He is China’s first holder of PhD in contemporary Chinese history and served as a head of China Studies at UTS for 11 years from 1995 to 2006. His current research focuses on intellectual, political and legal development in contemporary China, political economy of China’s provinces, as well as the changing political identity of the overseas Chinese in Australia. Additionally, his research explores the intellectual and political changes, the growth of rights consciousness and democratic forces in particular, leading to constitutional democracy in China.