Jin (Julie) Zeng

Biography

Dr. Jin (Julie) Zeng is Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations at Florida International University. Her primary research interests are Chinese investment in Latin America, agrarian studies in contemporary China, and political economy of development. She is the author of the book State-Led Privatization in China—The Politics of Economic Reform (Routledge, 2013), in which she examines the initiation, implementation, and dynamics of privatization in China. Building on rich fieldwork data gathered in three Chinese cities, the book offers the first comparative study of China’s privatization processes at the local level. Dr. Zeng has also published articles in scholarly journals such as The Journal of Peasant Studies, Third World Quarterly, Journal of Chinese Political Science, and Asian Perspective.

Dr. Zeng teaches courses on international political economy at both undergraduate and graduate levels, the international relations of East Asia, the political economy of China, Chinese investment in Latin America, and comparative studies of privatization. In Fall 2025, she is going to co-teach with Dr. Thomas Breslin a new graduate course INR5544 The New Asian Century, cross-listed as ASN6930 Seminar in Asian Studies.

Dr. Zeng is currently working on two research projects. The first project is a book on rural land reform in contemporary China, with a focus on rural land titling and land commercialization. The book is based on her research on the topic in the past decade. Some of the major findings of her research on this project are presented in the article “Acceptance or Resistance?—Explaining Local Reactions to Land Titling in Three Chinese Villages,” published in The Journal of Peasant Studies (2020).

The second project examines China’s economic engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Her fieldwork across Chile, Brazil, and Costa Rica has sparked a keen interest in examining the digital expansion of China’s tech giant, Huawei, within the LAC region, especially amid escalating U.S.-China tensions. This ambitious project will culminate in a trilogy of scholarly papers, slated for journal submission in Fall 2025.

1. “Busting Sanctions: Why Didn’t Brazil Follow America’s Lead to Ban Huawei?”: This paper explores the dynamics behind Brazil’s decision not to ban Huawei, focusing on causal narratives, cost considerations, and contingency.

2. “Corporate Survival Amid Geopolitical Tensions—The Case of Huawei in Chile”: Co-authored with her doctoral student, Yuanhao Tian, this paper examines Huawei’s resilience in navigating geopolitical challenges in Chile.

3. “Caught in the Crossfire: The Impact of U.S.-China Rivalry on Huawei’s 5G Operations in Costa Rica”: In collaboration with Costa Rican scholar Carlos Cascante, this paper examines the impact of U.S.-China rivalry on Huawei’s operations in Costa Rica.

Areas of Expertise

Political Economy of Development, Chinese Politics, Politics of Economic Reform

Degrees

BA, Fuzhou University, Foreign Language, 1996

MA, University of Mississippi, Political Science, 2001

PhD, Johns Hopkins University, Political Science, 2007