Changes to U.S. military doctrine and China’s growing conventional weapons capabilities are altering the U.S.-China military balance, prompting concerns about strategic instability between the two countries. In this podcast, Tong Zhao and Elbridge Colby discussed how these developments affect East Asia’s security status quo.

U.S. and Chinese military expansion in the Asia-Pacific could increase the likelihood of armed conflict between the two countries or even inadvertent escalation to the nuclear level, Colby warned. He highlighted the importance of arms control agreements for mitigating risks and enhancing the feasibility of conflict prevention measures.

Elbridge Colby

Elbridge Colby is the Robert M. Gates Fellow at the Center for a New American Security, where he focuses on strategic deterrence, nuclear weapons, conventional force, and military intelligence.

Tong Zhao

Tong Zhao is an associate in Carnegie’s Nuclear Policy Program based at the Carnegie–Tsinghua Center for Global Policy. His research focuses on strategic security issues, including nuclear arms control, nonproliferation, missile defense, strategic stability, and China’s security and foreign policy.