Experts

Aynne Kokas

Fast Facts

  • Director, UVA East Asia Center
  • Non-resident scholar, Rice University’s Baker Institute of Public Policy
  • Member, Council on Foreign Relations
  • Fellow in the National Committee on United States-China Relations’ Public Intellectuals Program
  • Expertise on U.S.-China relations, cybersecurity, media industry

Areas Of Expertise

  • Foreign Affairs
  • Asia
  • Domestic Affairs
  • Media and the Press
  • Science and Technology

Aynne Kokas is the C.K. Yen Professor at the Miller Center, director of UVA's East Asia Center, and a professor of media studies at the University of Virginia. Kokas’ research examines Sino-U.S. media and technology relations. Her award-winning book Trafficking Data: How China Is Winning the Battle for Digital Sovereignty (Oxford University Press, October 2022) argues that exploitative Silicon Valley data governance practices help China build infrastructures for global control. Her award-winning first book Hollywood Made in China (University of California Press, 2017) argues that Chinese investment and regulations have transformed the U.S. commercial media industry, most prominently in the case of media conglomerates’ leverage of global commercial brands. 

Kokas is a non-resident scholar at Rice University’s Baker Institute of Public Policy, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a fellow in the National Committee on United States-China Relations’ Public Intellectuals Program.

She was a Fulbright Scholar at East China Normal University and has received fellowships from the Library of Congress, National Endowment for the Humanities, Mellon Foundation, Social Science Research Council, Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, Japan’s Abe Fellowship, and other international organizations. Her writing and commentary have appeared globally in more than 50 countries and 15 languages. In the United States, her research and writing appear regularly in media outlets including CNBC, NPR’s MarketplaceThe Washington Post, and Wired. She has testified before the Senate Finance Committee, House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and the U.S. International Trade Commission.

Aynne Kokas News Feed

The idea of a blockbuster like "Mulan" opening in theaters overseas but not in the US was inconceivable only a few months ago. The move could be a "transformative" moment for Hollywood, according to Aynne Kokas, an associate professor at the University of Virginia and author of "Hollywood Made In China." "The US is the largest box-office market in the world. It likely will not maintain that title this year if the COVID restrictions continue," Kokas said. "This could be a blip if the US is able to return to its previous situation, or it could be an inflection point."
Aynne Kokas CNN
The result is an "epidemic of self-censorship" in Hollywood, said Aynne Kokas, assistant professor of media studies at the University of Virginia, and author of the book Hollywood Made in China.
Aynne Kokas Axios
China Studies is changing irrevocably before our very eyes. What is emerging are differences in language study, classroom education, field research, and advocacy that decrease the connectedness between learning and scholarship in both countries.
Aynne Kokas China File
As school begins again, predominantly in online classrooms, many students who would otherwise be attending US institutions are stuck outside of the United States. Trump administration travel bans, reductions in flights, and the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 mean that US universities are delivering education from the US to students located in other countries. Chinese students, the largest group of international students in the United States, totaled nearly 400,000 in the 2018-2019 academic year. This new prevalence of online education conducted by US universities for students in China presents a serious risk to the academic freedom of those students.
Aynne Kokas Library of Congress John W. Kluge Center
Chinese and U.S. box office takings have vied for global first place in recent years. The University of Virginia’s Aynne Kokas told Marketplace late last month that “in March, it looked like the U.S. was actually poised to dramatically overtake the Chinese film market for 2020. Now it looks like we’re seeing the reverse.”
Aynne Kokas China Digital Times
Aynne Kokas, a Kluge fellow at the Library of Congress who specializes in US-China media and tech relations, said in an interview that there are multiple issues with Trump naming specific companies as prospective buyers of TikTok.
Aynne Kokas S&P Global Market Intelligence