Why Xi Jinping has been purging China’s military leadership, and what may come next
The Chinese PLA has gone through wide-scale restructuring in recent years, leading to questions as to why and what the effects may be.
4 ways Trump should work with the China Commission to secure supply chains
The incoming Trump administration will be facing a pacing threat from Beijing. In order to secure supply chains and national security, the administration will have to find ways to rely less on China.
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Meeting Zero Trust goals while maintaining information dominance
Balancing security and access to data are critical to providing users with trustworthy, reliable data for real-time decisions.
Why Xi created a new Information Support Force, and why now
"What does seem clear at this point is that the PLA recognizes that its reforms and modernization efforts are an ongoing effort, which will require further adjustments," author Dean Cheng writes.
Batten the hatches: Rough times ahead after Taiwan elections
In its presidential election Taiwan may have sent a rebuke to Beijing, but in this op-ed the United States Institute of Peace's Dean Cheng makes a closer, more nuanced examination.
The potential end of China’s ‘Period of Strategic Opportunity,’ and what it means militarily
2023 will mark the second year in a row that China's defense budget is slated to increase at a faster rate than the general economy, a potentially worrisome trend for Beijing, writes analyst Dean Cheng.
China calls for new ‘strategic guidance’ at 20th Party Congress
China analyst Dean Cheng breaks down the key military aspects of Chinese leader Xi Jinping's statements at the recent Party Congress.
Military & government leaders: Share your perspective
Share your insight in a 10-minute survey—$10 donated to Homes For Our Troops for every response.
China’s Military Commission leadership at stake at Xi’s Peoples Congress
With this Party Congress under way in Beijing, Xi Jinping will put in place China's political and military leadership for the next five years, writes Dean Cheng.
PLA exercises after Pelosi Taiwan visit were largely pre-planned
Reacting to the PLA's previous large-scale exercise in the Taiwan straits in 1995-1996, the United States deployed two carrier battlegroups in response. The Chinese undoubtedly noted that this latest exercise, which included missile overflights of the island, led to a far more muted reaction, writes Dean Cheng.
The Afghanistan Debacle: 5G And China
With Washington demonstrating little competency or reliability, Beijing is likely to press countries to include Huawei and other Chinese telecommunications corporations in their 5G networks, lest they alienate Beijing.
China’s Nuclear Forces Swell: A Tri-Polar World?
The combination of a modern long-range bomber (the H-20), and an expanded seaborne ballistic missile force, as well as this massive inflation of the land-based ICBM component, makes China’s nuclear forces look far more like their “hegemonic” counterparts in Russia and the United States than the minimal or limited deterrent presented by French or British nuclear forces.
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Breaking the Pentagon’s new bottleneck of time
As threats evolve, the winning model ties digital engineering to manufacturing capacity and a reindustrialized supply chain.
How China’s Thinking About The Next War
The PLA Navy (PLAN) and PLA Air Force (PLAAF) are now the world’s largest, but China’s military modernization is not only focused on equipment. The PRC appears to be developing new strategies and doctrines. The PLA began shifting in the 1990s from preparing to fight “local wars under modern, high-tech conditions” to “local wars under […]
Chinese Party Sets Bold Military Goal: ‘Mechanized & Informationized’ By 2027
This marks Dean Cheng’s first op-ed for us as a member of the Breaking Defense Board of Contributors. One of the world’s preeminent experts on the Chinese military, Cheng demonstrates here the sophistication and subtlety of analysis he is known for. What does the west need to do to better manage its relationships with China […]
China, COVID-19 and 5G; Golden Opportunity For The West
Wars and pandemics, great destroyers of the status quo, often generate enormous societal change. An outbreak of hoof-and-mouth disease in the early 20th century, for example, gave the internal combustion engine a permanent lead over steam-powered automobiles. The First World War saw more improvements in aeronautical engineering and airplane manufacturing than the previous decade. The […]
Quarantine? What Are American Options for the South China Sea?
Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham, who had expressed serious reservations about Rex Tillerson, President Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of State, said Sunday afternoon they would vote for him, pretty much assuring his elevation. The most combustible part of Tillerson’s testimony was about how to handle a rising China’s actions in the South and East […]