In recent years, China has increasingly used economic bullying in attempts to obtain concessions from other governments and the private sector. In a new book, China’s Weaponization of Trade: Resistance Through Collective Resilience, Vandenberg Advisory Board member Victor Cha, along with his coauthors Ellen Kim and Andy Lim, discusses China’s economic coercion and outlines a strategy for how countries led by the United States can more effectively counter China's coercive efforts. Victor Cha, president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, joins Vandenberg Senior Policy Director Corban Teague to break down how the United States can better identify and counter China’s malign practices.

https://cup.columbia.edu/book/chinas-weaponization-of-trade/9780231564205/

(0:58) The Origins of the Book

(2:35) Defining China’s Economic Coercion

(5:46) CCP Ideology and Economic Coercion

(8:41) U.S. “Blind Spots”

(11:35) Lithuania and Norway as Case Studies

(18:28) Collective Resilience

(24:04) Forging a Coalition for Collective Resilience (G7+2)

(28:57) Does the G7 Have the Requisite Political Will?

(34:05) The Long-Term Goal of Collective Resilience

You can watch this episode as a video on YouTube.

Iran is in the headlines once again, for two important reasons. First, large numbers of brave Iranians continue to take to the streets in the face of significant repression by the brutal regime. And second, the United States is slowly but steadily amassing an impressive amount of firepower and pointing it straight at the Islamic Republic. Zineb Riboua, Research Fellow at the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at Hudson Institute, joins Vandenberg Senior Policy Director Corban Teague to unpack the latest developments.

https://www.city-journal.org/article/israel-us-west-decolonization-third-world

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/the-crisis-of-the-islamic-republic-of-iran

https://x.com/zriboua

https://substack.com/@zinebriboua

https://vandenbergcoalition.org/americans-first-polling/

Last Sunday, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party secured a sweeping two-thirds majority in Japan’s Lower House following snap elections. The decisive win comes at a critical juncture for Japan as it redefines its role in the Indo-Pacific amid rising tensions with China, a deepening partnership with the United States, and growing domestic support for strengthening the country’s military and defense capabilities. Ken Weinstein, Japan Chair at Hudson Institute, joins Flash Focus to unpack the election results, examine Takaichi’s rapid ascent and widespread appeal, and explore the implications for U.S.–Japan relations and the broader Indo-Pacific landscape.

(1:50) Election Results

(7:02) The Election’s Impact on a Free and Open Indo-Pacific

(12:29) Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi

(16:37) Takaichi and the China Challenge

(18:58) The Ramifications of Takaichi’s Comments on a Taiwan Contingency

(24:12) Article 9

(27:06) Next Steps for Washington and Tokyo

(32:41) Japan’s Importance to the United States

You can watch this episode as a video on YouTube.