Yujia Yao
PhD Candidate
Education
2021-2022: Master of Arts in U.S Studies: History and Politics, Institute of the Americas, University College London, London, The United Kingdom
2017- 2021: Bachelor of Arts in World History, College of History, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
Awards and Grants
Doctoral scholorship, Graduate School of North American Studies, Freie Universität Berlin
Research
Topic: Sino-American Relations during the First Half of the 20th Century
In the first half of the 20th century, as rivalries between major powers intensified, the US concentrated its overseas expansion efforts on the most promising region on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. To contain the rising power of Japan and capitalize on the Chinese market, the U.S. government devised and implemented a multifaceted strategy encompassing political, economic, and military elements to ensure its participation in China. In particular, the US had deliberately chosen, supported, and cooperated with several influential Chinese leaders to safeguard its interests.
To provide a more detailed account of this process, theories related to proxy wars will be introduced into my project. This is because one of the most significant aspects of Sino-American relations, the Taiwan issue, can be traced back to the U.S. government's military and economic aid to support Chiang Kai-shek during China's warlordism in the 1920s. Similar political investments include but are not limited to the Wilson administration's support of Yuan Shikai as the first president of the Republic of China (1912-1949) rather than Sun Yat-sen, and the U.S. Secretary of State Robert Lansing’s tolerance of Yuan’s restoration of Chinese monarchy. These cases demonstrate that the continuity and dynamic adjustment of the U.S. strategy of selecting Chinese agents reflects the changes and development of U.S. interests in China.
Publications
The Role of the Non-State Actor in Sino-American Relations: An Analysis based on the Rockefeller Foundation and the Peking Union Medical College, included in the 2nd International Conference on Social Psychology and Humanity Studies (ICSPHS 2024)