Hi! Welcome...

Andrew S. Erickson China's rapid development is reshaping the world in all dimensions. Chinese language open sources offer insights into these critical trends. While such materials are increasing constantly in number, diversity, and sophistication, only a fraction is available in English. The analyses available here, many based on sources not previously considered outside China, are designed to help bridge that gap--and thereby increase understanding of the most dynamic great power in the international system today.

09 October 2017

Christopher L. Mercado Reviews “Rebalancing U.S. Forces” in Strategy Bridge/RealClearDefense

Christopher L. Mercado; review of Carnes Lord and Andrew S. Erickson, eds., Rebalancing U.S. Forces: Basing and Forward Presence in the Asia-Pacific (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2014); published originally in Strategy Bridge, republished in RealClearDefense, 2 October 2017.
Guaranteed access is a chimera.[1]
“The U.S. has lost,” President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines announced during a visit to Beijing in […]

09 October 2017

Dr. Gregory P. Gilbert Reviews “Chinese Naval Shipbuilding” for International Journal of Maritime History/Australian Naval Institute

Gregory P. Gilbert, “Chinese Naval Shipbuilding: Ambitious, Uncertain”; review of Andrew S. Erickson, ed., Chinese Naval Shipbuilding: An Ambitious and Uncertain Course (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2016); prepared originally for International Journal of Maritime History, published online via the Australian Naval Institute, 23 September 2017.
“… the international security environment is undergoing a shift from the familiar post-old Cold […]

26 September 2017

Here’s Ronald O’Rourke’s Latest Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report: “China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress”

Happy to see my colleagues Peter Dutton and Ryan Martinson quoted in this recently-published report!
Ronald O’Rourke, China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress, RL33153 (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 18 September 2017).
Summary
China since the early to mid-1990s has been steadily building a modern and powerful navy. China’s navy in recent years has emerged […]

26 September 2017

Read Ronald O’Rourke’s Updated Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report—“China’s Maritime Territorial & Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Disputes”

Ronald O’Rourke, Maritime Territorial and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Disputes Involving China: Issues for Congress, R42784 (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 15 September 2017).
 
KEY EXCERPTS:
p. 14
1972 Convention on Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs)
China and the United States, as well as more than 150 other countries (including all those bordering on the South East and South China Seas other […]

15 September 2017

Complete Set of CMSI’s China Maritime Study “Red Book” Monographs: Titles and Links to Full Text PDFs

Since August 2008, the China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) has published fourteen monographs in its China Maritime Study series, known colloquially as “Red Books.” A fifteenth volume is currently in production and will be released later this autumn. Since this series is temporarily inaccessible via the new CMSI webpage on the new Naval War College […]

14 September 2017

China Navy Ships Depart for Joint Drills with Russia

Associated Press, “China Navy Ships Depart for Joint Drills with Russia,” Washington Post, 14 September 2017.
BEIJING — Four Chinese navy ships have departed for joint drills with Russia in the latest sign of growing cooperation between the two militaries that could challenge the U.S. armed forces’ role in the Asia-Pacific.
A destroyer, missile frigate, supply ship […]

08 September 2017

Understanding China’s Third Sea Force: The Maritime Militia

Andrew S. Erickson, “Understanding China’s Third Sea Force: The Maritime Militia,” Harvard Fairbank Center Blog Post, 8 September 2017.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A FULL-TEXT PDF.
Andrew S. Erickson, professor at the U.S. Naval War College’s China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) and Fairbank Center Associate in Research, outlines China’s evolving maritime security forces.

China’s Armed Forces are composed of three […]

29 August 2017

Latest Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report by Ronald O’Rourke: “China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress”

Happy to see my colleagues Peter Dutton and Ryan Martinson quoted in this recently-published report!
Ronald O’Rourke, China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress, RL33153 (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 18 August 2017).
Summary
China is building a modern and regionally powerful navy with a limited but growing capability for conducting operations beyond China’s near-seas region. […]

29 August 2017

Updated Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report—“China’s Maritime Territorial & Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Disputes”—by Ronald O’Rourke

Ronald O’Rourke, Maritime Territorial and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Disputes Involving China: Issues for Congress, R42784 (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 17 August 2017).
 
Key Excerpts:
p. 14
1972 Convention on Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs)
China and the United States, as well as more than 150 other countries (including all those bordering on the South East and South China Seas other […]

28 August 2017

Jamestown China Defense & Security Conference—11 October 2017

China Defense & Security Conference 2017
Save the Date!
Wednesday, October 11
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
1779 Massachusetts Ave NW,
Washington, DC 20036
 
About the Event: 
Over the past two years the Chinese Military’s activity in the East China Sea has increased dramatically. Meanwhile, the joint theater commands created in December 2015 have had a over a year to be stood up […]

27 August 2017

“China’s Evolving Military Strategy” Volume Just Published in Japanese: 中国の進化する軍事戦略

五味 睦佳 (監修) [Gomi Mutsuyoshi (supervisor)], ジョー・マクレイノルズ (編集, その他) [Joe McReynolds (Editor)], 伊藤 和雄 (翻訳) [Ito Kazuo (Translator)], 大野 慶二 (翻訳) [Ohno Keiji (Translator)], 鬼塚 隆志 (翻訳) [Onnuka Takashi (Translator)], 木村 初夫 (翻訳) [Kimura Hatsuo (Translator)], 五島 浩司 (翻訳) [Goto Koji (Translator)], 沢口 信弘 (翻訳) [Sawaguchi Nobuhiro (Translator)], 中国の進化する軍事戦略 [China’s Evolving Military Strategy] (Tokyo: 原書房 […]

22 August 2017

China Maritime Studies Institute Faculty Brings China’s Maritime Militia Out of the Shadows

“China Maritime Studies Institute Faculty Brings China’s Maritime Militia Out of the Shadows,” The Beacon: U.S. Naval War College Newsletter 1.3 (August 2017): 14.
As part of an intensive multi-year project, Professor Andrew Erickson and Research Associate Conor Kennedy of the China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) have illuminated China’s use of a Maritime Militia to overpower […]

08 August 2017

The Ryan Martinson Bookshelf–A Treasure Trove of China Civil Maritime Insights

For analysis of Chinese maritime policy and China Coast Guard development, it simply doesn’t get any better than this. Enjoy this one-stop library of my colleague Ryan Martinson’s work. It’s well worth reading all 19 of these superb publications!
Ryan D. Martinson and Katsuya Yamamoto, “How China’s Navy Is Preparing to Fight in the ‘Far Seas’,” The National Interest, […]

02 August 2017

Worth Reviewing: Harvard’s Vast Resources for China Research

Research Guide for Chinese Studies

Home

FONG PRIZE
NEW/ON TRIAL DATABASES
DIGITAL HUMANITIES PROJECTS
DIGITIZATION PROJECTS
RESEARCH GUIDES
MOSTLY USED DATABASES
CHINESE STUDIES AT HARVARD
OTHERS

Books
Articles
Reference Tools
News/Media
Maps/ Images
Statistics
Bibliographies
Harvard-Yenching Library Archival Materials
Useful Links

This guide provides an introduction to selected electronic resources for Chinese studies.  Any suggestions, questions or comments, please contact Xiao-he Ma  or Sharon Li-shiuan Yang .  Thanks!

Harvard-Yenching Library Homepage
Harvard-Yenching Library Collections 
Harvard-Yenching Library Newspaper Collection
Harvard College Library Homepage
Harvard Library Portal
Harvard Mobile

Fong Prize

 2017 Fong […]

30 July 2017

China Parades New Missile in Warning to Rivals Abroad—and at Home

Jeremy Page, “China Parades New Missile in Warning to Rivals Abroad—and at Home,” Wall Street Journal, 30 July 2017.
Military display is latest effort by President Xi Jinping to improve standing as party leadership shuffle looms
China unveiled a new, more mobile intercontinental ballistic missile at a parade of advanced weaponry and combat troops, in President Xi […]

24 July 2017

Whither China’s Nuclear Submarine Production Capacity? Retired Naval Officer/Intelligence Analyst Offers Exquisite Assessment (Text, Photos, Open Source Lessons)

Christopher Carlson, “Why Everyone Is Wrong about China’s Next-Gen Submarines,” The National Interest, 23 July 2017.
Christopher Carlson is a retired naval officer and scientific and technical intelligence analyst specializing in naval warfare issues. He retired from the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2010 as a senior intelligence officer overseeing the production of technical intelligence products and […]

24 July 2017

Chinese Navy Article Suggests “Far Seas” Ambitions, Reasons for Rapid Construction of Large Warships (Like Type 055 Cruiser)

A thought-provoking analysis of China’s potential ambitions regarding distant waters and rationale for its recent spate of large warship construction. As the authors rightly imply: While warships may be used in practice for many purposes, including humanitarian cooperation, they are extremely expensive and challenging to acquire, maintain, and ultimately retire. National leaders typically make the […]

24 July 2017

Read Now If You Haven’t Already: “Three PLAN Officers May Have Just Revealed What China Wants in the South China Sea”

If you haven’t yet read this fascinating and revealing analysis, I strongly recommend that you do so immediately!
Ryan Martinson and Katsuya Yamamoto, “Three PLAN Officers May Have Just Revealed What China Wants in the South China Sea,” The National Interest, 9 July 2017.
Chinese strategy in the South China Sea is expansionary in aim, incremental by […]

20 July 2017

Naval War College Seeks Two Assistant/Associate/Full Professors: Security Studies & Naval Warfare Analysis

Here’s a great opportunity for two scholars to join a world-class research community in a prime location. Do you (or someone you know) have years of experience in warfare analysis, excellent critical thinking skills, and a desire to work closely with the best in the field? Getting tired of a Beltway commute or working from […]