economic growth, many topics are viewed through the lens of security, both within and outside academia, the survey respondents said.
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As a result, China has often been reduced to a target in US domestic rhetoric, rather than a complex subject of multidisciplinary study, they said.
