Bonny Lin

Director, China Power Project and Senior Adviser
Bonny Lin

Bonny Lin is director of the China Power Project and senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Previously, she was the acting associate director of the Strategy and Doctrine Program of RAND Project AIR FORCE and a political scientist at the RAND Corporation, where she analyzed different aspects of China’s foreign and defense policy and U.S. competition with China, including China’s use of gray zone tactics against U.S. allies and partners. Her research advised senior leaders in the Department of Defense, including military leaders at U.S. Pacific Air Forces and U.S. Army Pacific. Dr. Lin also served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 2015 to 2018, where she was director for Taiwan, country director for China, and senior adviser for China. Dr. Lin has testified in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and an adjunct at the RAND Corporation and Institute for Defense Analysis (IDA). Dr. Lin holds a PhD in political science from Yale University, a master’s degree in Asian studies with a focus on China from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor’s degree in government from Harvard College.

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Unpacking the CRINK Axis

Join the CSIS Korea Chair for a discussion unpacking the growing ties among China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, which some have called a CRINK axis or an "Axis of Upheaval." 

Event — October 28, 2025

ChinaPower

Inside the PLA’s Accelerating Modernization: A Conversation with John Culver

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, John Culver argues that two seemingly contradictory trends define China’s military this year: Xi Jinping’s sweeping purge of senior PLA leaders and the PLA’s rapid transformation into a far more lethal, joint-capable force.

Podcast Episode by Bonny Lin — October 23, 2025

CSIS ChinaPower

Renewed China-DPRK Diplomacy: Symbolism or Substance?

CSIS experts address critical questions regarding Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s recent visit to North Korea and its significance for bilateral ties.

Critical Questions by Victor Cha, Bonny Lin, Andy Lim, and Truly Tinsley — October 14, 2025

Audio Briefs

Renewed China-DPRK Diplomacy: Symbolism or Substance?

An audio version of "⁠Renewed China-DPRK Diplomacy: Symbolism or Substance?⁠" a new Critical Questions by CSIS’s Victor Cha, Bonny Lin, Andy Lim, and Truly Tinsley. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Victor Cha, Bonny Lin, Andy Lim, and Truly Tinsley — October 14, 2025

Audio Briefs

CRINK Security Ties: Growing Cooperation, Anchored by China and Russia

This brief utilizes data to explore the strengths and limits of security cooperation among China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea (CRINK), with a focus on lessons learned from Russia’s war in Ukraine and Iran’s conflicts in the Middle East.

Brief by Bonny Lin, Brian Hart, Leon Li, Hugh Grant-Chapman, Truly Tinsley, and Feifei Hung — September 30, 2025