Wilson Center Experts
J. Stapleton Roy
Director, Kissinger Institute on China and the United States
Kissinger Institute on China and the United States
Contact Information:
T 202-691-4084
// F 202-691-4001
Expertise:
U.S. Foreign Policy
; China Mainland
Ambassador J. Stapleton Roy is Director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States. He retired from the Foreign Service in January 2001 after a career spanning 45 years with the U.S. Department of State. A fluent Chinese speaker, Mr. Roy spent much of his Foreign Service career in East Asia, where his assignments included Bangkok (twice), Hong Kong, Taipei, Beijing (twice), Singapore, and Jakarta. He also specialized in Soviet affairs and served in Moscow at the height of the Cold War. Before taking up Russian studies, he was one of the first two Foreign Service Officers to study Mongolian. Mr. Roy rose to become a three-time ambassador, serving as the top U.S. envoy in Singapore (1984-86), the People’s Republic of China (1991-95), and Indonesia (1996-99). In 1996, he was promoted to the rank of Career Ambassador, the highest rank in the Foreign Service. Ambassador Roy’s final post with the State Department was as Assistant Secretary for Intelligence and Research. Ambassador Roy was born in Nanjing, China of American missionary parents. In 1956, he graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University, where he majored in history and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Education
B.A., History, Princeton University; post-graduate study of Mongolian language, history, and culture, University of Washington; U.S. Army Russian Institute, Garmisch-Partenkirchen; distinguished graduate, National War College
Major Publications
- "Letter from Jakarta," SAIS Review: A Journal of International Affairs, vol. 17(2), Summer/Fall 1997
- "Deng's Reform Movement and the West: An American Perspective," China in the Era of Deng Xiaoping: A Decade of Reform, eds. Michael Yingmao Kau and Susan H. Marsh (M.E. Sharpe,1993)
- "Political and Economic Prospects for East Asia in the 1990s and Beyond," The Pacific in the 1990s: Economic and Strategic Change, ed. Janos Radvanyi (University Press of America, 1990)
Related Content for this Expert
Thoughts on Strategy from a Career Ambassador
Sep 05, 2012Both Washington and Beijing consider good bilateral relations of vital importance. But their growing strategic rivalry has the potential to evolve into mutual antagonism. The hard reality is that China and the United States will not be able to lessen strategic mistrust unless and until they are prepared to address a central question: is there an array of military deployments and normal operations that will permit China to defend its core interests while allowing America to continue fully to meet its defense responsibilities in the region and protect vital U.S. interests? more
Strategic Challenges for US-China Relations
Apr 23, 2012The next decade is likely to be the decisive period determining the future course of U.S.-China relations. Unless China and the United States can find ways to block the current drift toward strategic rivalry, tensions will rise. more
President Nixon Visits China: The Week That Changed the World
Feb 27, 2012 to Mar 05, 2012
J. Stapleton Roy, Director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States; Douglas Spelman, Deputy Director of the Kissinger Institute; Yafeng Xia, Associate Professor of History at Long Island University in New York. more
Dealing with a Rising China
Feb 17, 2012Director J. Stapleton Roy speaks to the vice president of Walt Disney Parks, and leaders in the Chapman University community at a February 9 event on how to "deal with a rising China." more
The U.S. and China Need to Show a Little Mutual Restraint
Feb 13, 2012In this Washington Post Op-Ed, Director J. Stapleton Roy and Dr. Ken Lieberthal discuss U.S.-China relations and the growing strategic distrust between these two nations. more
Changing Chinese Views of American Society
October 25, 2011 // 3:30pm — 5:30pm
Increasing numbers of Chinese travel to the US for business, tourism, or education, while others study American history and culture in local schools and universities. The Wilson Center was joined by experts from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences to discuss Chinese views of American society, politics, and culture. more
Book Event: Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China
October 05, 2011 // 9:30am — 11:00am
No one in the twentieth century had a greater impact on world history than Deng Xiaoping. And no scholar is better qualified than Ezra Vogel to disentangle the contradictions embodied in the life and legacy of China’s boldest strategist. more
Latin America and China: What Do They Mean for Each Other?
September 19, 2011 // 9:00am
A panel on China’s Rise in the International Economic System and China’s Role in Latin American Trade, Investment, and Growth. more
Same Bed, Different Dreams?: The New Philanthropy and Civil Society in China
July 26, 2011 // 3:00pm — 4:30pm
The support of private entrepreneurs for independent organizations has important ramifications for Chinese civil society, but is this support for real? more
Impact of U.S.-China Relations in Asia: Regional Views
September 20, 2010 // 9:00am — 5:30pm
The relationship between the United States and China is considered by many as "one of the most important...in the world." Nowhere today does this statement ring louder than in Asia. What are the implications of Sino-U.S. relations for the economic, political, and security structures of interstate relations in Asia? Read more to find out! more
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Strategic Challenges for the U.S.-China Relationship
Feb 19, 2013Check out KICUS Director, J. Stapleton Roy's presentation on Strategic Challenges for the U.S.-China Relationship at the East-West Center!
What Should the Next American President Do About China?
Oct 10, 2012BBC Radio’s Robin Lustig moderated a debate with Elizabeth Economy, Chas W. Freeman, Jr., J. Stapleton Roy, and Yan Xuetong. This debate, the third in a three-part series sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment, was structured around three broad questions on how the next U.S. president ought to engage China.
Thoughts on Strategy from a Career Ambassador
Sep 05, 2012Both Washington and Beijing consider good bilateral relations of vital importance. But their growing strategic rivalry has the potential to evolve into mutual antagonism. The hard reality is that China and the United States will not be able to lessen strategic mistrust unless and until they are prepared to address a central question: is there an array of military deployments and normal operations that will permit China to defend its core interests while allowing America to continue fully to meet its defense responsibilities in the region and protect vital U.S. interests?
Strategic Challenges for US-China Relations
Apr 23, 2012The next decade is likely to be the decisive period determining the future course of U.S.-China relations. Unless China and the United States can find ways to block the current drift toward strategic rivalry, tensions will rise.
Dealing with a Rising China
Feb 17, 2012Director J. Stapleton Roy speaks to the vice president of Walt Disney Parks, and leaders in the Chapman University community at a February 9 event on how to "deal with a rising China."
The U.S. and China Need to Show a Little Mutual Restraint
Feb 13, 2012In this Washington Post Op-Ed, Director J. Stapleton Roy and Dr. Ken Lieberthal discuss U.S.-China relations and the growing strategic distrust between these two nations.
Managing U.S.-China Relations
Apr 01, 2009Kissinger Institute Director Stapleton Roy discusses top priorities in the U.S.-China bilateral relationship, from cooperation toward reversing the global financial crisis to addressing climate change.
Same Bed, Different Dreams?: The New Philanthropy and Civil Society in China
July 26, 2011 // 3:00pm — 4:30pm
The support of private entrepreneurs for independent organizations has important ramifications for Chinese civil society, but is this support for real?
Impact of U.S.-China Relations in Asia: Regional Views
September 20, 2010 // 9:00am — 5:30pm
The relationship between the United States and China is considered by many as "one of the most important...in the world." Nowhere today does this statement ring louder than in Asia. What are the implications of Sino-U.S. relations for the economic, political, and security structures of interstate relations in Asia? Read more to find out!
Chinese Foreign Direct Investment: Is It a Threat to the United States, Domestically or Globally?
June 21, 2011 // 10:00am — 12:00pm
Is Chinese FDI in America a good thing? Or does it pose a threat to the United States, and if so, why? Our speakers, both leading experts on the Chinese economy, debated these critical and timely issues. Watch the webcast here!
An American Door Open? Maximizing the Benefits of Chinese Foreign Direct Investment
May 04, 2011 // 2:00pm — 3:30pm
In 2010 alone, Chinese firms invested over $5 billion in the U. S. This new investment from China has the potential to create economic growth, jobs and new streams of tax revenues. However, despite an overall effective U.S. screening policy for inward investment, political interference and fearmongering threaten to divert legitimate and potentially beneficial investment deals. Authors Daniel Rosen and Thilo Hanemann discussed their groundbreaking study on China’s foreign direct investment. This comprehensive report makes clear there are reasons for concern but underscores the case for continuing to encourage most Chinese investments.
Roundtable Discussion with Delegation from Central Party School of China
May 12, 2011 // 9:00am — 10:30am
Delegation from the Central Party School of China and Wilson Center experts discussed China's legislative reforms on the local level and the role of Congress in shaping foreign policy in the United States.
An American Open Door? Maximizing the Benefits of Chinese Direct Investment
May 04, 2011 // 9:30am — 11:00am
This comprehensive report on China's FDI makes clear there are reasons for concern but underscores the case for continuing to encourage most Chinese investments. Watch the event and download the full report here!
The U.S. and China: Mutual Public Perceptions, Day 2
July 20, 2010 // 9:00am — 12:00pm
Mutual perceptions between the United States and China are notoriously varied and changeable, and tend to the negative. This is worrisome because general perceptions can and often do have a powerful impact on official policy. The Kissinger Institute hosted a conference that examined this broad topic through several lenses from distinguished guests from both China and the United States. Watch day one of the conference here!
The U.S. and China: Mutual Public Perceptions, Day 1
July 19, 2010 // 9:00am — 5:00pm
Mutual perceptions between the United States and China are notoriously varied and changeable, and tend to the negative. This is worrisome because general perceptions can and often do have a powerful impact on official policy. The Kissinger Institute hosted a conference that examined this broad topic through several lenses from distinguished guests from both China and the United States. Watch day one of the conference here!
Foreign Policy Challenges in the 112th Congress: The Global Economy
January 28, 2011 // 9:00am — 10:30am
Experts will discuss how key regions such as China and Europe as well as issues such as immigration and urban growth affect U.S. trade and finance policy.
Impact of U.S.-China Relations on Asia
September 21, 2010 // 9:00am — 10:15am
On September 21, 2010, the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States and Wilson Center on the Hill co-hosted an event on Capitol Hill examining the increasingly important and changing relationship between the United States and China and the ramifications for neighboring countries.
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Policy Brief: Dealing with a Rising China
Nov 15, 2012Washington and Beijing both consider good bilateral relations to be vital, but their growing strategic rivalry has the potential to evolve into mutual antagonism. In this new policy brief, published as the new leadership was announced in Beijing, China expert Stapleton Roy argues that the US should focus on regional engagement through multilateral organizations like ASEAN, as opposed to its military presence in the region.
President Nixon Visits China: The Week That Changed the World
Feb 27, 2012 to Mar 05, 2012
J. Stapleton Roy, Director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States; Douglas Spelman, Deputy Director of the Kissinger Institute; Yafeng Xia, Associate Professor of History at Long Island University in New York.