Tonghua Li

Research

Title of research:

The High Politics of Trade: Discourse, Strategic Response, and Legitimation in the Trump Era

Brief overview of research topic:

I am currently pursuing a PhD in Politics at the University of York. My research focuses on the non-material dimensions of US–China competition, particularly the role of political narratives, ideas, and ideology in shaping political and economic relations. Drawing on constructivist and discourse-theoretical approaches, I examine how these factors shape the construction of interests, policy choices, and competing understandings of international order, with particular attention to international trade politics.

Funding

CSC (China Scholarship Council) - University of York joint-funded PhD Scholarship

Research interests

Constructivism and Discourse Theory; Political Narratives, Ideas and Ideology; International Political Economy of Trade; US–China Relations; China’s International Politics

Qualifications

Qualifications

• Master of Science in International Relations (Distinction), University of Glasgow, UK
• Bachelor of Management in Agricultural & Forestry Economics Management, Yunnan Agricultural University (Co-operation Programme with New Zealand Lincoln University), China and New Zealand

Teaching

• Introduction to Global Politics (POL00015C), 2026–2027
• Global Challenges: From Theory to Practice (POL00012C), 2025–2026, 2026–2027
• Research Skills and Project Design (ENV00048I), 2025–2026
• Introduction to Comparative Politics (POL00013C), 2024–2025
• York Policy Lab (POL00016C), 2024–2025

Conference Presentations

Trade, Power, and Discursive Instability: Political Rationales in Trump’s Trade Policy

• ISA (International Studies Association) 67th Annual Convention Presentation, Columbus, Ohio, USA, Mar 22–25, 2026
• Central European University 21st Annual Doctoral Conference, Vienna, Austria, April 27–29, 2026
• BISA (British International Studies Association) 2026 Conference, Brighton, UK, Jun 3-5, 2026
• PSA (Political Studies Association)2026 American Politics Summer Conference Oxford, UK, Jun 25-26, 2026
• ECPR (European Consortium for Political Research) 2026 General Conference, Kraków, Poland, Sep 8–11, 2026

Global Growth and Domestic Stability: Discursive Contestation in China’s Food Security Governance During the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan

• BISA (British International Studies Association) 2026 Conference, Brighton, UK, Jun 3-5, 2026
• ECPR (European Consortium for Political Research) 2026 General Conference, Kraków, Poland, Sep 8–11, 2026

The Political Economy of Food Trade in the US-China Trade Dispute: Soybean and Biofuels Policy During Trump’s First Term

• PPE Society London Annual Conference, London, UK, Jul 17-18, 2025
• WRDTP Annual Conference 2025, Sheffield, UK, Jun 17, 2025

Power, Trade and Environmental Governance: The Water Politics of Transnational Governance in the Mekong River Basin

• Green Trade Lab 2025 Annual Workshop, York, UK, Jul 3-4, 2025

Food Security and Green Trade in the Shadow of Geopolitics – A Case Study of the US-China Trade Dispute 

• Green Trade Lab 2024 Annual Workshop, Leuven, Belgium, Jun 8-9, 2024