China’s Diplomatic Dance Comes Amid Plans for War
CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING — China’s newest U.S. ambassador took up his post Tuesday, less than four months after criticizing President Joe Biden’s “indiscriminate use of force” […] More
Archive for ‘China’
The US May Not Be Looking For a Fight with China, But It’s Preparing For One
OPINION — “We’re engaged in an intense competition with China across many areas, but it’s not in our interest for that competition to end in […] More
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on China: Don’t Call it ‘Decoupling’
CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING — Eight days after U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told a Johns Hopkins crowd that America does “not seek to decouple our […] More
America Ushers the Era of (Trust) Cloud Connectivity
OPINION — Today, it is not the phone companies but those that deal in data that connect the world. Amazon, Microsoft, and Google are leading […] More
Grading Assignment China
BOOK REVIEW: Assignment China: An Oral History of American Journalists in the People’s Republic by Mike Chinoy / Columbia University Press Reviewed by Cipher Brief […] More
China’s President Xi is Playing GO – and Winning
OPINION — Following his recent visit to Moscow, where China’s President Xi Jinping held lengthy meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Xi stated in […] More
As Tsai Meets McCarthy, Experts Warn: War Over Taiwan Would Run Through U.S.
CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING – As Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday fulfills a historic meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the specter of strained Sino-U.S. relations […] More
The Underlying Message from Putin and Xi: War is Coming
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Some thirty years ago, when I was a CIA Chief of Station in the war-torn Balkans, a US Special Operations soldier with […] More
China’s Chess Game in Ukraine: Is the West Ready?
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — On the heels of Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia, the world seems to be waking up to the implications of China’s possible […] More
North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons Are a Threat to All Nations
OPINION — The Joint Statement of the Xi Jinping – Vladimir Putin summit expressed concern about the situation on the Korean Peninsula. That was an understatement. North […] More
As China Looks to Allies, Taiwan Does the Same
ANALYSIS/INTERVIEW — Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen is U.S.-bound this week, with scheduled stopovers in New York and Los Angeles. The visit is an unofficial one, […] More
After Moscow, What is China’s Next Move?
ANALYSIS/INTERVIEW — Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin ended talks in Moscow this week by declaring that their alliance was driving geopolitical change […] More
Is the U.S. About to Enter a New Big Power Nuclear Arms Race?
OPINION — I raise that question after having heard Air Force General Anthony J. Cotton, the relatively new Commander of U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM), last […] More
Balancing the Tightrope Between China and Russia is Serious Business
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told reporters covering a parliamentary session in Beijing this week, that China is actively working to advance relations with Russia “as the […] More
Is China Coming to Russia’s Rescue in Ukraine?
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT: Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said at an annual parliamentary session in Beijing this week, that China is actively working to […] More
We May Already be in a Cold War with China
OPINION — Although bilateral trade with China in 2022 increased to a record $690.6 billion, bilateral relations deteriorated to their lowest level since the normalization of […] More
How Close are we Really to Broader Global Conflict?
BLUF – The Western challenge is to ensure that Putin is defeated in Ukraine, but without allowing the conflict to spread beyond Ukraine’s borders-to Taiwan, […] More
Russia Is Kind of Becoming a ‘Colony of China’
Russia’s economic struggles in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine are forcing Moscow to become more closely aligned with China, India, North Korea and […] More
Is the U.S. Ready for a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan?
OPINION — “It is likely that current Chinese war plans will include: emerging technologies to try and blind U.S. intelligence networks and silence our ability […] More
What Japan’s Massive Defense Investment Means for the World
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT: Japan’s new security strategy is bringing unprecedented change to its military policy and is introducing a new dynamic for global collective […] More
What a World Rife with Volatility Means for the Energy Market
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — The new year is bringing new concerns for the energy market and what that might mean for broader national security moving forward. […] More
We Need Clear Communication Over What’s Happening in Japan
OPINION — A rearmed Japan provides the U.S. with another strong Indo-Pacific ally which should calm down what I believe are exaggerated fears of China […] More
Seize this Opportunity to Combat Chinese Misinformation
OPINION — After 1,016 days of being locked in apartments and houses, China’s citizens have been released, and they are traveling, presenting an unparalleled opportunity […] More
Global Leaders to Watch in 2023
OPINION — As President Joe Biden concludes his second year in office, despite many positive foreign-policy achievements, his administration can hardly afford to rest upon […] More