Executive Summary: Hongmen associations, with historical roots in Qing-era secret societies, have become entangled in Chinese Communist Party (CCP) united front efforts abroad, particularly through patriotic messaging promoting unification with Taiwan. Their mythologized origins and rituals make them nearly indistinguishable from criminal triad societies. Criminal... MORE

Executive Summary: Chinese experts see potential in the ability of cyberattacks enabled by artificial intelligence (AI) to disrupt nuclear infrastructure and increase the pressure to use nuclear weapons in a crisis. The development of early warning capabilities toward a launch-on-warning posture increases Beijing’s impetus to... MORE

Executive Summary: The united front operates abroad as a political machine, helping to get people elected by fielding candidates, mobilizing votes, and building power bases. Asian-Americans are growing in numbers yet remain key swing voters. Beijing’s role in shaping the political leanings of this demographic... MORE

Executive Summary: Beijing has formally escalated its critical minerals strategy by launching a coordinated, multi-agency campaign to enforce full-chain control over rare earth and strategic mineral exports, mobilizing more than a dozen central and provincial agencies to supervise mining, processing, licensing, and export operations. Authorities... MORE

Executive Summary: A new white paper titled “China’s National Security in the New Era” is targeted to both domestic and international audiences and offers “Chinese wisdom” and solutions to contemporary challenges. In a bid for global leadership, the document frames “unstoppable” world historical trends as... MORE

Executive Summary: The PLA followed the overall disciplinary work of the Chinese Communist Party to promote the “all-around battle” against corruption. The “all-around battle” against corruption includes strengthening vertical control and enhancing horizontal coordination. The former focuses on centralizing power while delegating responsibility, and the... MORE

Executive Summary: April’s Politburo meetings and subsequent policy deployments indicate that Xi Jinping and his fellow Politburo members are scrambling to adapt to a harsher external environment—one marked by persistent U.S. tariffs, accelerating technology decoupling, and slowing global demand. Beijing’s response points toward deeper economic... MORE

Executive Summary: Xi Jinping’s April 30 remarks preview a fundamental shift in the Party’s upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), signaling that national security—not growth—is now the central organizing principle of economic planning. A new “security pattern” will be directly integrated with the “development pattern,” embedding... MORE

In the last 6 months, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has increased its aggressive actions targeting Taiwan. These include military provocations, infiltration operations, and gray zone activities. In his 2024 New Year’s Eve address, PRC President Xi Jinping reiterated the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP)... MORE

Executive Summary: Recent infiltration cases indicate that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has significantly intensified non-military espionage operations targeting Taiwan’s military, demonstrating strategic diversification beyond traditional military threats. Data reveals a sharp rise in prosecuted espionage cases over 2021–2024, with military personnel (active and retired)... MORE