Songruowen Ma is a doctoral student at the Oxford Department of International Development. Her research interests cover China-US relations, Western alliances, and international relations theory. Before joining Oxford, Songruowen obtained a LLB in Diplomacy and a BEc in Finance from the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, and a MSSc in Global Political Economy from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
DPhil topic
Songruowen’s research focuses on the China policies of Five Eyes countries covering the period from 2009 to 2024 and relating to three fields: military and security; climate change; and science, technology, and trade. Relying on an eclectic mix of international relations theories, the study develops an analytical framework suggesting that the China policies of a Five Eyes country depend on a combination of two logics: original preferences and alliance politics. In addition, the study deploys empirical case studies to understand how policy convergence and divergence among the US and its allies on China issues play out in real life.
