HNC alumni thrive in various sectors related to US-China relations, including government, business, journalism, and think tanks, often carving out unique specialties within their organizations. Brian Hart has done just that at CSIS. In our latest alumni profile, Brian shares captivating insights from his time at the HNC and his focused career journey.
Brian Hart is a fellow with the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where his research concentrates on Chinese foreign policy, military modernization, and Taiwan security issues. Before his current role, Brian conducted research for the Project 2049 Institute, the Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS, and Trivium China. He holds an HNC certificate and a master’s in international relations from SAIS, as well as a bachelor's degree in politics and international affairs from Wake Forest University.
How did you find yourself at the HNC?
I knew I wanted to go into a field focusing on China, which was clear from the work that I did as an undergrad––it was just a matter of finding the best program for me. I also wanted to spend time in China to improve my language skills and gain in-country experience, so SAIS and the HNC were at the top of my list from the beginning. Going in, I knew the HNC had a significant reputation within the China studies field, and it was the front-runner that luckily worked out for me. I was able to have an incredible experience in China and I still encourage a lot of current undergraduate students, whether at my alma mater or interns at CSIS, to apply to SAIS. It’s one of the best programs if you really want to research China.
Tell us about your work at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS).
At CSIS we have several different programs focused on China and I work on the China Power Project, which is geared toward researching the Chinese military, national security issues, foreign policy, and cross-strait relations. We dive deeper into security issues than some of our other programs, which focus more on economics, finance, or domestic Chinese politics. We have a good balance of issue areas between teams at CSIS and a lot of people working on China overall.
CSIS and think tanks in general are fantastic places to be. It's been a great opportunity early on in my career to learn from people who have decades of experience and are at the top of their field. In terms of studying China, it’s given me a lot of opportunities to carve out my own path. I also appreciate that think tanks give you a balance of research and public engagement. I get the chance to engage with different people from both the policy community and academia. CSIS exists at a cross-section of several different research spaces and I’ve enjoyed that. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to work at a think tank in general.
The work of the China Power Project feels connected to the Security, Strategy, and Statecraft focus area at SAIS. Was this always your interest?
My main area of study at SAIS was China studies, which involved a broad focus on China. In fact, when I was at the HNC, I was more interested in domestic Chinese politics, specifically institutional reforms and similar topics within the Chinese Communist Party. I did an independent study with Professor Qi Lingling where I examined various organization reforms going on within the political system in China, especially the evolution of “leading small groups” (领导小组). I dug into that while at SAIS and I have continued similar work at CSIS, shifting more towards security-focused research. This involves researching the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), its modernization, and Chinese security policy more generally. It’s been a shift over time, but certainly many of the classes that I took at SAIS were relevant and prepared me well. At SAIS DC, I took a course on the PLA, which was foundational to my understanding of the Chinese military before my more in-depth work at CSIS.
What is your favorite memory from your time at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center?
It’s not really a single memory, but I think some of my fondest memories are going out with friends to eat and hanging out at local restaurants, especially hole-in-the-wall places on Shanghai Road 上海路 near the HNC. Locals were often amused and excited about seeing so many foreigners in the neighborhood. I enjoyed the atmosphere of Nanjing and it stands out in my mind as one of the best Chinese cities that I've visited. So, getting to explore local spots, become a regular, and enjoy life in Nanjing really stands out as what I miss the most about my HNC experience.
What is one skill you gained from your time at the HNC? Are these skills you use every day at CSIS when analyzing China?
For me, it’s being able to read Chinese academic articles and having the vocabulary to analyze them. That ability is a valuable asset for me in terms of the work that I do at CSIS. As someone based in DC, I want to go beyond just talking to Americans about what is going on in China. We really try to stay engaged in reading what Chinese experts and officials themselves are saying. That’s something that relatively few people can do. There are a lot of people who can visit China and can get around speaking colloquial Chinese which is an important skill to have. But I think the ability to dig into policy and academic issues in Chinese is a whole different ball game. My studies at the HNC put me in a great position to do the kind of work that I'm doing now.
Pretty much every day I read some kind of Chinese language material, whether that's picking up articles on Xinhua or People's Daily that are relevant to major news stories or reading academic articles by Chinese scholars. At CSIS, we really want to ground our research in understanding China as best we can. That means reading what Chinese experts themselves are saying.
What advice would you give to current or future HNC students about the type of work you do?
I would say two things are relevant to anybody who wants to do this or any kind of work on China. One is to maintain your language skills. Once you leave China, it becomes much more challenging to keep your language skills fresh. There are always ways to practice though. Around Washington, DC and all over the country, there are language programs available in-person and remote, and I’ve utilized these. In fact, when I recently took refresher courses, it seemed like two-thirds of my small class was HNC alumni. Several were former classmates of mine, and we had no idea we would all be enrolling in the same course so that was a fun surprise.
The other one, I would say as you move through your career, carve out your area of China studies. China is a huge topic and I think it’s impossible to really be a strong expert on all issues. There’s just too much there: security, politics, trade, economics, etc. Find your niche and invest in that. It’s okay if you don’t come out of the HNC or SAIS knowing what it is exactly, but as you advance in your career, begin to carve it out.
