Sheena Chestnut Greitens: China's new Export of Social Control

Sheena Chestnut Greitens discusses how China is extending its internal security model abroad, and what that means for U.S. strategy in the Indo-Pacific. She explains how Beijing’s campaign-style governance and surveillance technologies are being repurposed as tools of global security influence, raising risks of autocratization, but also potential blowback for China reminiscent of Cold War overreach. From the Solomon Islands to Taiwan, she outlines the implications for Australia, regional allies, and the U.S., where debates over securitization, alliance management, and even academic engagement with China reveal the difficult trade-offs of balancing security and openness in an increasingly contested order.

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