Thank you to our friends at the Heritage Foundation for co-hosting this live conversation on the CCP's growing influence operations inside the United States!

Guests:

Bryan Burack | The Heritage Foundation

Brian Cavanaugh | American Global Strategies

Jacqueline Deal | Long Term Strategy Group

Michele Exner | Parents Defending Education

Host:

Carrie Filipetti | The Vandenberg Coalition

The rise of China isn’t just a foreign concern. Over the last few years, there have been multiple incidents of Chinese attacks against our homeland, from the 2023 spy balloon, to inciting the fentanyl crisis, to influencing our students and children in schools and online. What are the CCP’s political, economic, and diplomatic aims against the United States? How does Chinese soft power influence American culture, education, and media? How is U.S. national security compromised by China’s influence operations on America's homeland? Addressing these questions requires a multidisciplinary approach, involving experts from various domains in the complex U.S.-Chinese relationship. Amid a period of heightened U.S.-Chinese relations, speakers will dissect the litany of China’s influence operations in the United States and the importance of defending American national security at a time of China’s malign campaign for global dominance.

In this series, the Vandenberg Coalition shifts the focus beyond the Indo-Pacific and into various regions around the world where the Chinese Communist Party continues to threaten American interests. Each episode in the series discusses China’s growing influence in a given region, how it measures against American influence, how to define our relationship with the region in light of competing priorities, and what America can and should be doing to better protect and advance our national interests.

In this installment of “Countering Chinese Communist Party Influence Around the World,” leading experts discuss China’s growing influence in multilateral organizations. Executive Director of The Vandenberg Coalition Carrie Filipetti speaks with former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues and the U.S. Representative at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women Kelley Currie and former Chief of Staff to U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Nikki R. Haley Morgan Viña, who outline ways for the United States to effectively counter the CCP while strengthening our leadership role on the global stage.

In this series, the Vandenberg Coalition shifts the focus beyond the Indo-Pacific and into various regions around the world where the Chinese Communist Party continues to threaten American interests. Each episode in the series discusses China’s growing influence in a given region, how it measures against American influence, how to define our relationship with the region in light of competing priorities, and what America can and should be doing to better protect and advance our national interests.

00:00:00 Opening by TVC Executive Director Carrie Filipetti

00:01:31 Mechanisms for China’s engagement at the United Nations

00:03:33 CCP’s objectives in the international system

00:09:37 China on the offense: successes at the United Nations

00:18:10 Discrepancy in UN funding contributions between the U.S. and China

00:20:23 China’s takeover of the World Health Organization

00:26:18 Need for strategic reform of the American role in the United Nations

00:34:37 Criticism of the UN’s inherent value in promoting American interests

00:39:44 U.S.-China competition in the UN Human Rights Council

00:49:28 China’s alliance-building efforts to supplant U.S.-led multilateral organizations

00:51:54 Biden’s inability to leverage American power in international institutions

00:56:29 Closing by TVC Executive Director Carrie Filipetti

In this installment of “Countering Chinese Communist Party Influence

Around the World,” leading experts discuss China’s growing influence in

the Middle East. Vandenberg Coalition Executive Director Carrie

Filipetti speaks with Associate Professor of National Security Strategy

at the National War College Dr. Dawn Murphy, Managing Director and

Lane-Swig Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Michael Singh, and Craig Singleton, Senior Fellow at the Foundation for

Defense of Democracies to discuss China’s growing influence in the

Middle East.

In this series, the Vandenberg Coalition shifts the focus beyond the

Indo-Pacific and into various regions around the world where the Chinese

Communist Party continues to threaten American interests. Each episode

in the series discusses China’s growing influence in a given region, how

it measures against American influence, how to define our relationship

with the region in light of competing priorities, and what America can

and should be doing to better protect and advance our national

interests.

00:00:00 Opening by TVC Executive Director Carrie Filipetti

00:01:36 China’s response to Hamas’ attacks & the ensuing war in Gaza

00:05:59 China’s strategic loss of Israel after October 7th

00:08:17 CCP objectives for regional influence & supplanting U.S. role in the Middle East

00:15:20 Future of the Israeli-China relationship

00:20:18 Discrepancy between internal & external CCP statements

00:23:55 America’s evolving strategic role in the Middle East

00:28:20 China’s perspective on the Abraham Accords & eroding leverage over Iran

00:36:24 Tripartite dynamic between Russia, China, & Iran

00:45:10 CCP amplification of antisemitism via TikTok

00:50:15 False binary between the United States & China

00:55:54 U.S. Chinese competition in the Middle East

01:00:55 Closing by TVC Executive Director Carrie Filipetti

Over the last few years, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has increased its investment in outer space, a domain historically dominated by the United States. China’s space research and exploration ambitions threaten to undermine American interests in orbit and pose national security concerns for the United States on the ground. The Vandenberg Coalition welcomes Dean Cheng, Senior Advisor to the China Program at the United States Institute of Peace and Kari Bingen, former U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, to examine this threat and discuss ways for the United States to effectively counter the CCP in outer space.

00:00:00 Opening by TVC Executive Director Carrie Filipetti

00:01:15 Impact of space on American life

00:07:16 China’s mechanisms to supplant U.S. dominance in space

00:11:02 Implications of China’s development of counter-space capabilities

00:14:35 Artificial intelligence & communications in space

00:18:22 Civil-military fusion in China vs. the U.S. government’s commercial reliance

00:25:15 Spectrum of American space defense capabilities

00:27:09 Pathways for space classification, control, & cooperation

00:30:50 Areas of American dominance & underdeveloped technologies in space

00:38:46 Coordination between space companies, the U.S. government, & allied nations

00:43:32 Policymakers’ complex protective mechanisms over private companies

00:51:00 Biden’s 2024 space budget request increase

00:52:58 Consequences of the limited legal architecture governing space

00:57:01 Space as a strategic dimension of U.S.-Chinese competition

01:00:35 Closing by TVC Executive Director Carrie Filipetti

In this installment of “Countering Chinese Communist Party Influence Around the World,” leading experts discuss China’s growing influence in Africa. Vandenberg Coalition Executive Director Carrie Filipetti speaks with Vandenberg Coalition Advisory Board Members Amb. J. Peter Pham, former U.S. Special Envoy for the Sahel Region and for the Great Lakes Region of Africa, and Aleksandra Gadzala Tirziu, a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council.

In this series, the Vandenberg Coalition shifts the focus beyond the Indo-Pacific and into various regions around the world where the Chinese Communist Party continues to threaten American interests. Each episode in the series discusses China’s growing influence in a given region, how it measures against American influence, how to define our relationship with the region in light of competing priorities, and what America can and should be doing to better protect and advance our national interests. 

00:00:01 Opening by TVC Executive Director Carrie Filipetti

00:02:09 Geopolitical implications of Africa’s economic, political, & population growth

00:04:45 Beijing’s strategic aims in Africa

00:10:37 Absence of comprehensive U.S. strategy towards Africa

00:12:07 Africa’s evolving view of China

00:17:30 Examples of African nations leveraging in negotiations with China

00:22:30 African youth favorability towards the United States

00:31:00 American diplomatic failings in engagement with Africa

00:37:07 Prevalence of BRI in Africa & potential for American “strategic corridors”

00:42:58 CCP “Debt-trap diplomacy” & avenues for U.S. alternatives to Chinese financing

00:48:44 China’s strategic weaponization of Africa’s critical minerals

00:53:58 Opportunities for U.S. engagement in African mining industries

00:58:16 Steps for U.S. engagement in Africa

01:01:37 Closing by TVC Executive Director Carrie Filipetti

In this installment of “Countering Chinese Communist Party Influence Around the World,” leading experts cover China’s expanding role in India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Vandenberg Coalition Executive Director Carrie Filipetti speaks with Lisa Curtis, Senior Fellow and Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at Center for a New American Security and Nargis Nehan, who formerly served as Afghanistan’s Acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum.

In this series, the Vandenberg Coalition shifts the focus beyond the Indo-Pacific and into various regions around the world where the Chinese Communist Party continues to threaten American interests. Each episode in the series discusses China’s growing influence in a given region, how it measures against American influence, how to define our relationship with the region in light of competing priorities, and what America can and should be doing to better protect and advance our national interests.

00:00:00 Opening by TVC Executive Director Carrie Filipetti

00:01:26 Development of China’s recent interest in South Asia

00:04:19 China’s efforts to counter India

00:07:49 China’s engagement in Afghanistan since the U.S. withdrawal

00:13:14 Options for U.S. deterrence of China in Afghanistan

00:19:20 Implications of cultural differences between China & the Taliban

00:23:01 Biden Administration’s romanticization of U.S.-Taliban cooperation

00:28:57 Congressional response to the U.S.’s withdrawal from Afghanistan

00:32:31 China-Pakistan economic corridor

00:35:37 Beijing’s debt-trap diplomacy

00:40:39 U.S. policy options in South Asia

00:50:55 Likelihood of a U.S.-China proxy conflict in South Asia

01:02:50 Implications of CCP influence displacing U.S. values

01:07:17 Closing by TVC Executive Director Carrie Filipetti

In this installment of “Countering Chinese Communist Party Influence Around the World,” leading experts provide insights and analysis into China’s malign influence in our hemisphere or neighborhood: Latin America. Vandenberg Coalition Executive Director Carrie Filipetti speaks with Director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Dr. Ryan Berg and Dr. R. Evan Ellis, professor of Latin American studies at the U.S. Army War College’s Strategic Studies Institute.

In this series, the Vandenberg Coalition shifts the focus beyond the Indo-Pacific and into various regions around the world where the Chinese Communist Party continues to threaten American interests. Each episode in the series discusses China’s growing influence in a given region, how it measures against American influence, how to define our relationship with the region in light of competing priorities, and what America can and should be doing to better protect and advance our national interests.

00:00:01 Opening by TVC Executive Director Carrie Filipetti

00:01:23 U.S.-Latin American security & defense cooperation and foreign direct investment (FDI)

00:04:46 China’s global export of political ideology

00:06:51 Implications of China’s control over critical minerals for the United States

00:10:28 Weaknesses of Latin American regulatory architecture

00:13:22 China’s geopolitical and economic advantages over the West in Latin America

00:19:07 Three historical phases of China’s strategic engagement in Latin America

00:23:37 Risks of China’s involvement in Latin America’s defense sector

00:30:19 Threat of Chinese interoperability in Latin America

00:40:56 China’s role in Latin American democratic backsliding

00:45:24 Nexxus between China and U.S. fentanyl epidemic

00:51:34 Mexico’s role in the global fentanyl trade & American border policy

00:56:18 U.S. grand strategy of Chinese deterrence in Latin America

01:00:06 Balance of U.S. strategic interests and values

01:05:19: Closing by TVC Executive Director Carrie Filipetti

In this installment of “Countering Chinese Communist Party Influence Around the World,” leading experts discuss the CCP’s growing influence in Europe. Vandenberg Coalition Executive Director Carrie Filipetti speaks with Hudson Institute Senior Fellow and Director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia Peter Rough and former Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Europe and Russia Affairs Ryan Tully.

In this series, the Vandenberg Coalition shifts the focus beyond the Indo-Pacific and into various regions around the world where the Chinese Communist Party continues to threaten American interests. Each episode in the series discusses China’s growing influence in a given region, how it measures against American influence, how to define our relationship with the region in light of competing priorities, and what America can and should be doing to better protect and advance our national interests.

00:00:01 Opening by TVC Executive Director Carrie Filipetti

00:01:00 History of relations between Europe & China

00:04:49 Europe’s joint confrontation of Russia & China

00:07:45 China’s strategy for influence in Europe

00:08:17 Italy & England’s disengagement & France’s appeasement of China

00:12:12 From Trump to Biden: U.S. diplomatic alternatives for Europe

00:20:15 U.S. & European alignment in approach to China

00:25:10 War in Ukraine’s exposure of the U.S.-European industrial shortcomings

00:29:10 Impact of Trump’s withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty

00:32:32 Europe’s hypothetical military & economic response to China’s invasion of Taiwan

00:33:57 NATO’s revival as security guarantor of Europe

00:41:02 European instances of successful ‘de-risking’

00:51:52 Primary U.S. priorities for engagement with Europe & deterrence of China

00:54:32 Closing by TVC Executive Director Carrie Filipetti