Introduction

Dr Ren Yuanzhe graduated with PhD in diplomatic studies from China Foreign Affairs University in 2009. He also holds a master on international relations from the University of International Relations, China.

Dr Ren is a visiting senior research fellow at ISAS; an associate professor at the Department of Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs Management, China Foreign Affairs University. Concurrently, he is deputy director of the Centre for Protecting China’s Overseas Interests, and secretary general of the Centre for Strategic and Peace Studies, CFAU. In addition, Dr Ren is also senior research fellow at the Collaborative Innovation Centre for Territorial Sovereignty and Maritime Rights and research fellow at the Institute of Asia-Pacific Maritime Studies, Chinese Association of Asia-pacific Studies from China, Beijing.

Dr Ren has conducted extensive research on maritime security as well as on bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. In recent years, he has been paying special attention to China’s neighborhood diplomacy, with a particular focus on South Asia. He initiated the China-India Think Tanks Dialogue in 2014. He actively engages with Indian thinks tanks on China-India relations and China’s policy towards South Asia. He is an alumnus of Asian Forum on Global Governance, Observer Research Foundation, India. He has been teaching and doing research on these aspects and has published several books and articles.

Areas of Interest and Expertise

• China’s Neighborhood Diplomacy
• Maritime Security in the Asia-Pacific
• China-India Relations