Experts in the News

Congratulations to the 10 Rice undergrads who will participate in the Jesse Jones Leadership Center Summer in D.C. Policy Research Internship Program, led by fellow Steve Lewis!

“This is a huge escalation,” China studies fellow Steven Lewis said of U.S. orders to close China’s Houston consulate amid charges of spying. “I can’t think of an example of closing a consulate over these kinds of charges.” In a separate interview, Lewis said that the U.S. level of response sets this situation apart. “In the history of diplomacy, this usually results in bouncing some officials. Usually you don’t close an entire consulate over something like this.” Steve Lewis is the C.V. Starr Transnational China Fellow at the Baker Institute.

China's slowing economic growth and unease about its ability to contain the coronavirus outbreak are casting doubt on the country's near term future. “We export a lot of agriculture and some energy, which we’re hoping to increase,” said Steven Lewis, China Studies fellow. “These are things the Chinese need. But there’s a lot of businesspeople in China who say the outlook is bad."

China’s so-called social credit system, a new high-tech program of mass surveillance and coercion aimed suppressing political dissent, could have a chilling effect on Americans doing business in China. “Very few American technology company people have been wanting to go to China recently," said China Studies scholar Steve Lewis.