"‘What if She Is a Spy?’: Gatekeeping, Trust, and Access in Global China Research" - by CWP alum Hong Zhang
Iwas kicked out of a WeChat group just a few hours after joining. ‘I’m sorry, but I have to,’ the group administrator messaged me before removing me—even though I had paid to join and had been vetted beforehand.
The group comprised hundreds of employees of Chinese companies active in overseas infrastructure and construction projects and was organised by a Chinese firm that provides market intelligence and facilitates supply–demand matchmaking. This company sold access to these WeChat groups, which were designed for industry insiders, and members were encouraged to exchange information and build networks. I discovered this opportunity while following several WeChat public accounts related to China’s infrastructure industry. Eager to learn more about the industry as part of my research, I paid the membership fee and submitted my affiliation—at the time, I was a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University’s China–Africa Research Initiative (CARI)—for the administrator to review. To my surprise, no questions were asked about my intentions for joining and I was granted access.
After I was let in, I introduced myself to the group members at the administrator’s request. My identity—as a female researcher affiliated with an American university—immediately attracted attention in this apparently male-dominated space. Several members quickly added me as a contact, perhaps convinced by my expressed enthusiasm about the industry or out of professional habit, since many worked in roles that required networking as widely as possible. A few initiated conversations with me, some tinged with flirtation, likely shaped by their perception of me as a young female student. Just as I carefully fended off those flirting suggestions while trying to remain engaged—excited by my newfound access to many industry insiders—someone in the group interjected: ‘What if she is a spy? Folks in this group are all experienced players in Belt and Road countries. You should know how sensitive it is.’ Before I could utter a word, I was removed from the group.
July 4, 2025 | Hong Zhang | Essays
Hong Zhang is an Assistant Professor of International Studies at the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington. Her research and teaching focus on global development and China’s role in it. Previously, she was a China Public Policy Postdoctoral Fellow at the Ash Center for Governance and Democratic Innovation, Harvard University Kennedy School of Government (2022–24), and a postdoctoral fellow at the China–Africa Research Initiative, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and the Columbia–Harvard China and the World Program. She obtained her PhD in public policy from George Mason University in 2021.
Photo Credit: By Bich Tran - https://www.pexels.com/photo/closeup-photography-of-white-gate-with-brass-colored-padlock-846288/, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=89481647
