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Andrew S. Erickson China's rapid development is reshaping the world in all dimensions. Chinese language open sources offer insights into these critical trends. While such materials are increasing constantly in number, diversity, and sophistication, only a fraction is available in English. The analyses available here, many based on sources not previously considered outside China, are designed to help bridge that gap--and thereby increase understanding of the most dynamic great power in the international system today.

07 May 2024

China Maritime Report #38: “PLAN Anti-Submarine Warfare Aircraft—Sensors, Weapons, & Operational Concepts”

Eli Tirk and Daniel Salisbury, PLAN Anti-Submarine Warfare Aircraft—Sensors, Weapons, and Operational Concepts, China Maritime Report 38 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, May 2024).

About the Authors
Mr. Eli Tirk is a research analyst at the China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI). His main research areas include the PLA Air Force, PLA naval aviation, […]

02 May 2024

Now Out in Paperback! “Maritime Gray Zone Operations: Challenges & Countermeasures in the Indo-Pacific”

China & North Korea’s Yellow Sea activities illuminated as nowhere else!

Check out the new paperback edition of our book, published in Naval War College Professor Geoffrey Till’s Routledge Cass Series on Naval Policy & History. Sponsored by the Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy (KIMS), it offers:

1) An authoritative Preface by former Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet […]

02 May 2024

Must-Read from CMSI’s Ryan Martinson! “The PLA Navy’s Blue Team Center Games for War”

The PLA Navy’s Blue Team Center Games for War
Naval Command College “Blue Team” experts sometimes go so far as to wear OpFor uniforms during wargames. 
By Ryan D. Martinson
May 2024
U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings
Vol. 150/5/1,455

The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has embraced wargaming with an almost religious zeal. PLAN leaders vigorously promote the use of wargaming methods […]

29 April 2024

New from Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI)! 2024 Recognition & Identification Guides for 1) China People’s Liberation Army (PLAN) & 2) China Coast Guard & Government Maritime Forces

Attention, Attention, Attention—This is not a drill! Don’t miss the China government naval/maritime ship recognition Order of Battle (OOB) guides that the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) just released! It’s the first time this unparalleled resource has been publicly updated in 15.5 months… And, for the first time ever, ONI has divided its exquisitely-detailed […]

29 April 2024

CMSI Translation #2: “Dominating the Battlefield—The Advantages of Unmanned Intelligent Combat Forces”

CMSI Translation #2: Dominating the Battlefield—The Advantages of Unmanned Intelligent Combat Forces

Zhao Xiangang
Su Yanqin

Publication Date
April 2024

Translator’s Note
This article was part of a series of articles published by People’s Navy for the purpose of helping Chinese naval personnel to understand the characteristics of intelligent warfare and grasp the implications of Xi Jinping’s 20th Party Congress report […]

29 April 2024

CMSI Translation #1: “The ‘Cans’ and ‘Cannots’ of the Military Application of Artificial Intelligence”

CMSI Translation #1: The “Cans” and “Cannots” of the Military Application of Artificial Intelligence

Zhang Long
Publication Date
April 2024

Translator’s Note
This article was part of a series of articles published by People’s Navy for the purpose of helping Chinese naval personnel to understand the characteristics of intelligent warfare and grasp the implications of Xi Jinping’s 20th Party Congress […]

25 April 2024

New CMSI Series! Translations # 1 & 2—人民海军 (People’s Navy) Articles on PLA’s Integration of Cutting-Edge Technologies

New resource from Newport! Go straight to the source, in the PLA Navy’s own words… Check out the first two published translations in CMSI’s new product line! We bring you expertly-translated English versions of two articles from a series in Beijing’s official naval newspaper to help PRC naval personnel understand fundamental characteristics of intelligent warfare […]

15 April 2024

China Maritime Report #37: “Re-Engaging With the World: China’s Military Diplomacy in 2023”

Jie Gao and Kenneth W. Allen, Re-Engaging With the World: China’s Military Diplomacy in 2023, China Maritime Report 37 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, April 2024).

From CMSI Director Christopher Sharman:
CMSI is pleased to provide you with China Maritime Report (CMR) #37, Re-Engaging With the World – China’s Military Diplomacy in 2023.
This […]

15 April 2024

PLA Military Diplomacy During 2023

PLA Military Diplomacy During 2023
Kenneth W. Allen
Introduction
As the People’s Republic of China (PRC) enters 2024, it is important to know how the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted its military diplomacy during 2023 in order to support the Chinese Communist Party (CCP aka CPC). Therefore, this report provides information concerning the PLA’s military diplomacy during 2023 […]

11 April 2024

CMSI Note 5: “Admiral Wang Renhua: Exemplifying Jointness and Oversight for China’s Navy amid Xi’s Grade-and-Rank Reforms”

Andrew S. Erickson, “Admiral Wang Renhua: Exemplifying Jointness and Oversight for China’s Navy amid Xi’s Grade-and-Rank Reforms,” CMSI Note 5 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 11 April 2023).

From CMSI Director Christopher Sharman:
China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) Friends and Colleagues –
CMSI is pleased to provide you with CMSI Note #5. It elucidates […]

26 March 2024

When China’s Navy Chief Came to Harvard: In Another Time, Admiral Wu Shengli Sought the Academic Gold Standard

Andrew S. Erickson, “When China’s Navy Chief Came to Harvard: In Another Time, Admiral Wu Shengli Sought the Academic Gold Standard,” Harvard Fairbank Center Blog Post, 26 March 2024.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A FULL-TEXT PDF.

Andrew S. Erickson is Visiting Professor, Government Department, Harvard University; Professor of Strategy, U.S. Naval War College (NWC) China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI); […]

26 March 2024

China Maritime Report #36: “China’s T-AGOS: The Dongjian Class Ocean Surveillance Ship”

Devin Thorne, China’s T-AGOS: The Dongjian Class Ocean Surveillance Ship, China Maritime Report 36 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, March 2024).
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A FULL-TEXT PDF.

About the Author
Mr. Devin Thorne is a Principal Threat Intelligence Analyst with Recorded Future. He specializes in the use of publicly available Chinese-language sources to […]

22 March 2024

Panel on “What Chinese Leaders are Learning from Recent Wars Around the World” at Columbia-Harvard China & the World Program’s 20th Annual Conference

22 March 2024 3:15 PM: PANEL #4 – What Chinese Leaders Are Learning from Recent Wars

Andrew Erickson, U.S. Naval War College
Dawn Murphy, National War College
Tyler Jost, Brown University
Moderator: Alexandra Vacroux, Harvard University

CLICK HERE TO WATCH WEBCAST ON YOUTUBE.

Rethinking China’s International Relations: China and the World Program 20th Annual Conference

March 22 @ 9:00 am – 5:15 […]

24 February 2024

China’s New Military Commanders Reflect Xi Jinping’s Naval Ambitions

Andrew S. Erickson, “China’s New Military Commanders Reflect Xi Jinping’s Naval Ambitions,” Harvard Fairbank Center Blog Post, 23 February 2024.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A FULL-TEXT PDF.

By Andrew S. Erickson, Visiting Professor, Government Department, Harvard University; Professor of Strategy, U.S. Naval War College (NWC) China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI); and Fairbank Center Associate in Research. The views expressed in this piece […]

21 February 2024

“U.S. Must Not Lose Taiwan, Experts Warn”—Most Popular Article on Taipei Times Website

Jonathan Chin, “U.S. Must Not Lose Taiwan, Experts Warn,” Taipei Times, 18 February 2024, 1.

Home
Front Page

Sun, Feb 18, 2024 page 1
US must not lose Taiwan, experts warn
‘A DISASTER’: A successful Chinese attack on Taiwan would undermine the credibility of US security guarantees and could result in a global depression, three experts wrote 
By Jonathan Chin / Staff […]

20 February 2024

Special Presentation Today at Harvard—“China-Russia Relations Two Years into Putin’s Ukraine War: How Strong, For How Long?”

Special Presentation – China-Russia Relations Two Years into Putin’s Ukraine War: How Strong, For How Long?
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE WEBCAST ON YOUTUBE.

DETAILS
Date: 

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Time: 

5:15 pm – 6:30 pm

Event Category:

Special Event

Organizer

Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies
This event is co-sponsored by the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University.

Venue

CGIS South S020, Belfer Case Study Room, […]

16 February 2024

The Taiwan Catastrophe: What America—and the World—Would Lose If China Took the Island

Andrew S. Erickson, Gabriel B. Collins, and Matt Pottinger, “The Taiwan Catastrophe: What America—and the World—Would Lose If China Took the Island,” Foreign Affairs, 16 February 2024.

Most-read article on Foreign Affairs website.
Weekend reading on RealClearDefense.
Summarized in Taipei Times as lead article/front page and most-popular article.
Cited in Ross Douthat, “What the Ukraine Aid Debate Is Really About,” New […]

09 February 2024

China Maritime Report #35: “Beyond Chinese Ferry Tales: The Rise of Deck Cargo Ships in China’s Military Activities, 2023”

A vital, under-researched subject has just been given what we at CMSI call the “Mike Dahm Treatment”! Come for the eye-watering 41 Figures, peruse the 26 Tables, stay for the penetrating analysis…
J. Michael Dahm, Beyond Chinese Ferry Tales: The Rise of Deck Cargo Ships in China’s Military Activities, 2023, China Maritime Report 35 (Newport, RI: […]

08 February 2024

CMSI Note 4: “Deck Cargo Ships: Another Option for a Cross-Strait Invasion”

Conor M. Kennedy, “Deck Cargo Ships: Another Option for a Cross-Strait Invasion,” CMSI Note 4 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 8 February 2023).

From CMSI Director Christopher Sharman:
Deck cargo ships. It’s possible you know little about them. Virtually absent from discussions about cross-Strait contingencies is any reference to how deck cargo ships […]