Lily McElwee

Deputy Director and Fellow, Freeman Chair in China Studies
Lily McElwee

Lily McElwee serves as deputy director and fellow in the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where she researches Chinese foreign policy, U.S.-China relations, and EU-China relations. She is currently writing a book on the history of U.S. investment gatekeeping amid the rise of China as a strategy and policy fellow with the Smith Richardson Foundation. Dr. McElwee recently completed a fellowship with the American Council on Germany, where she researched European political debate on China, and she is a 2022–23 CSIS-USC U.S.-Korea nextgen scholar. She holds a DPhil in China studies and an MSc from the University of Oxford, and a BA with honors in political science from Stanford University. 

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Book Event - Leftover Women: The Resurgence of Gender Inequality in China

The Freeman Chair in China Studies is pleased to host a roundtable with journalist and author Leta Hong Fincher, Chinese feminist and activist Churan Zheng, and historian Emily Whalen, to discuss the 10-year anniversary of Leftover Women - The resurgence of Gender Inequality in China. 

Event — December 8, 2023

China's Food Security Challenges

Please join the Interpret: China project and a panel of experts for a discussion of China's food security challenges.

Event — December 6, 2023

China's Demographic Challenges

Please join the Interpret: China project and a group of experts for a discussion of China's current demographic challenges and proposed solutions to these issues.

Event — November 8, 2023

Chinese Assessments of De-risking

How are Chinese scholars assessing recent U.S. and partner de-risking efforts? Join the Freeman Chair in China Studies and a panel of experts to unpack recently translated Chinese scholarship on this topic. 

Event — October 11, 2023

Germany’s China Strategy Marks a New Approach in EU-China Relations

Germany's new China strategy brings it into closer alignment with the European Commission on China, opening the aperture for greater transatlantic coordination. Washington should welcome this shift and seek to minimize outstanding risk factors toward such coordination.

Commentary by Lily McElwee and Ilaria Mazzocco — July 14, 2023

Thirteenth Annual South China Sea Conference

The CSIS Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative are pleased to present the Thirteenth Annual South China Sea Conference, it will provide opportunities for in-depth discussion and analysis of developments in the South China Sea over the past year and potential paths forward.

Event — June 28, 2023

Xi Goes to Moscow: A Marriage of Inconvenience?

While Xi’s recent trip to Moscow made headlines, the limits of the bilateral relationship are clear for Putin. China will seek to cash in on Russia’s rising isolation to advance its bid for a more multipolar global order while continuing to frustrate key Kremlin demands.

Commentary by Lily McElwee Maria Snegovaya Alexandra Chopenko and Tina Dolbaia — March 28, 2023

The Truth of the Matter

China-Russia: A New Cold War?

CSIS’s Lily McElwee and Maria Snegovaya join the podcast to discuss the Xi-Putin summit in Russia, and what it means for the United States. 

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz Maria Snegovaya and Lily McElwee — March 24, 2023

CSIS the truth of the matter