Although I did not choose the title, my essay on the clash on the China-India border has been published on the Foreign Affairs website. Read it here.
Why are China and India skirmishing at their border?
For the Washington Post‘s Monkey Cage, I examine the growing tensions on the China-India border. Read it here.
Opportunism in the South China Sea?
A number of recent analyses have emphasized that China is seizing pandemic-created opportunities to improve its position in the South China Sea as other countries are distracted or otherwise unable to respond. A key implication of such claims is that absent the pandemic, China would have acted differently and perhaps with more restraint. In a …
China’s “World-Class Military” Ambitions: Origins and Implications
An article based on my testimony last summer before the USCC has been published The Washington Quarterly. I examine what the concept of building a “world-class military” as mentioned by Xi Jinping since 2016, especially in the 19th Part Congress Work Report. I argue that the phrase “world-class military” should be viewed as a general, …
China and the Border Dispute with India After 1962
I have contributed a chapter to the Routledge Handbook of China–India Relations. Specifically, I review China’s approach to its disputed border with India after the war between the two countries in 1962. China’s approach has emphasized maintaining stability on its southwestern frontier, defined as preventing the escalation of armed conflict on the border and maintaining …
Dangerous Confidence?: Chinese Views on Nuclear Escalation
In a new article in International Security, Fiona Cunningham and I explore Chinese views of nuclear escalation. Our review of original Chinese-language sources and interviews with members of China’s strategic community suggest that China is skeptical that nuclear escalation could be controlled once nuclear weapons are used and, thus, leaders would be restrained from pursuing …
M Taylor Fravel named director of the MIT Security Studies Program
On July 1, 2019, I will take over as director of the Security Studies Program at MIT. Read the press release here.
China as a “World-Class Military”
Yesterday, I testified before the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, which was established to review developments in China. The hearing examined the ambitions of China’s People’s Liberation Army’s as a “world-class military.” My testimony reviewed the origins of the use “world-class military” to argue that it should be viewed as a force development concept, …
War on the Rocks podcast
Last week, I spoke with Brad Carson, host of the Jaw-Jaw podcast over at War on the Rocks. We discussed my new book, Active Defense: China’s Military Strategy Since 1949. Listen to the podcast here.
The (evolving) art of war
MIT News has run a nice story about my new book. Read The (evolving) art of war.