Ben Lowsen

Ben Lowsen is China Strategist for the U.S. Air Force's Checkmate office. He is a retired U.S. Army officer who has served previously as Assistant Army Attaché in Beijing and Asia advisor to the U.S. Navy. The views expressed are the author’s own and do not reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. Air Force, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

All articles

Clear Filters

Characterizing China’s Rule of Law

09.08.2023 Ben Lowsen

Chinese President Xi Jinping is working in earnest to develop for China what his government calls “rule by law” (法治). It is sometimes translated into...

Publication China Brief China

An Iron Idol Turns to Clay: Xi Faces Neo-Dengist Opposition

03.11.2022 Ben Lowsen

Introduction Late last year, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) re-invoked a phrase that first appeared five years earlier: the “Two Establishes” (两个确立, liang ge queli)...

Publication China Brief

China’s Updated National Defense Law: Going for Broke

02.26.2021 Ben Lowsen

Introduction On January 1, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) put into effect new revisions to its National Defense Law (henceforth, “Law”) (中华人民共和国国防法 zhonghua renmin...

Publication China Brief China

Putting Xi’s Imperial Presidency in Perspective

05.09.2018 Ben Lowsen

The removal of presidential term limits from China’s state constitution is another step along the road of authoritarian rule for China. However, most observers today...

Publication China Brief China