It is with great pleasure that I announce the appointment of Victor C. Shih as the new Director of the School of Global Policy and Strategy’s 21st Century China Center, effective July 1. Shih is a highly-regarded figure in the China field who has expertise in a broad range of subjects, from elite politics to banking, finance and foreign policy. Shih, the Ho Miu Lam Chair in China and Pacific Relations at the School of Global Policy and Strategy, earned a Ph.D. in government from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts in East Asian studies from George Washington University.
As Director of the 21st Century China Center, Shih will oversee its scholarly research that informs policy discussions on China and U.S.-China relations. The center’s mission is to develop and disseminate impactful, evidence-based research about China and to enhance U.S.-China mutual understanding by advancing scholarly collaboration, convening policy discussions, and actively communicating with policymakers and the general public in both countries.
Shih brings a wealth of experience and knowledge that will serve him well in his new role. Shih is the creator of one of the best-known biographical databases on Chinese political elites from 1921 to the present, covering central committee members, provincial-level staff and military elites. He has served as a principal in The Carlyle Group’s global market strategy group, where he analyzed China’s banking and property sector, as well as macroeconomic and foreign exchange policies. Shih continues to write about the Chinese financial system as a senior associate of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and as a contributor of the Bretton Woods 2.0 Project of the Atlantic Council. He was the first person to estimate local government debt in China and identify it as a source of fragility for the Chinese system.
Since joining UC San Diego in 2012, Shih has served as the faculty equity adviser at the School of Global Policy and Strategy and was a member of the campuswide Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee between 2017 and 2021. Prior to joining our faculty, Shih was an associate professor at Northwestern University.
Shih is the author of several books, including “Factions and Finance in China: Elite Conflict and Inflation” and “Coalitions of the Weak: Elite Politics in China from Mao’s Stratagem to the Rise of Xi.” He has also published articles in leading academic journals, such as The American Political Science Review, Comparative Political Studies, Journal of Politics and China Quarterly.
Shih is replacing Susan Shirk, who is stepping down after serving as founding Chair of the center since it was established in 2011. Under her leadership, the center has flourished by engaging with the broader policy community and the public to deepen our understanding of China's politics, society, economics and foreign policy.
Shirk will continue to be an active participant in the life of the center, especially in its policy-related activities.
Please join us in thanking Susan Shirk for her service as founding Chair of the 21st China Center and warmly welcoming Victor Shih as its new Director. His wealth of experience and knowledge will be invaluable as we continue to advance our research, policy and educational mission related to China.
