Arran Hope
Arran Hope is the Editor of China Brief at The Jamestown Foundation. He was previously a reporter for The China Project, and holds degrees in Chinese Studies from the University of Cambridge and Columbia University.
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Articles by Arran Hope
Discourse Dimensions of the PLA’s Joint Sword 2024–B Exercises
Executive Summary: The Joint Sword 2024–B exercises by the People’s Liberation Army were in part a tool of political intimidation to “serve as a stern warning to the separatist acts
PRC at 75: Xi Makes Dour Address While Critics Articulate Bleak Outlook
Executive Summary: Xi Jinping’s address on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) highlighted risks and challenges ahead and included a lengthy segment on
Beijing’s Soft Power Push with African Nations
Executive Summary: The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has successfully used its hosting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to burnish its soft power and its credentials to be seen
A ‘Chinese Starlink’ Launches New Era For Domestic Space Industry
Executive Summary: A commercial company has become the first enterprise in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to launch a batch of internet satellites into low-Earth orbit. PRC media has
Kursk Incursion Draws Delayed Response From Beijing
Executive Summary: Official media in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has finally begun to comment on the Ukrainian operation in Russia’s Kursk oblast, which began on August 6. It
Wolf Worriers: Repeated Cries for Reform Fail to Convince at Third Plenum
Executive Summary: The Resolution from the Third Plenum focused primarily on economic reform but reinforced the Party’s existing strategy rather than announcing a change in overall direction. The Resolution does
PRC Advances New International Order In Astana
Executive Summary: The People’s Republic of China (PRC) sees the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as an important part of a wider strategy to construct a new international order. Beijing projects soft
New China Coast Guard Regulation Buttresses PRC Aggression in the South China Sea
Executive Summary: The new “Regulation of the China Coast Guard (CCG) Organization on Enforcing Law and Order” formalizes the increasingly assertive actions taken by Chinese forces in parts of the South
Taiwan’s Reform Bills Indicate Volatility
Executive Summary: Taiwan’s Executive Yuan has returned inflammatory legislation to the Legislative Yuan over concerns that it violates democratic principles, procedural justice, and the country’s constitution. The legislation is also
Shifting Discourse Between Xi and Putin On Ukraine
Executive Summary: Across 12 communiques, meeting readouts, and official phone calls between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin since February 2022, the salience of language on Ukraine has reduced, but the
Foreign Fixations at the Heart of Chinese-style Modernization
Executive Summary: A new report from two high-end PRC think-tanks details the country’s path to modernization in anticipation of July’s Third Plenum but suggests that any shifts in policy direction
Learning From National Security Education Day
Executive Summary: The Comprehensive National Security Concept has expanded over the last decade to cover areas the People’s Republic of China (PRC) perceives to be its territory, which now includes
PRC Support Underpins Russia’s War Against Ukraine
Executive Summary: PRC aid to Russia is multidomain and underpins much of Moscow’s ability to continue to wage war in Ukraine. Attempts have been made to institutionalize the Sino-Russian relationship,
When The Chips Are Down: Taiwan’s Water and Energy Conundrum
Executive Summary: Taiwan’s heavy reliance on energy imports, coupled with high energy demands, poses significant challenges, with semiconductor manufacturing being a major consumer. Environmental concerns such as droughts, exacerbated by
New Quality Combat Forces: More Than Meets The Eye
Executive Summary: Conceptual framings from the military may be influencing how the CCP approaches its management of the economy. The phrase “New Quality Combat Forces” predates the phrase “New Quality
Jing-Jin-Ji At Ten: Urban Planning Under Xi
Executive Summary: The Jing-Jin-Ji region's integrated development embodies Xi Jinping's vision for the PRC and is one of his strategic priorities. Planning documents from the past decade detail ambitions to
Special Issue: Taiwanese Voices On The 2024 Elections
This year sees the Jamestown Foundation celebrate its 40th anniversary. The intention of Jamestown’s analysis since its inception has always been to foreground indigenous voices and local sources from the
Red Genes: Assessing WuXi AppTec’s Ties to the Party-Army-State in China
Executive Summary: WuXi AppTec, a major Chinese biotechnology and pharmaceutical firm, claimed that the company has not, does not, and will not pose a national security risk to any country
PRC Law And The Demise of Hong Kong In 2024
Executive Summary: New National Security legislation, which emulates recent PRC laws, and the potential torture of a witness in the ongoing trial of Jimmy Lai, is characteristic of the erosion
‘Self-Revolution’ Suggests Stronger CCDI Mandate
Executive Summary Xi Jinping addressed the perennial dilemma of corruption within the CCP, pronouncing “victory” in a decade of anti-corruption efforts but simultaneously warning that the situation remains “grim and
Xi’s New Year’s Speech Dismisses Difficulties
On New Year’s Eve, a prerecorded address from Chinese President Xi Jinping was broadcast across the Party’s global network of official media outlets (Youtube, December 31, 2023). The speech is
Contradictions Within The PRC’s Climate Strategy
The 28th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) drew to a close earlier this week (UNEP, December 13). The COP meetings always
Thinking About Xi Jinping Thought on Culture
On October 7–8, Politburo Standing Committee member Cai Qi (蔡奇) chaired the National Conference on Propaganda, Ideology, and Cultural Work (People’s Daily, October 9). This was the third installment of
Security Implications of China’s Auto Dominance
At the end of September, the 2023 China International Automobile Exhibition opened in Tianjin. An official representing the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) delivered a speech,
MSS WeChat Sets the Tone for the National Security State
According to the latest WeChat post from China's Ministry of State Security (MSS, 国家安全部), food security is a "strategic issue" [战略问题] — not for the reasons one might expect, but
The Chinese Debate on Economic Reform
A steady drumbeat of ominous data and troubling commentary on the state of China’s economy has punctuated the summer months. Reports from the commentariat in the anglosphere have provided diagnostic
China’s Floods and Party Priorities
Introduction Typhoon Doksuri (杜苏芮) crashed onto the Chinese mainland over Fujian Province on Friday, July 28. From there it pushed northward, where a constellation of meteorological factors led it to