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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ChinaPower

Assessing the Scope and Impacts of Xi’s Military Purges

In this special episode of the China Power Podcast, listen to our recent event assessing Xi Jinping’s widespread purges of China’s military and what they reveal about China’s priorities, dynamics within the PLA, and China’s overall military readiness.

Podcast Episode by Bonny Lin and Brian Hart — February 26, 2026

CSIS ChinaPower

Assessing Xi’s Unprecedented Purges of China’s Military: Key Developments and Potential Implications

This report brings together top experts on China’s military to assess Xi Jinping’s unprecedented purge of officers from all areas of its armed forces. Experts predict what this means for military readiness, modernization goals, and the reconstitution of the high command.

Report by Bonny Lin, Brian Hart, Thomas J. Christensen, John Culver, Jonathan A. Czin, Suyash Desai, M. Taylor Fravel, Allie Matthias, and Joel Wuthnow — February 24, 2026

The Purges Within China’s Military Are Even Deeper Than You Think

This CSIS China Power report is based on a groundbreaking dataset of Chinese military purges since 2022. The report sheds light on the unprecedented scope and reach of these purges and their implications for the PLA’s present and future.

Commentary by Bonny Lin, Brian Hart, Leon Li, Suyash Desai, Truly Tinsley, Linda Yang, and Feifei Hung — February 24, 2026

State of Play: The Global Impact of the SCOTUS Decision on IEEPA Tariffs

On February 20, the U.S. Supreme Court declared President Donald Trump’s use of IEEPA to impose global tariffs against U.S. trading partners illegal. CSIS experts assess how governments and key sectors around the world are likely to interpret and react to the decision.

Commentary by Victor Cha, Nicholas Szechenyi, Oge Onubogu, Christopher Hernandez-Roy, Charles Edel, Scott Kennedy, Ilaria Mazzocco, Henrietta Levin, Bonny Lin, Federico Steinberg, Richard M. Rossow, Kristi Govella, Mona Yacoubian, and Gregory B. Poling — February 20, 2026

Audio Briefs

State of Play: The Global Impact of the SCOTUS Decision on IEEPA Tariffs

An audio version of “⁠State of Play: The Global Impact of the SCOTUS Decision on IEEPA Tariffs⁠,” a new Commentary by CSIS’s Victor Cha, Nicholas Szechenyi, Oge Onubogu, Christopher Hernandez-Roy, Charles Edel, Scott Kennedy, Ilaria Mazzocco, Henrietta Levin, Bonny Lin, Federico Steinberg, Richard M. Rossow, Kristi Govella, Mona Yacoubian, and Gregory B. Poling. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs.

Podcast Episode by Victor Cha, Nicholas Szechenyi, Oge Onubogu, Christopher Hernandez-Roy, Charles Edel, Scott Kennedy, Ilaria Mazzocco, Henrietta Levin, Bonny Lin, Federico Steinberg, Richard M. Rossow, Kristi Govella, Mona Yacoubian, and Gregory B. Poling — February 20, 2026

Audio Briefs
ChinaPower

China’s Embodied AI: A Conversation with William Hannas and Hugh Grant-Chapman

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, William Hannas and Hugh Grant‑Chapman join us to discuss key findings from Bill’s new report, China’s Embodied AI: A Path to AGI, as well as the CSIS report Is China Leading the Robotics Revolution?

Podcast Episode by Bonny Lin and Hugh Grant-Chapman — February 13, 2026

CSIS ChinaPower

Is China Leading the Robotics Revolution?

The CSIS China Power Project examines the growing role of robots in China’s economy and the resulting geopolitical impacts from China’s transforming industrial landscape.

Commentary by Hugh Grant-Chapman, Leon Li, Brian Hart, Bonny Lin, Truly Tinsley, and Feifei Hung — February 12, 2026