Jean Dong is a Chinese-Australian Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne and a Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. Her expertise encompasses Chinese politics, Chinese foreign policy, and Indo-Pacific geopolitical analysis. Combining academic rigor with a practical, policy-oriented approach, Dong’s research leverages long historical contexts and comparative frameworks to explore the underlying motivations behind China’s policy decisions. This work provides insightful recommendations for policy-making and business strategies.
Since 2016, Dong has been an influential member of the G20 think tank engagement group (T20), where she has contributed to shaping policy recommendations on issues such as WTO reform, fiscal responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, and multilateralism reforms, under the leadership of Japan, China, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and India. Driven by a commitment to further strengthen Australia-China relations, Jean founded the Australia-China Belt & Road Initiative in 2015. This not-for-profit organization engages business leaders from both nations to articulate the relevance of the Belt & Road strategy to Australian industries and identify practical opportunities for expanded trade and investment.
Dong authored the critically acclaimed monograph Chinese Statecraft in a Changing World: Demystifying Enduring Traditions and Dynamic Constraints, published by Springer Nature in 2023. The book has been well-received by leading scholars and policy-makers alike.
Prior to her academic and policy pursuits, Jean Dong accumulated extensive experience in bilateral and multilateral economic diplomacy. This background equipped her with a profound understanding of global political and economic dynamics, enriching her subsequent work in research and policy.
