Lily McElwee

Adjunct Fellow (Non-resident), Freeman Chair in China Studies
Lily McElwee

Lily McElwee is an adjunct fellow in the in the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Previously, she served as deputy director and fellow in the Freeman Chair, where she researched China’s foreign policy and relations with the United States, European Union, and the Global South. At CSIS, she co-leads the Interpret: China project and the CSIS-Brookings project Advancing Collaboration in an Era of Strategic Competition. Dr. McElwee 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. She has completed fellowships with the American Council on Germany and CSIS-USC U.S.-Korea NextGen scholar program, and is a member of the QUAD Task Force on China’s Strategic Futures organized by ORF America and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. 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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Third Plenum Hot Takes: Skepticism and Concern

Experts from CSIS’s China programs weigh in on the 2024 Third Plenum Decision and its significance for China’s economy, politics, and foreign relations.

Blog Post by Jude Blanchette, Scott Kennedy, Ilaria Mazzocco, Lily McElwee, Claire Reade, Daniel H. Rosen, and Logan Wright — July 22, 2024

Fourteenth Annual South China Sea Conference

The CSIS Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative are pleased to present the Fourteenth 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 — July 11, 2024

Audio Briefs

The Case for U.S.-China Cooperation on Climate-Smart Agriculture

An audio version of “The Case for U.S.-China Cooperation on Climate-Smart Agriculture,” a new commentary by CSIS’s Caitlin Welsh, Jude Blanchette, and Lily McElwee, with Ryan Hass and Ryan McElveen. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs.

Podcast Episode by Caitlin Welsh, Jude Blanchette, Lily McElwee, Ryan Hass, and Ryan McElveen — May 8, 2024

Audio Briefs

The Erosion of Hong Kong’s Autonomy since 2020: Implications for the United States

Informed by an intensive research trip, this report assesses the extent of the erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy across a range of spheres, including governance, the economy, and civil society. On this basis, the authors evaluate the policy options for the United States.

Report by Scott Kennedy, Lily McElwee, and Jude Blanchette — May 7, 2024

The Case for U.S.-China Cooperation on Climate-Smart Agriculture

Despite rising U.S.-China tensions, cooperation on discrete issues is in the national interests of both countries—and the world. CSIS and Brookings convened U.S. and Chinese experts to explore the potential promises of collaboration on climate-smart agriculture.

Commentary by Caitlin Welsh, Jude Blanchette, Lily McElwee, Ryan Hass, and Ryan McElveen — May 7, 2024