Peter Martin joins the Lau China Institute for a discussion on his book, "China's Civilian Army: The Making of Wolf Warrior Diplomacy," which charts China's transformation from an isolated and impoverished communist state to a global superpower from the perspective of those on the front line: China's diplomats.

Peter will be joined in conversation with the Lau Chair of Chinese International Relations, Professor Astrid Nordin.

About the speakers

Peter Martin

Peter Martin is Bloomberg's defense policy and intelligence reporter in Washington, DC and author of "China's Civilian Army: The Making of Wolf Warrior Diplomacy." He was previously based in Beijing where he wrote extensively on escalating tensions in the US-China relationship and reported from China's border with North Korea and its far-western region of Xinjiang. His writing has been published by outlets including Foreign Affairs, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, the National Interest, and the Guardian. He holds degrees from the University of Oxford, Peking University and the London School of Economics.

Professor Astrid Nordin

Professor Astrid Nordin holds the Lau Chair of Chinese International Relations in the Lau China Institute. She is also Senior Fellow of the Institute for Social Futures, and Associate Research Fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs.

Astrid’s research develops critical conceptual tools that draw on Chinese and other global traditions of thought, and uses these to understand global challenges as they relate to China’s growing global role - from the Belt and Road Initiative, through sustainable cities, to practices of censorship and resistance. Her favourite thing about her job is learning new things from exciting people, and she welcomes suggestions for collaboration relating to her expertise.

Before joining King’s in 2021, Astrid was Professor of World Politics and Founding Director of Lancaster University China Centre. She has significant experience developing institutional partnerships with Chinese institutions, setting up and leading academic organisations, and collaborating on interdisciplinary projects across humanities and the social and natural sciences. She also has a background in journalism, and great enthusiasm for working with non-academic stakeholders in the arts, policy, and media. She has studied at Peking University, Jilin University, City University Hong Kong, the University of Warwick, and the University of Manchester.