China Focus - Reports

March 2024
Cold War Case Studies and Chinese Perspectives
Rising Sino-American tensions have prompted widespread discussion of a “New Cold War,” and analysts increasingly worry that flashpoints in the bilateral relationship could trigger conventional war that could escalate to the nuclear domain. This research utilizes the Cold War analogy as a starting point for analyzing how nuclear war between the U.S. and China can be averted.

February 2023
Finding Firmer Ground: The Role of High Technology in U.S.-China Relations
The latest installment in the Finding Firmer Ground report series examines how technological advancements have increased distrust and uncertainty in U.S.-China relations. From big data to semiconductors, the multiauthor report looks into the geopolitical implications of technological development and what strategies, if any, policymakers in the United States and China can take to mitigate tensions.

April 2022
Finding Firmer Ground: The Role of Higher Education in U.S.-China Relations
This annual report is the third issue of the Carter Center’s Finding Firmer Ground series on U.S.-China Relations. This series is published by the Carter Center’s China Focus with generous support from the Ford Foundation and other organizations.

September 2021
Finding Firmer Ground: The Role of Agricultural Cooperation in US-China Relations
The importance of the "Role of Agricultural Cooperation in US - China Relations" was first brought home to me in 1980 when, as a State Department Foreign Service Officer on assignment to the office of Governor Robert D. Ray of Iowa, I had the opportunity to escort the first delegation of Chinese provincial governors to visit America following the
establishment of diplomatic relations.

February 2021
Finding Firmer Ground: The Role of Civil Society and NGOs in U.S.-China Relations
This report looks back with respect and admiration on the decision of America’s and China’s leaders to restore normal diplomatic relations after a 30-year hiatus that witnessed war, economic isolation, and the bitter evaporation of long-standing contacts between the American and Chinese people. Its recommendations seek to contribute to an updated vision of U.S. engagement across the next century.

June 11, 2020
Post-workshop Briefing Paper: Preventing a COVID-19 Crisis in Africa (May 14, 2020)
In May 2020, the Carter Center’s China Program partnered with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) to organize a virtual workshop on Africa-U.S.-China cooperation on COVID-19 response. The workshop brought together a range of experts from the U.S, China, Ethiopia, Burundi, Kenya, and South Africa to discuss the public health impact and wider policy implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on the African continent. Emory University’s Global Health Institute and The Hunger Project also helped identify speakers and moderate panels.

Nov. 21, 2019
U.S.-China Constructive Interaction in Latin America and the Caribbean
In October 2019, The Carter Center was invited to participate in “China, US and Latin America Relations in a Transforming International Order,” organized by the Shanghai Institute of International Studies. There the Center presented a paper arguing that today instead of trilateral mechanisms, several existing regional multilateral frameworks could be used to promote constructive U.S.-China interaction in LAC. The paper provides a macro analysis and recommendations based on a comparative analysis of U.S. and Chinese strategy documents for LAC and existing regional multilateral development policy frameworks.

Sept. 27, 2019
Trilateral Cooperation Research Series
The Trilateral Cooperation Research Series explores past and present case studies of trilateral cooperation, with a special focus on cooperation between Africa, the United States, and China. These papers are intended to serve as a knowledge base and resource for diplomats, scholars, and nongovernmental workers in Africa, the United States, and China. People who are interested in sharing their experiences of trilateral cooperation are welcome to contribute new or previously published papers to the series.

Aug. 29, 2019
On May 31-June 1, 2019, The Carter Center hosted the sixth annual conference of the International Consortium for China Studies, titled “The Rise of China and Its Impact on Developing Countries.” The event was co-organized by The Carter Center’s China Program and Latin America and Caribbean Program, the International Consortium for China Studies of Peking University, the China Research Center of Atlanta, and the Institute of Developing Nations of Emory University. For the conference, The Carter Center commissioned three white papers to analyze the impact of China’s increasing presence in Latin America and the Caribbean within the framework of the global competition between China and the U.S., as well as the implications of Chinese approach to development for the region. Each paper presents a different perspective on these topics: 1) the Chinese perspective, 2) the U.S. perspective, and 3) the Latin American and Caribbean perspective. The main objective is to understand whether the growing Chinese presence in LAC is beneficial for the region’s sustainable development. The presentations also explore prospective areas of trilateral collaboration in areas such as health, sustainable energy, peacebuilding and security (anti-organized crime cooperation).

April 1, 2010
China Elections and Governance Review (PDF)
Issue 5: Is There a China Model?

March 1, 2010
Final Report: Limited Assessment Mission to the March 2010 Villagers Committee Elections in Yunnan Province, China (PDF)
For over a decade, at the invitation of the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National People's Congress, The Carter Center has worked to help standardize the vast array of electoral procedures taking place in this new democratic environment and foster better governance in local communities.

Nov. 1, 2009
China Elections and Governance Review (PDF)
Issue 4: Transparency – A Mechanism to Reduce Social Unrest

Aug. 1, 2009
China Elections and Governance Review (PDF)
Issue 3: The Internet and Political Reform

May 1, 2009
China Elections and Governance Review (PDF)
Issue 2: Electoral Innovations and Experiments

Feb. 1, 2009
China Elections and Governance Review (PDF)
Issue 1: Understanding Chinese Village Elections.

July 8, 2002
The Carter Center's Yawei Liu Talks About Democratic Elections in China (PDF)
Yawei Liu, Associate Director of the China Village Elections Project of The Carter Center, spoke to the Congressional-Executive Commission on China during a July 8, 2002 Roundtable on Village Elections in China. Read the transcript of his statement.

July 2002
The Standardization of Villager Committee Election Procedures (PDF)
A Survey Analysis of the 5th Round of Villager Committee Elections in 40 Villages from Five Counties in Jilin Province.

September 2001
The Mission of President Jimmy Carter to the People's Republic of China
At the invitation of Minister Zeng Jianhui, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the National People's Congress (NPC), former U.S. President Jimmy Carter led a delegation to the People's Republic of China from September 2-6, 2001.

August 2000
The Carter Center's Suggestions Regarding the Revision of the PRC National Procedures on Villager Committee Elections
At the end of May 2000, Dr. Yawei Liu, Associate Director of the China Village Election Project (CVEP) at The Carter Center, met with the officials of the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) in Beijing and three village election experts.

August 2000
The Carter Center Report on China's Elections
Observation of Village Elections in Fujian and the Conference to Revise The National Procedures on Village Elections in Beijing.

January 2000
Report of The Carter Center's Fourth Observation of Chinese Village Elections
Executive Summary, New initiatives with the MCA and NPC, observing, training and township elections.

January 2000
Carter Center Delegation Report: Village Elections in China
At China's invitation, The Carter Center sent a seven-person, international team led by Dr. Robert Pastor, a Carter Center Fellow and expert on elections, to observe the village electoral process in Fujian and Hebei provinces.

Oct. 1, 1999
An Investigation and Analysis on the Procedures of Villager Committee Elections
A Report on the Data Verification of the Villager Committee Elections in Forty Counties in Hunan Province.

February 1999
The Carter Center Report on Chinese Elections, Observations & Cooperative Activities
Observations on The Township People's Congress Elections in Chongqing & Cooperative Activities with the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Jan. 14, 1999
Postelection Statement on China Township Elections, Jan. 14, 1999
At the invitation of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Standing Committee of the National Peoples' Congress (NPC) of the People's Republic of China, an eight-person delegation from The Carter Center observed direct elections for township people's congress (TPC) representatives and indirect elections for township government officials in Chongqing municipality in southwest China between January 8-13, 1999.

October 1998
Report on the Evaluation of The Pilot Project in Nine Counties among Three Provinces
Department of Basic-level Governance, Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA), PRC.

July 1998
Report of the Fifth Mission on Chinese Village Elections by The Carter Center, Atlanta, Georgia
As representatives of The Carter Center, we have just concluded our fifth mission to observe and assess the electoral process in China.

March 16, 1998
Postelection Statement on China Village Elections, March 16, 1998 (PDF)
At the invitation of the government of the People's Republic of China,The Carter Center sent a delegation to observe village elections in China from March 2-15, 1998.

March 5, 1997
Postelection Statement on China Village Elections, March 5, 1997 (PDF)
At China's invitation, The Carter Center sent a seven-person, international team led by Dr. Robert Pastor, a Carter Center Fellow and expert on elections, to observe the village electoral process in Fujian and Hebei provinces.