Come hear about a great new book on the PLA written by Joel Wuthnow and Phil Saunders. Their work on the Chinese military is some of the best in the business! China’s Quest for Military Supremacy uschinadialogue.georgetown.edu/events/china-s…

Strong list of #China selections on the Commandant of the @USMC 2025 reading list: M. Taylor Fravel's "Active Defense," China Maritime-CMSI's "Chinese Amphib Warfare", and our own Institute for National Strategic Studies "Chairman Xi Remakes the PLA" -- great choices for Department of Defense 🇺🇸 joint warfighters grc-usmcu.libguides.com/cmc-reading-li…

Nice to join fellow China and the World alum Maria Adele Carrai | 马晓冉 an co-author Dr. Phil Saunders for an early book talk podcast for "China's Quest for Military Supremacy," out today on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=dCGEJA… (book launches on March 18)

Is Xi Jinping still in control of the PLA? What do recent purges tell us about Xi's exercise of power over the military, and about the limits on his control after more than a decade at the top? I discuss in the latest China Leadership Monitor prcleader.org/post/can-xi-ji…

It was great to join ChinaPower's Bonny Lin for a podcast about new book (w/ Dr. Phil Saunders) "China's Quest for Military Supremacy" csis.org/podcasts/china…

Book Launch: "China's Quest for Military Supremacy" is officially out from Polity in the U.S. today! Available as a hardback, paperback, eBook, and audiobook. amazon.com/Chinas-Quest-M…

Check out the latest edition of our Weekly Leaf, featuring ASG Co-Chair Condoleezza Rice and ASG members Chris Brose, Michael B.G. Froman, and Dina Powell McCormick. The Book of the Week is “China’s Quest for Military Supremacy” by Joel Wuthnow and Phillip C. Saunders. tinyurl.com/ysypjs2z

Why did Xi Jinping dissolve the Strategic Support Force - undoing a pillar of his own 2015-6 military reforms? What does the latest reform tell us about the PLA's progress towards its 2027 modernization goals? I address in NDU Press Joint Force Quarterly digitalcommons.ndu.edu/joint-force-qu…

Xi Jinping's generals are missing in action, victims of endless purges. In a NYT op-ed, Phil Saunders and I explain how this reflects a PLA advancing in capabilities, but lacking the confidence of the party elite. Willingness for war hangs in the balance. nytimes.com/2025/05/06/opi…

Joel Wuthnow's (Joel Wuthnow) chapter in NBR's new PLA volume (forthcoming May 29) analyzes #XiJinping’s strategy for strengthening control over the #PLA during a period of disruptive change. The chapter summary is available now. nbr.org/publication/st…

Impressive piece in The Wire China on Xi Jinping's military purges. Delighted to be quoted alongside Dennis Wilder偉德寧, John Culver, Lyle Morris & many others thewirechina.com/2025/05/11/all…

Does China have its own Navy SEALs? What role would they play in a Taiwan invasion? In a new China Maritime-CMSI monograph, RAND's John Chen and I look at the structure, history, leadership, and doctrine of the PLA Navy's elite Sea Dragons SOF brigade digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cmsi-red-books…

Did Xi Jinping amass power in the PLA due to purges & intimidation? Not so fast. In a new The National Bureau of Asian Research book chapter, I argue that Xi mainly gained control by respecting traditions and interests at the individual, service, and corporate level. Free download. nbr.org/publication/th…

Thanks to all who made the U.S. Naval War College/China Maritime-CMSI Studies Institute (#CMSI)’s 14th conference our best one yet! Complete info: bit.ly/CMSIConference

I was delighted to talk with the The Diplomat's Mercy Kuo about some of the key findings in my new book <China's Quest for Military Supremacy> (Polity 2025, with Phillip Saunders) thediplomat.com/2025/07/chinas…

Excited to appear in a 3-part The Telegraph series on the PLA on its Battle Lines program hosted by Venetia Rainey -- "China's military: How it went from obsolete to world class" youtube.com/watch?v=ltnW2k…

Host Steve Yates (葉望輝) speaks with experts Joel Wuthnow and Phillip Saunders about the rise of China's military power and their new book, China’s Quest for Military Supremacy. From nuclear strategy and joint operations to internal corruption, this episode is a must-listen.