Hanscom Smith

Senior Associate (Non-resident), Freeman Chair in China Studies
Hanscom Smith

Hanscom Smith is a senior fellow at Yale University’s Jackson School of Global Affairs and a retired Department of State Foreign Service officer. During his 32-year career in government, he served as consul general in Hong Kong and Shanghai; as acting deputy assistant secretary of state responsible for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia; and in various positions at the U.S. embassies in Yaounde, Copenhagen, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Kabul, and Beijing. He was also team leader at the U.S. provincial reconstruction team in Muthanna Province, Iraq. In addition, Smith worked at the American Institute in Taiwan's Taipei office. Smith was a Council on Foreign Relations international affairs fellow in Japan. His foreign languages are French, Danish, Khmer, and Mandarin Chinese. Smith holds a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University, a certificate in political studies from Sciences Po Paris, and master's degrees from the London School of Economics and Political Science and Princeton University.

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Hong Kong Isn’t Mainland China: Let’s Try to Keep It that Way

In this commentary, Hanscom Smith argues that Hong Kong continues to differ from mainland China in meaningful ways and recommends that Washington seek to support ordinary Hongkongers in protecting what remains of the city’s autonomy and unique attributes.

Commentary by Hanscom Smith — June 27, 2024

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Hong Kong Isn’t Mainland China: Let’s Try to Keep It that Way

An audio version of “Hong Kong Isn’t Mainland China: Let’s Try to Keep It that Way,” a new commentary by CSIS’s Hanscom Smith. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Hanscom Smith — June 27, 2024

Audio Briefs

Hong Kong's New Security Law: Assessing Article 23

Please join the Freeman Chair for a discussion of Article 23, Hong Kong's homegrown security law that is in the early steps of enactment.  An all-star panel of experts will analyze and comment on what the law will mean for Hong Kong, and how the United States should respond. 

Event — February 28, 2024

Can China’s Economy Overcome the ‘Autocracy Handicap’?

China’s biggest struggle has always been with itself; while Xi Jinping has given himself breathing room by putting ties with the United States on a firmer footing, it now depends on how he uses that space to determine whether China can revive economic growth.

Commentary by Hanscom Smith — January 19, 2024