On June 16, USCET hosted the third installment in the China Connection series, “From China to Southeast Asia: Jeffrey Wasserstrom in Conversation with Evan Osnos.” This event brought together historian Jeffrey Wasserstrom and The New Yorker’s Evan Osnos for a dynamic dialogue on protest, history, and the evolving landscape of reporting in China.
The event featured Jeffrey Wasserstrom’s latest work, The Milk Tea Alliance, which examines the shared struggles and solidarity among activists in Thailand, Hong Kong, and Burma, highlighting the transnational ties shaping resistance movements across Asia.
USCET’s Executive Director, Rosie Levine, began the event by framing the conversation around how both speakers bring distinct yet complementary perspectives on understanding and communicating knowledge about China—a valuable opportunity for emerging China specialists to learn from seasoned voices who have long studied, reported on, and engaged with the region.
The conversation opened with Osnos reflecting on how Wasserstrom’s ability blend the instincts of a journalist with the depth of a historian, engaging younger audiences and investigate topics that are not yet fully understood. Wasserstrom discussed his early research on the 1946 student protests in Shanghai and how his interest in protest as a historical and social phenomenon evolved through witnessing events like Tiananmen in 1989. He noted that protests, both past and present, deserve attention as moments of rupture and continuity that reveal broader truths about a society.
“Doing things that rhymed with the Chinese past but were also influenced by international currents”
Wasserstrom shared how he came to embrace the subject of protest, shaped by his own experiences growing up during the anti-Vietnam War era. He posed a core question: “how do large groups of people know what to do before acting together?” This inquiry laid the foundation for his comparative approach across movements in China, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Myanmar. He emphasized that Hong Kong provided new tactics, such as social media coordination, popular culture references, and protest innovations, that were later adapted in places like Thailand during the 2020 protests.
The speakers discussed how protest tactics and ideas travel across borders. From Tiananmen’s global resonance in 1989 to Hong Kong’s influence on Thailand and Myanmar, Wasserstrom highlighted the role of cultural exchange, solidarity, and what he described as a “democracy relay race.” In contrast, Osnos pointed out that state responses travel as well, citing how East Germany learned from China’s surveillance strategies. Together, their reflections underscored a key insight: in both resistance and repression, the flow of ideas transcends national boundaries.
Wasserstrom illustrated this transnational exchange further when reflecting on his experiences in Bangkok and Burma, where he approached unfamiliar contexts with curiosity and humility—what he called a “beginner’s mind.” He recalled connecting with Thai activists who had drawn inspiration from the Hong Kong protests, showing solidarity through symbolic acts like visiting the Chinese embassy on PRC National Day while playing “Glory to Hong Kong.”
“Tank-man became a symbol of incredible bravery”
Drawing from his own writing on inequality, most recently with The Haves and Have-Yachts: Dispatches on the Ultrarich, Osnos turned the conversation toward protest in the United States, questioning what ignites or discourage public mobilization. Wasserstrom spoke on the unpredictability of protests and the challenge of knowing when and where a social movement will gain traction.
In the final portion of the conversation, Osnos asked what remains unknown about Xi Jinping and what emerging scholars might explore. Wasserstrom advised looking at the periphery, talking to people adjacent to power and not just analyzing official rhetoric. He shared about his continued ability to obtain Chinese visas despite writing about Tiananmen, noting that the government prioritizes certain sensitivities over others.
While acknowledging growing constraints on public engagement, especially in Hong Kong, Wasserstrom emphasized the importance of approaching China with curiosity and openness. He encouraged emerging scholars to continue seeking opportunities to engage firsthand, as direct experience remains invaluable to meaningful understanding.
USCET looks forward to continuing our series by bringing more thought leaders into conversation with our Washington, D.C. community, and fostering more profound understanding of China for the next generation.
Speaker Biography
Jeffrey Wasserstrom is Chancellor’s Professor of History at UC Irvine, where he also holds courtesy affiliations in Law and Literary Journalism. He holds a B.A. from UC Santa Cruz, an M.A. from Harvard, and a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. Wasserstrom has written, coauthored, edited, or coedited more than ten books. His most recent works include Vigil: Hong Kong on the Brink (2020) and the updated third edition of China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford, 2018), coauthored with Maura Elizabeth Cunningham.
In addition to contributing to academic journals, Wasserstrom writes for general interest outlets such as The New York Times, The Times Literary Supplement, and The Wall Street Journal. He is co-editor of the China Section at the Los Angeles Review of Books. He has served as a consultant for two award-winning documentaries by the Long Bow Film Group and appeared on camera in the film Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower. He is also a former member of the Board of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.
Evan Osnos has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 2008. From 2008 to 2013, he served as the magazine’s China correspondent, covering stories such as the reconstruction of a train crash that exposed corruption, a group of Chinese tourists on their first trip to Europe, and a barber’s quest to beat the house in Macau. He also wrote the “Letter from China” blog for newyorker.com for four years.
Osnos is the author of Wildland: The Making of America’s Fury, a New York Times bestseller, and Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China, which won the National Book Award. Prior to The New Yorker, he was a foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune, where he shared in two Pulitzer Prizes.
His upcoming book, The Haves and Have-Yachts: Dispatches on the Ultrarich, will be published in June 2025. He lives with his wife and children near Washington, D.C.Yun Sun is a Senior Fellow and Co-Director of the East Asia Program and Director of the China Program at the Stimson Center. Her expertise is in Chinese foreign policy, U.S.-China relations and China’s relations with neighboring countries and authoritarian regimes.
China Connections
Why should Americans be interested in China? USCET launches China Connections, a new monthly series hosting discussions with experts to explore their work, gain insights into current events, and learn what a career in the China field looks like today. These events highlight individuals with unique expertise on China to provide students, young professionals, and members of the public a deeper understanding of current events and increase American student interest in pursuing a focus on China. These events are mostly held in person at George Washington University with online engagement.