Dr Olivia Cheung is Lecturer in Politics at the Department of European & International Studies at King’s College London, China Fellow at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS), Vrije Universiteit Brussel and an Affiliate of the Lau China Institute at King's College London. She was previously Research Fellow at the China Institute of SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies), University of London, and Teaching Fellow at the University of Warwick.

She is the author or co-author of three books, including The Political Thought of Xi Jinping (Oxford University Press, 2024), which was widely reviewed and featured in the Financial Times’ ‘What to read in 2024’, Factional-Ideological Conflicts in Chinese Politics: To the Left or to the Right? (Amsterdam University Press, 2023), and a forthcoming title on China’s global strategy, also with Oxford University Press. She has also published many journal articles, book chapters, and book reviews on the politics and international relations of contemporary China. Her research has been featured in The Economist, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and other international media outlets.

She holds an MPhil and DPhil in Politics from the University of Oxford, where she was a Swire Scholar and a Rhodes Scholar.

Dr Cheung participates in tracks 1.5 and 2 dialogues and gives media interviews. She serves on the editorial board of Government and Opposition, where she is Associate Editor. 

Office hours

Office hours are by appointment. Please e-mail to arrange. 

Research interests

Dr Cheung is working on research projects on Chinese politics and foreign policy, international orders, and the comparative study of political leadership and ideology. Her research interests include:

• Politics and foreign policy of China
• Rising powers
• Global governance
• International orders
• Political leadership
• Political ideas, ideologies, and worldviews

Teaching

5AAOB217 The Politics and Foreign Policy of China

7AAON232 China’s Global Rise: Great Power Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics

PhD supervision

I welcome applications for PhD topics related to my research interests.