
Bonny Lin is a senior fellow for Asian security and director of the China Power Project 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 U.S. competition with China, including U.S.-China competition for influence in the Indo-Pacific and 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 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. While pursuing her master’s, she interned at CSIS.
In the News
In China, ‘the fundamental anger behind all the protests is zero Covid’
Bonny Lin in NBC — December 1, 2022
China to increase nuclear warheads to 1,5000, Pentagon warns
Bonny Lin in The Washington Post — November 29, 2022
China’s Xi is more powerful than ever. What does it mean for the world?
Bonny Lin in CNN — October 24, 2022
Xi Jinping’s 20th Party Congress victory lap bodes ill for U.S.-China relations
Bonny Lin in Politico — October 20, 2022
China Direct: Xi’s firm grip — US pessimism — Europe rethink begins
Bonny Lin in Politico — October 18, 2022
Biden Pushes Limits of Taiwan Policy, Despite Chinese Outrage
Bonny Lin in The Hill — September 28, 2022
China’s median line violations suggest Taiwan ‘decapitation’ rehearsal
Bonny Lin in Politico — September 1, 2022
'New normal' across the Taiwan Strait as China threat looms ever closer
Bonny Lin in CNN — August 19, 2022
All content by Bonny Lin
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The Rise and Fall of Zero-Covid: A Conversation with Yanzhong Huang
Podcast Episode by Bonny Lin — February 1, 2023

Assessing the Future Trajectory of China-Japan Relations
Event by Jude Blanchette , Christopher B. Johnstone , Bonny Lin , and Rumi Aoyama — January 31, 2023

Press Briefing: Previewing Secretary Blinken’s China Visit
Event by Bonny Lin , Jude Blanchette , and Scott Kennedy — January 30, 2023

ChinaPower Debate on US-China Economic Cooperation
Event by Bonny Lin , Daniel H. Rosen , and Fred Bergsten — January 24, 2023

China’s Role on the Korean Peninsula: A Conversation with Dr. Victor Cha
Podcast Episode by Bonny Lin and Victor Cha — January 19, 2023

Indo-Pacific Forecast 2023
Event by Victor Cha , Emily Benson , Jude Blanchette , Charles Edel , Matthew P. Goodman , Christopher B. Johnstone , Scott Kennedy , Ellen Kim , and Bonny Lin , Lily McElwee , Erin L. Murphy , Yuko Nakano , Gregory B. Poling , William Alan Reinsch , Nicholas Szechenyi , Raymond Vickery , Kurt Campbell , Ambassador Taeyong Cho , Ambassador Jose Manuel G. Romualdez — January 12, 2023

China’s Power: Up for Debate 2022 - Debate 2
Podcast Episode by Bonny Lin — January 4, 2023

China’s Power: Up for Debate 2022: Debate 1
Podcast Episode by Bonny Lin — December 20, 2022

Changing Dynamics between China and Europe: A Conversation with Meia Nouwens and Veerle Nouwens
Podcast Episode by Bonny Lin — December 9, 2022

The Impact of Domestic Politics on the US-TW-PRC Relationship
Event by Bonny Lin , Dr. Thomas J. Christensen , Dr. Shelley Rigger , and Mr. Eric Sayers — December 8, 2022
