NPR May 14, 2026
Jonathan Czin was interviewed by NPR’s “All Things Considered” on China’s desire to fortify itself against the United States.
Jonathan A. Czin is the Michael H. Armacost Chair in Foreign Policy Studies and a fellow in the China Center, where he also co-host the podcast “The Beijing Brief.” He is frequently quoted in major international periodicals such as The New York Times, The Economist, The New Yorker, Reuters, Bloomberg, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal and has appeared on Morning Joe, The PBS NewsHour, NPR, CNN, the BBC, and Bloomberg. He writes regularly for periodicals such as Foreign Affairs, which named his essay with John Culver on Xi’s purge of the Chinese military’s high command as one of its best pieces of 2025.
Czin is a former member of the Senior Analytic Service at the CIA, where he was the intelligence community’s top expert on Xi Jinping. From 2021 to 2023, he served as director for China at the National Security Council, where he staffed all of President Biden’s interactions with President Xi and played a leading role in addressing a wide range of global China issues. He also served at the Department of Defense and overseas at a CIA field station in Southeast Asia. Czin holds a master’s degree in international relations from Yale University, graduated magna cum laude from Haverford College, and studied at Oxford University.
Affiliations
- Aardwolf Global Solutions, advisor
- Ergo, senior advisor
- National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, member
- Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China Relations, contributor
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Past Positions
- Senior China Analyst, Central Intelligence Agency
- Director for China, National Security Council
- Advisor for Asia-Pacific Security Affairs, Office of the Secretary of Defense
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Education
- M.A., Yale University
- B.A., Haverford College
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Languages
- Chinese (proficient)
Media and Appearances
Australian Broadcasting Corporation May 13, 2026
Jonathan Czin joined Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s “The World Today” to discuss Beijing’s approach to the Xi-Trump summit.
CBS News May 13, 2026
There is definitely concern that he [Mr. Trump] will trade away that arms sale in exchange for something else, you know, whether that’s for assistance on Iran, or some kind of economic..."
Scripps News May 13, 2026
[On the potential Taiwan dialogue during the Trump-Xi meeting] These are highly choreographed, very scripted events and especially since Trump is on Xi’s home turf, Taiwan will come..."
El Pais May 13, 2026
My impression is that Beijing intends to buy time, room to maneuver, and relief from U.S. pressure so it can strengthen itself for the next round of disputes with the United States.
The Associated Press May 11, 2026
Even before this whole conflagration with Iran, they [Trump and Xi] weren’t going to go state visit-plus like last time, just because things are tense.
The New Yorker April 23, 2026
Jonathan Czin was interviewed for a Q&A series in the New Yorker on how Beijing views the war in Iran.
The Washington Post March 5, 2026
There’s this narrative floating around in some quarters of Washington that what the United States is doing in Venezuela and now in Iran is really somehow getting into China’s headspace...."
China Leadership Monitor February 28, 2026
Chinese Leadership Monitor cited Jonathan Czin and Allie Matthias’ research on factionalism and purges within the CCP.
CNN February 17, 2026
This is potentially a seismic shift in Chinese politics under Xi, and how he governs – this really demonstrates nobody in that system is safe, truly… [The purge has] reached a crescendo..."
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