Basic Information
Address: Department of International Relations, School of Social Sciences
Email: Vasilis.trigkas@sc.tsinghua.edu.cn
Research Fields: International Relations Theory, Leadership & Strategic Studies, Geoeconomics, US-China-EU relations
Work and Research experience
Assistant Professor of Global Affairs, Schwarzman College and Department of IR, Tsinghua University 2025 to present
Visiting Assistant Professor of Global Affairs, Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University, 2023-2025
Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow, Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University, 2020-2023
Visiting Scholar, European Institute, Columbia University, 2016-2018
Educational Background
Tsinghua University 2015-2020
Doctor of Philosophy
Major: Political Science and International Relations
Doctoral Thesis: “The Return of Realism: A Typology of Realist U.S. Grand Strategies and Their Impact on Sino–U.S. Relations”
Tsinghua University 2012-2014
Master of Law in International Relations and Chinese Foreign Policy
University of Nottingham 2008-2019
MSc in International Economics
Athens University of Economics and Business 2003-2008
BSc in Economics
Minor: European Economics
Scientific Research Projects
Manifest Destiny on Hemispheric Scale: The Donroe Doctrine and China’s Global Strategic Environment
Geoeconomics of Shipping and Thalassocracy: Effects on Sino-EU-Greece Relations
Geoeconomics of Chinese Companies going global
Academic Achievements
Books:
Unravelling the Thucydides Trap: Grand Strategy and US-China Relations, [in Greek] (Athens: Diavlos Publications, November 2023, co-authored with Athanasios Platias).
China: A Herodotian Mission for Politics, Economy, Strategy and Culture, Ed. [in Greek] (Athens: Kerkyra Publications, January 2026, coedited with Antonis Papagiannidis, Alexandra Vovolini, and Athanasios Platias).
Academic Papers (peer reviewed):
“One War – Many Theories: Ukraine and the Academy”, China Quarterly of International Strategic Studies, Autumn 2024, (co-authored with Athanasios Platias)
“Classical Realism and the Rise of Sino-American Antagonism: A review Essay” Political Science Quarterly, Spring 2024, (co-authored with Athanasios Platias)
“Themistocles must be destroyed: Sparta confronts a Rising Athens”, The Historical Review of Sparta, Vol. 1, No. 1, June 2022, pp. 129-156, (co-authored with Athanasios Platias)
“Strategic Universality in the Axial Age: The Doctrine of Prudence in Political Leadership”, Journal of Strategic Analysis, Vol. 46, No. 2, May 2022, pp. 157-170 (co-authored with Athanasios Platias)
“Unraveling the Thucydides Trap: Inadvertent Escalation or War of Choice?” Chinese Journal of International Politics, Summer 2021, (co-authored with Athanasios Platias).
“On Global Power Differentials, Moral Realism and the Rise of China: a Review Essay,” Journal of Contemporary China, March, 2020.
“Alleviating the Thucydides’ Trap through Welfare State Dependence: How the Funding Needs of the Western Welfare State Can Influence Multilateral Relations with China,” the Global Policy Journal, January 2020,(co-authored with Emilios Avgouleas).
Chapters in Edited Volumes
“Moral Realism and Hegemonic Transition: Can China Lead?” in Yan Xuetong and Fang Yuan Yuan’s The Essence of Interstate Leadership (Bristol University Press, Winter 2022-3).
“Themistocles: Leadership and Grand Strategy” in Athanassios Platias et al. Salamis and Democracy (Springer, June 2022, co-authored with Athanasios Platias).
“Reconstructing Geography, Power and Politics in the Belt and Road Initiative” in Miskimon et all, One Belt One Road One Story: Towards an EU-China Strategic Narrative (Springer, 2021, coauthored with Shi Zhiqin).
“The Strategic Implications of TAFTA/TTIP: will it engage or contain China?” In Daniel Cardoso et al., ed., The Transatlantic Colossus: global contributions to broaden the debate in the US-EU free trade agreement, (Berlin Forum on Global Politics, 2013).
Book Reviews
“Re-entering Asia Pacific: Regional China and Global Order”, Political Science Quarterly, Autumn 2024.
“The Long Game: China’s Grand Strategy to Displace American Order”, Pacific Affairs Journal, Vol. 95, No. 1, March 2022.
“The Return of Great Power Rivalry: Democracy VS Autocracy from the Ancient World to the US and China,” Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 136, No. 3, 2021.
“Manipulating Globalization: The Influence of Bureaucrats on Business in China”, Pacific Affairs Journal 2021.
“The Future of UK-China Relations,” Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 135, No. 2, 2020, pp. 192-193.
“Unrivaled: why America will remain the world's sole superpower,” International Affairs, Vol. 95, No. 3, 2019, pp. 750–752
“The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the new Chinese state’. LSE Review of Books,” (2019).
“Danger Zone: The coming Conflict with China”, Pacific Affairs, (Forthcoming, Spring 2023).
Selected Strategic Analyses, Reports and Op-Eds
‘Peace as Process: JFK’s Legacy in a World of Great Power Competition’, China-US Focus, (12/2024).
‘Tech Progress worth celebrating’, China Daily (10/2024).
Tang Xiaoyang and Vasilis Trigkas, Preface to the Chinese edition of Thucydides on Strategy: Grand Strategies in the Peloponnesian War and their Relevance Today (Commercial Press, 2024).
‘A New Type of Great Power Relations VS. the Guns of August’, China US Focus, (08/2024).
‘New Quality Productive Forces Demand lots of Talent’, China Daily, (06/2024).
‘The Danger of Treating China as a Peaking Power’, China US Focus, (07/2023).
‘The Chinese Economy after the 20th Party Congress’, Greek Business File, (11/2022).
China in Southeast Europe: The Case of Greece, Report for Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, (09/2022).
‘Taiwan after Afghanistan: No Strategic domino effect’, Greek Business File, (09/2021).
‘Coronavirus must push the US and China to pause strategic competition in favour of a coordinated war on the epidemic’, South China Morning Post, (04/2020)
‘USD hegemony will endure for as long as US institutional strength holds’, South China Moring Post, (12/2019).
‘The Transatlantic alliance in an increasingly non-Atlantic world’, Global Policy Online, (10/2019).
‘How China took made-in-America entrepreneurship and is re-exporting it around the world’, South China Morning Post, (04/2019).
‘Greece in a World of Great Power Competition’, China-US Focus, (09/2019).
‘China and the Summer Solstice of the German-American Axis, Caixin, (04/2019).
‘America first shouldn't stop the US from welcoming Chinese students and global talent’, South China Morning Post, (05/2018).
‘Why the US trade war against China is doomed to fail’, (with Feng Qian), The Diplomat, (08/2018).
‘China has its DARPA but does it have the right people?’, The Diplomat, (08/2017).
‘Trump, China, and a Nixon trade shock?’, China-US Focus, (04/2017).
‘Chimerica in Decline?’, The Diplomat, (10/2015).
Shi Zhiqin and Vasilis Trigkas, ‘The Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank: A Win-Win for China-EU Relations’, Carnegie Tsinghua Center for Global Policy, (04/2015).
Zhang Lihua and Vasilis Trigkas, ‘Can China’s New Silk Road Ends Greece’s Economic Tragedy?’, Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy, (10/2015).
‘China’s Classica Turn: A dilemma revisited” (with Meicen Sun), (09/2015).
‘US-China-Japan: Beware the Megarian Trap’, The Diplomat, (10/2014).
‘Sino-US Cross-strait Strategic Stability: the Aircraft Carrier Factor’, China-US Focus, (12/2014).
‘Can China and the US neutralize the ring of Gyges?’, The Diplomat, (09/2014).
‘Four Takeaways from China’s World Peace Forum’ (with Patrick Renz & Frauke Heidemann), The Diplomat, (06/2014).
