Publications

China Policy Monitor No. 1562

August 22, 2023 Joshua Eisenman

China replaces leaders of elite nuclear force;
Hong Kong removes requirement to flag China risk;
China restricts some drone exports to Russia; 
Pro-China influence campaign infiltrates U.S. News; 
China criticizes Russia's treatment of Chinese at border

Africa Political Monitor No. 27

August 22, 2023

The ripple effects of Sudan's unrest;
Moscow poised to reopen embassy in Tripoli;
UN to end peacekeeping mission in Mali;
Al-Shabaab complicates the Kenyan-Somali border;
Cairo plays host to Sudan peace talks;
ECOWAS takes a stand

China Policy Monitor No. 1561

August 18, 2023 Alex Miller

Beijing seeks to redefine unemployment woes;
Xi calls to strengthen China's control over information... 
..and U.S. companies respond warily;
Qin Gang is gone; 
China surpasses 5G goals while America trails behind

China Policy Monitor No. 1560

August 14, 2023

China's economic slump continues;
The Holy See bows to Beijing, approves new bishop; 
Beijing doubles down on Pakistani nuclear energy;
Chinese hackers target U.S. Officials;
Beijing, Honiara deepen strategic cooperation

China’s Relations with Africa: A New Era of Strategic Engagement

August 1, 2023 Joshua EisenmanDavid A. Shinn Columbia University Press

Since Xi Jinping’s accession to power in 2012, nearly every aspect of China’s relations with Africa has grown dramatically. Beijing has increased the share of resources it devotes to African countries, expanding military cooperation, technological investment, and educational and cultural programs as well as extending its political influence.

China Policy Monitor No. 1559

August 1, 2023 Alex Miller

Yellen gets warm reception in Beijing;
With an eye on Ukraine, PLA adjusts training;
China deepens its stake in Saudi Arabia;
Hong Kong tests extraterritoriality of national security law;
Beijing promises more assistance to the Solomons

The Risks Of Israel’s Judicial Reform

July 25, 2023 Lawrence J. Haas The Messenger

“[T]he basis of [U.S.] support” for Israel, longtime U.S. diplomat and Israel watcher Dennis Ross wrote back in 2015, “is driven by the perception of Israel as a country that shares America’s values... The last thing Israel needs now is to have its basic democratic character called into question.”

Indo-Pacific Monitor No.33

July 25, 2023 Emma Potts

Paris nixes NATO office in Tokyo;
Japan underwrites Dhaka's regional economic ambitions...;
...And gets more competitive with foreign assistance;
More Chinese spy balloons spotted in Northeast Asia;
Seoul, Tokyo take steps to turn the page

China Policy Monitor No. 1558

July 24, 2023 Alex Miller

China sold drones to Russia for use in Ukraine;
Beijing slaps export ban on rare Earth metals;
New security law takes aim at Washington's tech offensive;
China's updated counter-espionage law prompts travel warning;
"Spy balloon" drama persists in Washington

South Asia Strategy Monitor No.9

July 17, 2023 Rehna Sheth

India, U.S. boost defense ties;
Pakistan cashes in on Russia's energy sell-off;
Counterterrorism worries push China, Iran, Pakistan together;
Nepal works to improve tepid ties to India...;
...As Delhi flexes its maritime muscle

China Reform Monitor No.1557

July 12, 2023 Ilan I. Berman

China's millionaire exodus;
China records fewest marriages in more than three decades;
China is recruiting Canadians online;
China and Pakistan sign $4.8 billion nuclear power deal;
U.S. files charges against Chinese fentanyl makers

US Needs More Holistic Response to Emerging Axis

July 12, 2023 Lawrence J. Haas The Messenger

With NATO’s latest gathering this week in Vilnius, Washington is understandably focused on what the United States and its allies should do next to help Ukraine rebuff Russia. Moscow’s invasion, however, is part of a larger, multi-nation challenge to which Washington has not yet developed a comprehensive response.

That challenge is the axis of deepening diplomatic, military, and economic cooperation between China, Russia, and Iran. Washington is responding to individual provocations in ways that seem to contradict one another.

Africa Political Monitor No. 26

July 5, 2023 Alex Miller

Chad's widening refugee crisis;
Long-delayed Mali referendum paves the way for elections;
Food aid withheld in Ethiopia... again;
Sudan shuts the door to the UN;
An upgraded American presence in Mauritius;
Inching toward electoral reform in Libya

The Fallout From Prigozhin’s Putsch

July 5, 2023 Ilan I. Berman The Messenger

[T]he long-term consequences of Prighozin’s power play are liable to be profound. Here are a trio of what could be the most consequential for Russian foreign policy — and for Western nations now marshalling a response to its aggression, both in Europe and beyond.

China Reform Monitor No.1556

July 5, 2023 Joshua Eisenman

China's Xi backs Palestine statehood;
China's gaokao exam tests Xi Jinping thought;
U.S., China revive drug control talks ahead of Blinken visit;
China expands open-source intelligence collection in the U.S.;
Thousands of Chinese entering the U.S. illegally

Indo-Pacific Monitor No.32

July 5, 2023

Washington solidifies Pacific presence;
Cambodia's Hun Sen throttles opposition parties again;
Malaysia snubs Western concerns, welcomes Huawei;
Canberra bolsters Manila's maritime awareness;
China boosts military cooperation with Laos

Turkey’s Economy Is in Deep Trouble

June 28, 2023 Ilan I. Berman Newsweek

These are heady days for Turkey's president. Last month, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the country's larger-than-life strongman, eked out an electoral win over opposition rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu to secure a third five-year term in office. In the process, he dashed the hopes of many in the West for a more democratic turn on the part of NATO's only Middle Eastern member.

China Reform Monitor No. 1555

June 27, 2023 Joshua Eisenman

China has had spy base in Cuba since at least 2019;
Enforcers of One-Child Policy now seek a "birth-friendly society";
China's new conscription rules;
Asean to hold first joint military exercise in South China Sea; 
Diplomatic tensions with Seoul

End Game in Central Asia

June 26, 2023 S. Frederick Starr AFPC Insights

Central Asians have no intention to roll back their ties with their large neighbors, but seek rather to balance them with ties with the West... America now has before it what may be the last, best chance to prevent the region from being dominated by autocratic outsiders.

China Reform Monitor No. 1554

June 26, 2023 Joshua Eisenman

German fighter pilots are training PLA pilots in China; 

U.S. sanctions Chinese firms over fentanyl-making equipment; 

Thousands of China Muslims defend their mosque; 

Chinese fighter jet buzzes U.S. military reconnaissance aircraft; 

Chinese warship nearly collides with U.S. with U.S. destroyer in Taiwan Strait 

A Roadmap for Taking on Tehran

June 23, 2023 Lawrence J. Haas Newsweek

With Washington resuming indirect talks with Tehran over its nuclear program, opponents of the 2015 nuclear deal in the United States and abroad are raising legitimate fears that Washington will provide the Islamic Republic with sanctions relief while getting little, if anything, in return. And who can blame them?

China Reform Monitor No. 1553

June 19, 2023 Joshua Eisenman

North Korea builds China border wall;
China's youth unemployment hits record high;
China's spies sought to infiltrate Alaskan military bases;
Chinese hackers hit Kenya's government;
China simulates hypersonic strike on U.S. carrier group