About Me

I am a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, advised by Professor Wonjae Hwang. I expect to graduate in May 2029 and will be on the academic job market in the 2028–2029 cycle.

I work at the intersection of cybersecurity, international relations, and international political economy. My current research agenda centers on how cyber competition reshapes interstate rivalry and global governance, with particular attention to China, the United States, and middle powers across regions. In particular, I study how states use cyber capabilities, information operations, and economic tools to pursue strategic objectives, and how these forms of competition, in turn, shape media narratives and public opinion. This dynamic has implications for national security, international cooperation, and global cybersecurity governance.

Research Interests

Cybersecurity · U.S.-China Relations · International Political Economy · Media · Public Opinion

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Articles

Personal Political Characteristics and Trust in State Media: A Case Study of China

Xin Tong · Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia · 2025

State Media · Personal Political Characteristics

“People with rational authority (i.e., a consciousness of moral issues, a conviction in questions of intellect, and fidelity in emotional matters) are vigorous in creating fruitful cultures and solidifying the basis for political democracy, while those with authoritarian personalities rooted in irrational authority (i.e. to emotionally submit, obey, or to receive commands from the greater power such as the leader, party or state) do not reach the maturity of love nor make use of reason and therefore, are hindered from developing democratic values.”

Commentary

Linchpin for peace

Xianbai Ji and Xin Tong · China Daily · 2025

Geoeconomic Rivalry · Regional Cooperation

“Countries in the Asia-Pacific region are being pressed to take sides, despite their preference for strategic ambiguity.”

Working Papers

Shifting the Blame: China’s Framing Strategies and Public Support during Belt and Road Initiative Diplomatic Crises

Xin Tong

Under Review

Navigating Contested Cyberspace: Southeast Asian Countries’ Cybersecurity Cooperation Tendencies toward the United States and China

Xianbai Ji and Xin Tong

Under Review

Avoiding Alliances: China's Strategic Isolationism

Robert Keener and Xin Tong

Under Review

Which Future Governed? Linking Sociotechnical Imaginaries of Brain-Computer Interface in Chinese and Singaporean Media to National Governance of Emerging Technologies

Xin Tong

Under Review

Asserting Data Sovereignty or Preserving Data Openness? A Survey Experiment on Americans’ Responses to National Security Framing of Cross-Border Data Flows

Xin Tong

First draft expected by September 2026

Cyberattacks and Foreign Direct Investment: How Cyberattacks in Host Countries Affect Investment from OECD Member States

Xin Tong

First draft expected by December 2026

Teaching

Teaching Assistant, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

  • POLS 249: Introduction to Comparative Politics
  • POLS 102: Introduction to Political Science

Services

Journal Referee

  • Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia (JCEA)
  • Social Sciences & Humanities Open (SSHO)

Awards & Fellowships

Lawrence Durisch Research Fund Award

University of Tennessee, Knoxville · 2026

Graduate Student Senate Travel Award

University of Tennessee, Knoxville · 2025, 2026

Political Science Award for Best Conference Paper

University of Tennessee, Knoxville · 2025

Personal

Scenes Along the Way

I take great pleasure in traveling the world and gathering impressions from the places I visit. May you too find in these photographs and memories echoes of stillness and bustle, and of the fleeting beauty of moments once lived, and may they resonate with you as deeply as they do with me.