Welcome to my website!

I am an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

My research interests lie at the intersection of international security and Chinese foreign policy. My research aims to improve the understanding of 1) how China manages its sphere of influence, 2) wedge and binding strategies in power politics, and 3) states’ behavior in alliances. My book project explores China’s alliance balancing strategies from the Cold War to the contemporary era. In other ongoing projects, I examine why states terminate their alliances and how states free-ride on their allies. My published work has appeared in Security Studies, Journal of American-East Asian Relations, and Issues & Studies.

I hold a Ph.D. in Political Science from Boston College and B.A. from Tsinghua University. Before joining Syracuse Univeristy, I was a postdoctoral fellow in the China and the World Program at Columbia University.. In 2020-2021 I was a Hans J. Morgenthau Fellow at the Notre Dame International Security Center. I also contribute to the Fletcher School’s Rising Power Alliances project at Tufts University.

You can contact me at: cyin06@syr.edu