Pier Competitor: China’s Global Port Expansion [Young China Professionals]

Young China Professionals (YCP) held an event on February 25, 2020 with Dr. Isaac Kardon, assistant professor at the U.S Naval War College (NWC) in the Department of Strategic and Operational Research’s China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI).

Dr. Kardon researches and writes on maritime disputes, Indo-Pacific maritime security and commerce, China-Pakistan relations, and the law of the sea. Our free-flowing conversation with Dr. Kardon will center around China’s overseas port projects, specifically its “strategic strongpoint” ports in the Indian Ocean, with additional emphasis on how China’s growing footprint and ambition in this space impacts U.S.–China Relations more broadly.

Dr. Kardon’s remarks were followed by Q & A and mingling. For any questions, please reach out to ycp@ncuscr.org.

The National Committee’s Young China Professionals (YCP) program engages China-focused individuals between the ages of 25 and 45 to increase their knowledge about China on pertinent issues. Through substantive programming, social activities, and interaction with leading China experts, YCP aims to enhance participants’ China interests, foster meaningful connections among participants, and ultimately help prepare the next generation of leaders in the bilateral relationship across various industries. Click here to subscribe for YCP email updates.

Isaac B. Kardon

Isaac B. Kardon, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at the U.S Naval War College (NWC) in the Department of Strategic and Operational Research.  He is a core member of the China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI), where he researches and writes on maritime disputes, Indo-Pacific maritime security and commerce, China-Pakistan relations, and the law of the sea.  Dr. Kardon also serves as managing editor of the CMSI Red Book series of monographs on Chinese maritime power. 

Dr. Kardon teaches classes on Chinese politics and foreign policy to American and foreign students at NWC.  He received a Ph.D. in government from Cornell University (2017), an M.Phil. in modern Chinese studies from Oxford University (2009), and a B.A. in history from Dartmouth College (2005).  He studied Chinese (Mandarin) at Peking University, Tsinghua University, Hainan University, and National Taiwan Normal University.