Bonny Lin

Director, China Power Project and Senior Adviser
Bonny Lin

Bonny Lin is director of the China Power Project and senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Previously, she was the acting associate director of the Strategy and Doctrine Program of RAND Project AIR FORCE and a political scientist at the RAND Corporation, where she analyzed different aspects of China’s foreign and defense policy and U.S. competition with China, including China’s use of gray zone tactics against U.S. allies and partners. Her research advised senior leaders in the Department of Defense, including military leaders at U.S. Pacific Air Forces and U.S. Army Pacific. Dr. Lin also served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 2015 to 2018, where she was director for Taiwan, country director for China, and senior adviser for China. Dr. Lin has testified in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and an adjunct at the RAND Corporation and Institute for Defense Analysis (IDA). Dr. Lin holds a PhD in political science from Yale University, a master’s degree in Asian studies with a focus on China from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor’s degree in government from Harvard College.

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State of Play

Are Russia and China Benefitting from the War with Iran?

Will is joined by Bonny Lin and Maria Snegovaya to discuss both China and Russia's strategic openings and costs in the war with Iran.

Podcast Episode by Will Todman, Bonny Lin, and Maria Snegovaya — March 17, 2026

Photo: iLab/CSIS

Russia and China: Gaining from the war with Iran? | State of Play

The CSIS Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department invites you to a live episode of State of Play to explore the implications of the war with Iran for China and Russia on Monday 16 March at 4:00pm. The discussion will feature Dr. Bonny Lin, Dr. Maria Snegovaya, and Will Todman.

Event — March 16, 2026

ChinaPower

Assessing the Scope and Impacts of Xi’s Military Purges

In this special episode of the China Power Podcast, listen to our recent event assessing Xi Jinping’s widespread purges of China’s military and what they reveal about China’s priorities, dynamics within the PLA, and China’s overall military readiness.

Podcast Episode by Bonny Lin and Brian Hart — February 26, 2026

CSIS ChinaPower

The Purges Within China’s Military Are Even Deeper Than You Think

This CSIS China Power report is based on a groundbreaking dataset of Chinese military purges since 2022. The report sheds light on the unprecedented scope and reach of these purges and their implications for the PLA’s present and future.

Commentary by CSIS Scholars — February 24, 2026