China Hands was founded by a group of American and Chinese students at Yale in December 2012, making it the Ivy League’s first student publication on U.S.-China relations. The term China Hand originally referred to 19th-century Western merchants who facilitated trade in China’s treaty ports but gradually evolved to indicate anyone with expert knowledge of Chinese language, culture and people. China Hands magazine aims to help readers become the next generation of China Hands.
Political and economic leaders around the world recognize the relationship between the U.S. and China as the most important bilateral relationship of the 21st century. Both countries dominate the world in terms of economic output, military spending and even carbon emissions. Leaders from the U.S. and China have endeavored to construct a symbiotic relationship in which each country can benefit from the other’s success, rather than driving the world toward another Cold War. The China Hands team strives to deliver the most insightful and perceptive stories about China.
Words from our Advisor
Dear Readers,
The psychology of fear mongering over China is a very real threat to America’s own prosperity and long-term growth. And the root of that fear lies in a lack of understanding of China and its impressive growth in the past thirty years. We need a new generation of China watchers in America who understand the significance of China’s recent leadership transition, the importance of its ongoing urbanization, and the urgency of its pivot away from an investment- and export-driven economy towards a pro consumption model. While far from perfect, there are many aspects of Chinese economic management that we in the West can learn from, especially a focus on stability and strategy. This is what I attempt to teach in my class at Yale, “The Next China.” Only by looking at China from both sides of the coin can we realize that China’s rise brings not just challenges, but also tremendous opportunities to the United States.
It is important to broaden the base of this dialogue in college communities such as Yale. I am very supportive of the role that China Hands can play in bridging the communication gap between students in America and China. In fact, several contributors to the inaugural issue of this magazine were previously students of mine in “The Next China.” The articles selected reflected various dimensions of the US-China relationship and many issues that are associated with China’s meteoric rise. They include insightful analysis on China’s impending water crisis, the entry of foreign banks into the Chinese financial system, the rise of a China lobby in Congress, the growing China-Africa relationship, and the future of American manufacturing in the face of Chinese competition.
I enjoyed reading these articles, and I hope you too will enjoy China Hands.
Stephen Roach
Advisor
China Hands