Laurel Schwartz has been studying and working in China since 2002. Most recently, she was based in Beijing, where she was a Canadian Chinese school principal, serving students in grades K-12 during the pandemic. She is currently based in Washington, D.C.
China is constructing artificial islands in international waters, but the U.S. is also building its presence in far-flung American territories in the Western Pacific way beyond the "logo map" of the lower 48 states. Laurel Schwartz checked in with elected officials from the region.
The U.S. is cozying up to India partly in response to tensions with China. But no one in Washington, D.C., is quite sure how the new friendliness with Delhi will work out and what values will have to be tossed aside to make the relationship work.
Laurel Schwartz left Beijing to return to the U.S., partly because she missed the openness of America. So why was she barred from attending a Congressional committee event about war games in the Taiwan Strait?
Several events in Washington, D.C., last month — including the inaugural hearing of a new House Committee — put China in the crosshairs, addressing issues ranging from electric vehicles to "strategic competition." Laurel Schwartz was there taking notes. This is the first installment of our new column, China and the Town, written from the American capital.