Henrietta Levin

Senior Fellow, Freeman Chair in China Studies
Henrietta Levin

Henrietta Levin is a senior fellow with the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. She previously held senior roles at the U.S. Department of State and the White House, spearheading U.S. strategy and diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific, with particular focus on China and its global impact, Southeast Asia, and the region’s multilateral architecture. Most recently, Henrietta served as deputy China coordinator for global affairs at the Department of State, director for China at the White House National Security Council, and director for Southeast Asia, also at the National Security Council. Earlier, she held several positions across the Department of State, including at U.S. Embassy Beijing, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. She began her government career at the Pentagon, where she served as a spokesperson and presidential management fellow in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Henrietta is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and holds several Department of State Superior Honor Awards. She received a bachelor's degree in international relations and a master of public diplomacy degree from the University of Southern California.

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Pekingology

Inside the China-Russia Partnership

Henrietta Levin is joined by Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center. They examine how Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin have deepened their ties, what China gains from supporting Russia's war in Ukraine, and where the limits of their “no-limits” partnership may lie.

Podcast Episode by Henrietta Levin — June 11, 2026

CSIS Pekingology
Pekingology

Can China Control North Korea?

Henrietta Levin is joined by Adam Farrar to unpack China’s complex relationship with North Korea. They discuss what the Trump-Xi summit revealed about Beijing’s position on denuclearization, how much leverage China actually has over Pyongyang, and why Kim Jong Un keeps creating problems for Xi. 

Podcast Episode by Henrietta Levin and Adam Farrar — May 28, 2026

CSIS Pekingology
Pekingology

Trump and Xi Meet in China

Henrietta Levin is joined by Jon Czin to discuss the May 14-15 summit between President Trump and President Xi in Beijing.

Podcast Episode by Henrietta Levin — May 15, 2026

CSIS Pekingology

Reassessing the Strategic Value of China to Korea

With new administrations in Washington and Seoul, and discussion of finding a common approach to China, it is time for a bottom-up reassessment of China's strategic value to South Korea. South Korea cannot properly respond to U.S. policies toward China without a serious and comprehensive reevaluation of its relationship with its neighbor.

Event — May 13, 2026

America Has Lost Its Leverage Over China

The Trump-Xi summit will reinforce a new set of implicit rules and assumptions for managing relations that ultimately favor China, argues Henrietta Levin in Foreign Affairs.

Commentary by Henrietta Levin — May 13, 2026

Pekingology

China and the Iran War: Beijing's Ambitions in the Middle East

Henrietta Levin is joined by Aaron Glasserman to unpack what China is really trying to achieve in the Middle East, how China is approaching the U.S. war against Iran, and what this all means for the upcoming summit between President Trump and President Xi.

Podcast Episode by Henrietta Levin — April 30, 2026

CSIS Pekingology

The Other China Flash Point

When imagining how the U.S.-Chinese relationship might devolve into war, experts often cite Taiwan as the most obvious flash point. In Foreign Affairs, Henrietta Levin argues that, like Taiwan, the South China Sea could spark a U.S.-China war.

Commentary by Henrietta Levin — April 24, 2026

Pekingology

Defending Taiwan: A Strategy to Prevent War with China

Henrietta Levin is joined by Eyck Freymann, a Hoover Fellow at Stanford University and author of the new book, ⁠Defending Taiwan: A Strategy to Prevent War with China⁠.

Podcast Episode by Henrietta Levin — April 16, 2026

CSIS Pekingology