Unpacking China's Military Decision-Making

Perspectives from the Region

In recent weeks, the China Coast Guard’s harassment of Philippine vessels at Second Thomas Shoal has resurrected concerns of unplanned military encounters in the Indo-Pacific escalating into a crisis or even conflict. Underwriting this is a longstanding trend of China’s military operators undertaking dangerous maneuvers toward the United States and its regional allies. The 2023 China Military Power Report reported more than 180 instances of coercive and risky intercepts by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) against the United States between 2021 and 2023. In the same period, U.S. allies and partners encountered more than 100 of these incidents.

To unpack the implications of the PLA’s coercive and risky behaviors for U.S. and allied strategy and planning, join the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) for a public event from 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. ET on June 6, 2024. Drawing upon a recently published report “Encounters and Escalation in the Indo-Pacific,” the event will feature a panel of leading security experts from the region who will share their views on the PLA’s military modernization and risky operational behaviors and the evolving Indo-Pacific security environment.

Following the conclusion of the event, take-away lunches will be available to all in-person attendees.

Agenda

10:30 a.m. | KEYNOTE REMARKS

Moderator

Roy Kamphausen, The National Bureau of Asian Research

Keynote
Ambassador Paul Myler, Deputy Head of Mission for the Embassy of Australia

11:00 a.m. | PANEL DISCUSSION AND Q&A

Oriana Skylar Mastro, Stanford University
Bates Gill, The National Bureau of Asian Research
Chen Yu-cheng, National Defense University (Taiwan)
Andrea Chloe Wong, Institute for Indo-Pacific Affairs
Michael Shoebridge, Strategic Analysis Australia

12:00 p.m. | EVENT CONCLUDES

Lunch is served.