ONLINE PROGRAMMING | JUNE 9 | 8PM – 9PM EST | MEMBERS AND NON-MEMBERS
China’s efforts to exert influence beyond its borders have sparked global debates on the distinction between legitimate foreign influence and illegitimate foreign interference. While many states engage in influence activities—such as cultural diplomacy, media outreach, and diaspora engagement—China has been accused of crossing into interference, using coercive tactics to monitor, intimidate, and silence dissidents and critics abroad. These practices, often categorized as transnational repression, raise important legal and ethical questions about sovereignty, human rights, and the role of international law in addressing such issues.
This session will explore the evolving landscape of the PRC’s transnational influence and repression efforts, examining how its activities range from lawful diplomatic engagement to more controversial and extralegal measures. Participants will discuss the fine line between influence and interference, the legal frameworks governing state actions abroad, and how international responses—whether through legal countermeasures, diplomatic pushback, or public awareness—may shape the future of these practices. The discussion will also consider how China might adapt its strategies in response to growing global scrutiny.
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About the Speakers:
Bradley Jardine is a political risk analyst and Managing Director of the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs. Bradley is a leading expert on transnational repression and has advised Congress, Senate, State Department, and the FBI on threats to individuals residing in the United States. He has produced many scholarly journal articles on the topic, media reports, and a monograph entitled Great Wall of Steel: China’s Global Campaign to Suppress the Uyghurs. Bradley is a former fellow at the Wilson Center and served as editor of The Moscow Times (2016–2018) in Russia. His work has appeared in TIME, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, the BBC, CNN, Nikkei Asia, Atlantic and Foreign Policy, among others. Bradley is a frequent guest lecturer at the U.S. Foreign Service Institute and resides in Washington, DC.
Emile Dirks is a Senior Research Associate at the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, where he explores Chinese politics, digital authoritarianism, and transnational repression. His research on biometric surveillance in China has been covered by The New York Times and The Intercept, and he is the co-author of a forthcoming book on how China governs its diaspora. He has testified about China’s human rights record before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and was previously a Visiting Scholar at Yunnan University, a Futures Fellow with the Mercator Institute for China Studies, and a Research Associate at the London School of Economics.