Michael Schuman

Michael Schuman is a contributing writer at The Atlantic, based in Beijing, China. He is also a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub. Schuman has written several books on Asia, including Superpower Interrupted: The Chinese History of the World and Confucius and the World He Created. Previously, he was a foreign correspondent for Time and The Wall Street Journal.

Latest

  1. No More Mr. Tough Guy on China

    Trump’s relations with corporate titans seem to have softened his hard line.

    A collage of black and white photos shows Elon Musk, Xi Jinping, and Donald Trump, with one red line passing behind them and below.
    Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Allison Robbert / Getty; Wagner Meier / Getty; Jim Vondruska / Getty.
  2. Xi May Lose His Gamble

    North Korean troops are in Russia. Is that really what’s best for Beijing?

    Putin's picture emerging out of a silhouette of Xi's profile
    Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Carlos Barrio / Getty; Gavriil Grigorov / Getty.
  3. Taiwan Has a Trump Problem

    The former president’s recent rhetoric shows how his reelection could undo the central promise sustaining today’s international order.

    A photo-illustration featuring Trump, a Chinese flag, and Taiwanese troops
    Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Daniel Ceng / Anadolu / Getty; Spencer Platt / Getty; Cheng Xin / Getty.
  4. Trump Signals Weakness to Xi Jinping

    He’s all but said he wouldn’t defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion. What else would he give up to Beijing?

    Collage showing Xi, map of Taiwan, and Trump
    Photo-illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Chip Somodevilla / Getty; Janerik Henriksson / Getty; PhotoQuest / Getty.
  5. China’s Self-Imposed Isolation

    Xi Jinping’s policies are cutting off his country from the world, to no one’s ultimate benefit.

    A photo-illustration of Chinese leader Xi Jinping peering over a wall at a crowd of people.
    Illustration by Matteo Giuseppe Pani. Sources: DEA / W. Buss / Getty; AFP / Getty; Johannes Eisele / Getty; Guang Niu / Getty; Pool / Getty.