I am co-founder and director of The Oxford China Policy Lab (OCPL), a non-partisan group of researchers based at the University of Oxford. Our mission is three-fold. First, we are dedicated to providing academically rigorous, evidence-based, and policy-relevant analysis on the top issues in U.S.-China relations and their impact on the rest of the world that most significantly heighten the potential for global catastrophe. In doing so, we seek to move beyond ideological tropes and exclusively Western- or Sino-centric approaches to promote a nuanced discourse on China, bringing in local expertise across a range of global theatres to address questions of international importance. Second, we aim to transform Oxford into the primary hub for a network of academic researchers and policymakers in the EU and beyond working to address similar questions, create a meaningful space for collaboration and discussion, and build meaningful synergies across academia and policy. Finally, in the long-term, we aspire to train the next generation of China specialists by helping undergraduate and graduate students develop China-related expertise through first-hand research experience. We hope to inspire these up-and-coming researchers to pursue careers that will allow them to maximize their ability to do good in the world.
We are grateful to Balliol College, Oxford, the Oxford Policy Engagement Network, and the Berekeley Existential Risk Initiative for their financial support of our group.