ChinaPower

Robert Greenway, director at the Allison Center for National Security and former senior U.S. official, discusses vulnerabilities in China’s fuel and ammunition sustainment. He outlines how external oil links and advanced-munitions dependencies create exploitable gaps. He also covers risks to U.S. logistics and policy steps to bolster fuel, distribution, and munition preparedness.

Witold Rodkiewicz, Senior Fellow in the Russian Department at the Centre for East European Studies, unpacks how Russian elites view China’s rise and the US‑China rivalry. He discusses China’s rapid economic inroads in Russia, Moscow’s pragmatic acceptance of Chinese preponderance, efforts to shape public attitudes, and how US policy might influence Russia’s strategic calculations.

Jon Czin, a foreign policy scholar with deep China policy experience; Sheena Chestnut Greitens, an expert on coercive institutions; Taylor Fravel, a security scholar on PLA operations; John Culver, a longtime analyst of the PLA; and Brian Hart, a China studies moderator. They dissect Xi’s wide military purges, the timeline and scope of removals, effects on PLA readiness and decisionmaking, promotion tradeoffs between loyalty and competence, and implications for succession and military structure.

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, William Hannas and Hugh Grant‑Chapman join us to discuss key findings from Bill’s new report, China’s Embodied AI: A Path to AGI, as well as the CSIS report Is China Leading the Robotics Revolution? They examine why Chinese researchers view embodied AI as a critical pathway toward advanced intelligence, how Beijing is prioritizing robotics and physical‑world AI applications, and what lessons China’s AI strategy may offer for other countries. William Hannas is the Lead Analyst at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, or CSET. Before joining CSET, he served in the Senior Intelligence Service at the Central Intelligence Agency, where he worked as an executive expert on advanced technical programs. Hugh Grant-Chapman is a fellow with the Economics Program and Scholl Chair in International Business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Thomas Shugart and Michael Dahm join us to discuss key findings from their new report, Flooding the Zone: The Use of Civilian Landing Craft (LCTs) in PLA Amphibious Operations. They examine how civilian landing craft could provide the PLA with over-the-shore lift several times greater than its traditional landing ships in a Taiwan scenario, bridging the gap between beach assaults and port access. The conversation explores the operational constraints and vulnerabilities of LCTs and how these developments fit into Beijing’s broader strategy and 2027 military modernization goals. Thomas Shugart is an Adjunct Senior Fellow with the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security. He served more than 25 years in the U.S. Navy as a submarine warfare officer, deploying multiple times to the Indo‑Pacific. Michael Dahm is a Senior Resident Fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and a lecturer at George Washington University. He served as a U.S. Navy intelligence officer for over 25 years.

Ryan Berg, a director at CSIS focusing on U.S.-Latin America policy, and Evan Ellis, a research professor at the U.S. Army War College, delve into the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela. They discuss China's surprised reaction and its mainly diplomatic response. Their analysis reveals U.S. military strategies, China's economic interests, and potential lessons for Taiwan's defense. The duo explores regional responses and predicts China's next moves in governance and infrastructure, underscoring the complexities of U.S.-China relations.

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Randy Schriver and Mike Kuiken join us to discuss key findings from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission’s 2025 Annual Report to Congress, which they helped draft. They examine how Beijing is increasingly using the PLA for political signaling, how China’s treatment of space as a warfighting domain marks a notable shift, and how China’s dominance across key supply chain choke points creates structural vulnerabilities for the U.S. and global markets. The conversation also covers several other recommendations from the report, including proposals related to Taiwan’s role in supporting U.S. posture initiatives and deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.  Randy Schriver is the Chairman of the Board of the Institute for Indo-Pacific Security (IIPS) and a partner at Pacific Solutions LLC. Prior to this, he served for two years as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs during the first Trump Administration.  Mike Kuiken is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and spent over two decades in the Senate.   Both are commission members of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

Chad Sbragia, a Research Staff Member at the Institute for Defense Analyses and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China, dives into U.S.-China military relations. He highlights surprising continuities in defense ties and how the current administration has fostered ongoing engagements. Sbragia shares insights from the Xiangshan Forum, the significance of high-level dialogues, and the importance of listening to each side. He discusses the decline in risky encounters and anticipates the upcoming National Defense Strategy, emphasizing China's challenge in the U.S. perspective.

Dr. Elizabeth Economy, a Hargrove Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and former senior advisor for China at the U.S. Department of Commerce, dives into the key implications of China's Fourth Plenum. She discusses Beijing's push for technological self-reliance, the challenges of local competition leading to overcapacity, and China's evolving trade strategies with the U.S. Economy also highlights the risks posed by global pushback and demographic shifts, as well as the strategic missteps surrounding rare-earth controls. Expect insights into the future of China-U.S. relations!

Henrietta Levin, a senior fellow at CSIS with a background in U.S. diplomacy, and Greg Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program at CSIS, delve into the recent Trump-Xi meeting and ASEAN Summit. They explore the surprising absence of Taiwan in discussions, and how both nations are prioritizing economic stability over confrontation. The guests analyze ASEAN's balancing act with new economic initiatives and comment on the muted U.S. presence compared to China's regional ambitions. They highlight what to watch for next in China's trade strategies and maritime tensions.