Minxin Pei (; born December 10, 1957) is a

Chinese-American Chinese Americans are Americans of Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans have ancestors from mainland China, Hong Kong ...

political scientist. He is the current editor of the ''China Leadership Monitor''. He is a specialist on governance in China, U.S.–East Asia relations,

mass surveillance in China Mass surveillance in the People's Republic of China (PRC) is the network of monitoring systems used by the Chinese central government to monitor Chinese citizens. It is primarily conducted through the government, although corporate surveillance ...

, as well as

democratization Democratization, or democratisation, is the structural government transition from an democratic transition, authoritarian government to a more democratic political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction ...

developing nations A developing country is a sovereign state with a less-developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to developed countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreemen ...

. He is currently the Tom and Margot Pritzker '72 Professor of Government and George R. Roberts Fellow at

Claremont McKenna College Claremont McKenna College (CMC) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It has a curricular emphasis on government, economics, public affairs, finance, and internat ...

and a non-resident senior fellow in the Asia program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. He was formerly a senior associate in the Asia Program at the

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) is a nonpartisan international affairs think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C., with operations in Europe, South Asia, East Asia, and the Middle East, as well as the United States. Foun ...

. Pei earned his bachelor's degree in English from Shanghai International Studies University, and a master's degree and PhD in political science from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. In addition, he holds an M.F.A. from the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

. He served as Director of the Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies at Claremont McKenna College from July 2009 to June 2019. Pei has contributed to a number of newspapers and periodicals, including ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', ''

Foreign Policy Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...

'', '' The Diplomat'', ''

Project Syndicate ''Project Syndicate'' is an international nonprofit media organization that publishes and syndicates commentary and analysis on a variety of global topics. All opinion pieces are published on the ''Project Syndicate'' website, and also distribu ...

'', ''

Nikkei Asia ''Nikkei Asia'', known as ''Nikkei Asian Review'' between 2013 and 2020, is a major Japan-based English-language weekly news magazine focused on the Asian continent, although it also covers broader international developments. It is headquartere ...

'', ''

Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fate * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (19 ...

'', and ''

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit organization, nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership or ...

'', and is an opinion columnist of

Bloomberg Bloomberg may refer to: People * Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer * Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian * Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician a ...

. In 2008, he was listed as one of the top 100 public intellectuals by '' Prospect'' magazine.

Publications

Books

* ''From Reform to Revolution: The Demise of Communism in China and the Soviet Union'' (

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...

, 1994) * ''China’s Trapped Transition: The Limits of Developmental Autocracy'' (Harvard University Press, 2006) * ''The Color of China'' (

The National Interest ''The National Interest'' (''TNI'') is an American bimonthly international relations magazine edited by American journalist Jacob Heilbrunn and published by the Center for the National Interest, a public policy think tank based in Washington, ...

, March 2009) * ''My Trip to Asia'' (Claremont Book Review, October 2011) * ''China's Crony Capitalism: The Dynamics of Regime Decay'' (Harvard University Press, 3 October 2016) * The Sentinel State: Surveillance and the Survival of Dictatorship in China (Harvard University Press, February 2024)

Contributed Volumes

* "When Illusion Meets Reality: The Evolving Relationship Between China and Europe," in: Robertson-von Trotha, Caroline Y. (ed.): ''Europe: Insights from the Outside'' (= Kulturwissenschaft interdisziplinär/Interdisciplinary Studies on Culture and Society, Vol. 5), Nomos, Baden-Baden, 2011

Articles

* The US Is Learning the Wrong Cold War Lessons on China, '' Bloomberg Opinions'', June 24, 2024 * To Beat China, US Should Stop Acting Like China, '' Bloomberg Opinions'', May 30, 2024 * What China Really Needs Is More Bad News, '' Bloomberg Opinions'', February 8, 2024 * Why China Can’t Export Its Model of Surveillance, ''

'', February 6, 2024 * China’s Hands Are Tied Against Tangle of US Alliances, '' Bloomberg Opinions'', April 16, 2024

References

External links

China’s Trapped Transition Reconsidered
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pei, Minxin 1957 births Living people 20th-century American newspaper editors 21st-century American newspaper editors American columnists American political scientists American political writers Chinese emigrants to the United States Claremont McKenna College faculty Harvard University alumni Shanghai International Studies University alumni The New York Times columnists Writers about China Writers from Shanghai