Media

Quoted in “Coats does his job: scaring people,” Boston Globe, February 3, 2019.
Interview by Ankit Panda on “How the People’s Liberation Army Does Military Strategy,” The Diplomat, January 30, 2019.
Quoted in “Buying time in the South China Sea,” supchina.com, November 13, 2018.
Quoted in “How China plays into Trump’s decision to pull out of INF treaty with Russia,” Washington Post, October 23, 2018.
Quoted in “How China is using North Korea in its long game against America,” South China Morning Post, June 16, 2018.
Quoted in “As Trump talks trade and nukes, China quietly tightens its grip on the South China Sea,” CNBC, June 1, 2018.
Quoted in “US Military Renames Largest Area of Operations,” Voice of America, May 30, 2018.
Quoted in “India’s China reset: An unstable world brings Modi and Xi together, for now,” hindustantimes.com, April 23, 2018.
Quoted in “The road out of Doklam,” tribuneindia.com, April 2, 2018.
Quoted in “Doklam redux: Winter is coming,” Business Standard, October 11, 2017.
Quoted in “Deals, drills and declarations on Asia’s contested waters,” The Straits Times, September 23, 2017.
Quoted in “Learning lessons, not scoring points, from the Doklam standoff,” ASPI Strategist, September 7, 2017.
Quoted in “India posturing, post-Doklam, has a tragi-comic feel,” Asia Times, September 6, 2017.
Quoted in “Distracted US leaves window of opportunity for Beijing to expand power in South China Sea,” South China Morning Post, September 6, 2017
Quoted in “As World Watches Kim, China Quietly Builds South China Sea Clout,” bloomberg.com, September 5, 2017.
Quoted in “With ASEAN Toothless, The Region Needs a New Naval Pact,” Asia Sentinal, September 4, 2017.
Quoted in “Deng Xiaoping-inspired peace plan for the South China Sea,” Asia Times, August 1, 2017.
Quoted in “The bogey of 1962 must be erased,” sundayguardianlive.com, July 29, 2017.
Quoted in “The World’s Two Most Populous Countries Are Mad At Each Other And That’s Bad,” buzzfeed.com, July 27, 2017.
Quoted in “China and India locked In ‘Eyeball-to-Eyeball’ standoff,” bloomberg.com, July 24, 2017.
Quoted in “Bhutan should solve India-China row,” The Korea Times, July 24, 2017.
Quoted in “Doklam: Paths ahead for India and China,” the interpreter, lowyinstitute.org, July 21, 2017.
Quoted in “Sikkim standoff: China’s rapid escalation is limiting India’s diplomatic options; can New Delhi hold its nerve?” firstpost.com, July 18, 2017.
Interview: “Why the India-China standoff is a game changer,” rediff.com, July 13, 2017.
Quoted in “In the South China Sea, the U.S. is Struggling to Halt Beijing’s Advance,” foreignpolicy.com, May 25, 2017.
Quoted in “What might a conflict with North Korea look like?” Christian Science Monitor, April 14, 2017.
Quoted in “Xi Buys Time With Trump as Tensions Loom Over North Korea,” bloomberg.com, April 9, 2017.
Quoted in “Dinner-time missile strike leaves China having to reassess Trump,” The Guardian, April 7, 2017.
Quoted in “U.S. strike on Syria changes North Korea dynamic as Trump, Xi meet,” Japan Times, April 7, 2017.
Quoted in “Message to N. Korea? Syria strike adds new element to Trump, Xi talks,” FoxNews.com, April 7, 2017.
Quoted in “Three China store chains pull Japanese goods in radiation scare,” Financial Times, March 21, 2017.
Quoted extensively, with Fiona Cunningham, in “Why U.S. Antimissile System in South Korea Worries China,”New York TImes, March 11, 2017.
Quoted in “China’s nuclear missile policy put under strain by US plan,” CNBC, February 9, 2017.
Quoted in “Chinese ships cruise disputed Japanese islands: How will the US respond?” Christian Science Monitor, February 7, 2017.
Quoted in “Will Tillerson back up tough talk on the South China Sea?” DW.com, February 2, 2017.
Quoted in “China and the South China Sea: Can the US stop Chinese expansion?” CQ Researcher, January 20, 2017.
Quoted in “Xi Jinping Becomes an Unlikely Advocate of Free Trade at Davos,” time.com, January 17, 2017.
Quoted in “Rex Tillerson’s South China Sea Proposal Won’t Work,” The Diplomat, January 14, 2017.
Quoted in “For China, Tillerson’s South China Sea remarks increase concerns over Trump,” Christian Science Monitor, January 13, 2017.
Quoted in “No, China Did Not Target a US Carrier With Ballistic Missiles Last Summer,” The Diplomat, January 5, 2017.
Quoted in “China to Return Seized Underwater Drone,” Wall Street Journal, December 17, 2016.
Quoted in “U.S. Demands Return of Drone Seized by Chinese Warship,” New York Times, December 16, 2016.
Quoted in “China flexes muscles: Western border command stages massive drill,” Indiatoday.com,” December 8, 2016.
Quoted in “Prominent retired Chinese colonel sees world heading for ‘Amerexit‘,” The Globe and Mail, November 2, 2016.
Quoted in “Photos show China building hangars in West PH Sea,” rappler.com, August 10, 2016.
Quoted in “New Photos Cast Doubt on China’s Vow Not to Militarize Disputed Islands,” New York Times, August 8, 2016.
Quoted in “Why did China fly ‘combat patrols’ over the Spratly Islands?” Christian Science Monitor, August 6, 2016.
Quoted in “Territorial dispute between China, American allies could hit Washingtonians in the wallet,” komonews.com, July 28, 2016.
Quoted in “Will Hague Tribunal’s South China Sea Ruling Inflame U.S.-China Tensions?,” NPR, Morning Edition, July 13, 2016
Quoted in “Tribunal rules against Chinese claims in South China Sea,” USA Today, July 12, 2016.
Quoted in “The Hague tribunal: the hard work starts now,” aie.org, July 12, 2016.
Quoted in “Court rejects China’s S. China Sea claim: how it could shape future disputes,”Christian Science Monitor, July 12, 2016.
Quoted in “Disputing the South China Sea mythology,” AFP, July 11, 2016.
Quoted in “Actually, China Is Not Building a Great Wall of Self-Isolation,” thediplomat.com, June 1, 2016.
Quoted in “China, US Butt Heads Over Nuclear Talks,” thediplomat.com, May 24, 2016.
Quoted in “Did China Really Test a MIRV-Capable ICBM Near the South China Sea?“thediplomat.com, April 23, 2016.
Quoted in “The new red army,” India Today, February 11, 2016.
Quoted in “Chinese oil rig’s return in South China Sea, off the coast of Vietnam, touches nerve in Hanoi,” South China Morning Post, January 26, 2016.
MIT News article: “M. Taylor Fravel advises U.S. government officials on South China Sea disputes,” December 11, 2015.
Quoted in “Washington’s Muddled Message in the South China Sea,” foreignpolicy.com, November 5, 2015.
Quoted in “China Pushes Back Against U.S. Influence in the Seas of East Asia,” New York Times, October 28, 2015.
Quoted in “After Years of Delays, U.S. Teams Seek to Recover WWII Remains in India,” WUNC public radio, October 28, 2015.
Quoted in “U.S. dispatches warship to challenge China’s artificial islands,” foreignpolicy.com, October 26, 2015.
Quoted in “U.S. Patrols to Test China’s Pledge on South China Sea Islands,” Wall Street Journal, October 12, 2015.
Quoted in “President Xi: China Is Not Militarizing South China Sea,” ValueWalk.com, September 30, 2015.
Quoted in “China’s President Pledges No Militarization in Disputed Islands,” Wall Street Journal, September 25, 2015.
Quoted in “Chinese Naval Ships Came Within 12 Nautical Miles of U.S. Coast,” The Wall Street Journal, September 4, 2015.
Quoted in “China’s anti-carrier missile ‘trump card’,” The Japan News, September 4, 2015.
Quoted in “Military Parade in China Gives Xi Jinping a Platform to Show Grip on Power,” New York Times, September 3, 2015.
Quoted in “China Announces Cuts of 300,000 Troops at Military Parade Showing Its Might,” New York Times, September 2, 2015.
Commentator in audio version: “If China militarizes the South China Sea, the US ‘will have’ to respond,” PRI.org, May 27, 2015.
Quoted in “China’s not building islands for mere economic gain,” NPR’s Marketplace, May 15, 2015.
Quoted in “U.S. Gambit Risks Conflict With China,” Wall Street Journal, May 13, 2015.
Quoted in “Chinese and US navies in sporting confrontations,” Agence France-Press (AFP), April 21, 2015.
Quoted in “China’s New Airstrip in the South China Sea is Almost Completed,” foreignpolicy.com, April 16, 2015.
Quoted in “Reefer Madness: Why is China on a Building Spree in the South China Sea?“foreignpolicy.com, February 20, 2015.
Quoted in “China Said to Turn Reef Into Airstrip in Disputed Water,” New York Times, November 23, 2014.
Quoted in “South China Sea Disputes: Fact or Fiction?” Eurasia Review, November 6, 2014.
Quoted in “Capture of Chinese national fighting with ISIS gives China jitters,” cnn.com, September 5, 2014.
Quoted in “What to Make of China’s New Maps,” New York Times Sinosphere, August 24, 2014.
Quoted in “India to Unveil First Warship to Deter Chinese Submarines,” Bloomberg News, August 22, 2014.
Quoted in “Deng Xiaoping’s guiding principles are still in play today,” South China Morning Post, August 22, 2014.
Interview: “China and South Korea strike entente cordiale in uncertain times,”ABC Radio Australia, July 4, 2014.
Quoted in “China’s Antigraft Push Snares an Ex-General,” New York Times, June 30, 2014.
Quoted in “To Bolster Its Claims, China Plants Islands in Disputed Waters,” New York Times, June 16, 2014.
Quoted in “China’s Ascent has Asia on Edge. Could International Law Help?” nationalinterest.org, June 2, 2014.
Quoted in “Japan condemns China over jets’ close encounter,” Financial Times, May 26, 2014.
Quoted in “China U-turn on Vietnam charm offensive,” Financial Times, May 12, 2014.
Quoted in “Why China and Vietnam are bumping boats,” marketplace.org, May 9, 2014.
Interview: “Q&A: M. Taylor Fravel on China’s Dispute With Vietnam,” by Edward Wong, New York Times, May 8, 2014.
Quoted in “China, Vietnam, Philippines collide amid escalating South China Sea tensions,”cnn.com, May 8, 2014.
Quoted in “South China Sea Tensions Flare as China Presses Resource Claims,” Bloomberg News, May 7, 2014.
Quoted in “U.S., Philippines to sign 10-year defense agreement amid rising tensions,” The Washington Post, April 27, 2014.
Quoted in “Obama says U.S. will stand by treaty obligations to Japan,” The Washington Post, April 24, 2014.
Quoted in “103 words that tie the U.S. military to barren rocks in the East China Sea,” The Washington Post, April 24, 2014.
Quoted in “China-US spats: Anger or new candour?” The Nation, April 15, 2014.
Quoted in “Malaysia flight MH370 hunt sees suspicion and cooperation,” The Guardian, March 14, 2014.
Quoted in “China Military Spending Rise Signals Firm Stand on Disputes,” Bloomberg News, March 5, 2014.
Quoted in “Xi’s choices for China’s new deputies brings close scrutiny,” The China Post, January 30, 2014.
Quoted in “Ambiguous fisheries law sets up in-your-face conundrum for China,” The Japan Times, January 20, 2014.
Quoted in “China casts red tape in South China Sea,” Asia Times, January 14, 2014.
Quoted in “Fishing rules row may push China to clarify its South China Sea claims,” South China Morning Post, January 14, 2014.
Quoted in “Hainan Fishing Move Raises Tensions in South China Sea,” Defense News, January 13, 2014.
Quoted in “The South China Sea: Hai-handed,” The Economist, January 13, 2014.
Quoted in “Coastal Province’s Fishing Rules Alarm U.S.,” New York Times, January 10, 2014.
Quoted in “Xi Reply to Abe Shrine Visit Is Next Test for Bilateral Ties,” Bloomberg News, December 26, 2013.
Quoted in “U.S., China Signal Retreat From Standoff Over Air-Defense Zone,” Wall Street Journal, December 5, 2013.
Quoted in “China’s aggressive air zone rattles a suspicious region,” Christian Science Monitor, December 5, 2013.
“China’s Maritime Security,” podcast, Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy, December 3, 2013.
Brief radio interview in NPR Marketplace segment titled “Vice President Biden walks right into China-Japan airspace conflict,” December 3, 2013.
Quoted in “China scrambles military jets as tensions rise over new air zone,” The Globe And Mail, November 29, 2013.
Quoted in “China scrambles fighter jets towards US and Japan planes in disputed air zone,” The Guardian, November 29, 2013.
Quoted in “China hits out at US, Japan on air defence issue,” The Hindu, November 28, 2013.
Quoted in “China seeks territory and status with air zone,” globalpost.com, November 26, 2013.
Quoted in “China Creates Security Committee With Warning to Terrorists,” Bloomberg News, November 13, 2013.
Quoted in “China nuclear subs ‘gallop to depths of ocean’,” Financial Times, October 28, 2013.
Quoted in “Banyan: Flaws in the diamond,” The Economist, September 21, 2013.
Quoted in “China Tests Japan on Island Claims After Philippine Success,” Bloomberg News, August 8, 2013.
Quoted in “China Ships Pass Via Strait North of Japan as Tensions Run High,” Bloomberg News, July 15, 2013.
Quoted in “INSIGHT: China’s new claims over Okinawa may harden Japanese Resolve,” Associated Press, May 15, 2013.
Quoted in “Where China Meets India in a High-Altitude Desert, Push Comes to Shove,” New York Times, May 2, 2013.
Quoted in “China Plans New Generation of Carriers as Sea Disputes Grow,” Bloomberg News, April 24, 2013.
Quoted in “Chinese fishermen on front line of marine dispute,” AFP, March 6, 2013.
Quoted in “China Boosts Defense Spending as Military Modern Arsenal,” Bloomberg News, March 5, 2013.
Quoted in “Old Questions and Few Answers as Japan’s Abe and Obama Discuss Asia Security Tensions,” Time, February 22, 2013.
Quoted in “China-Japan Dispute Takes Rising Toll on Top Asian Economies,” Bloomberg News, January 9, 2013.
Quoted in “Disputes over small islands pose big conundrum for U.S.,” Reuters, December 16, 2012.
Quoted in “China Steps Up Pressure on Japan in Island Dispute,” New York Times, December 15, 2012.
Quoted in “China’s new boss Xi hits nationalist note with talk of ‘revival’,” Reuters, December 6, 2012.
Quoted in “Diaoyu Islands dispute about resources not land,” South China Morning Post, December 4, 2012.
Quoted in “Dangerous moves in the East China Sea could bring Japan, China to armed conflict,”The Globe And Mail, December 2, 2012.
Quoted in “Alarm as China Issues Rules for Disputed Area,” New York Times, December 1, 2012.
Quoted in “China relentlessly harries Japan in island dispute,” Associated Press, November 5, 2012.
Quoted in “China Names Two to Military Commission Ahead of Power Shift,” Bloomberg News, November 4, 2012.
Quoted in “China steps up rhetoric on disputed islands,” Financial Times, October 31, 2012.
Quoted in “Beijing Shakes Up Military Leadership,” Wall Street Journal, October 24, 2012.
Quoted in “China announces major reshuffle of People’s Liberation Army,” The Telegraph, October 23, 2012.
Quoted in “China grapples with great power status,” Financial Times, October 16, 2012.
Quoted in “China and Japan face off: Tiny islands, big dispute,” csmonitor.com, October 2, 2012.
Quoted in “Taiwan Joins Fray Over Disputed Pacific Islands,” Time.com, September 26, 2012.
Quoted in “China and Japan relations tense after standoff over disputed islands,” The Guardian, September 14, 2012.
Quoted in “China’s naval show of strength raises stakes in island dispute with Japan,” The Globe and Mail, September 13, 2012.
Quoted in “China surveillance ships head to Senkakus,” Financial Times, September 11, 2012.
Quoted in “Japan Demands Investigation After Attack On China Envoy’s Car,” Bloomberg.com, August 28, 2012.
Quoted in “China Politics, Oil Needs Risk Conflict in S. China Sea,” Bloomberg.com, August 12, 2012.
Discussion with Robert Farley on the topic of “Foreign Entanglements,” bloggingheads.tv August 8, 2012. Click here to watch the video.
Quoted in “Chinese nationalists eye Okinawa,” Financial Times, July 23, 2012.
Quoted in “Battle for the Pacific: Naval arms race in the China Sea,” thestar.com, July 14, 2012.
Quoted in “On a collision course with China?” Op-Ed, Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, May 27, 2012.
Quoted in an article titled “Chinese boats fish in dangerous waters,” Financial Times, April 24, 2012.
Quoted in an article titled “Will India’s missile test trigger arms race with China?” BBC News, April 20, 2012.
Quoted in an article titled “South China Sea: Full unclosure?” The Economist, March 24, 2012.
Quoted in an article titled “China wants to dock in space,” CNN.com, March 23, 2012.
Quoted in an article titled “China’s foreign policy is playing catch-up with its new status,” The Guardian, March 22, 2012.
Quoted in an article titled “China rockets forward in race to moon,” CNN.com, March 8, 2012.
Quoted on March 5, 2012 by Time.com, in an article titled “China Announces 11.2% Increase in Military Spending.”
Quoted in an article titled “China Raising 2012 Defense Spending to Cope with Unfriendly ‘Neighborhood‘,” Bloomberg News, March 4, 2012.
Quoted in an article titled “Month after border talks, Chinese paper says Aksai Chin is a closed chapter,” The Hindu, February 16, 2012.
Quoted in an article titled “No Sino-U.S. Sweetheart Deals,” The Japan Times, February 15, 2012
Quoted in an article titled “China Workers Become Easy Targets as Growth Sends More Citizens Overseas,” Bloomberg News, February 1, 2012.
Quoted extensively in an article titled “What’s Up in China: Hint, It’s Not War With the U.S,” The Atlantic, December 15, 2011.
“China’s Response to a Rising India,” an interview with M. Taylor Fravel, National Bureau of Asian Research, October 4, 2011.
Quoted in an article titled “China’s space ambition soars,” CNN.com, September 30, 2011.
Quoted in an article titled “A show of force,” Financial Times, September 29, 2011.
Quoted in an article titled “How China sees the world,” Boston Globe, June 26, 2011.
A review of Strong Borders, Secure Nations appears in Frontline (India), Vol. 28, No. 7 (March 28-April 8, 2011).
Cited in an article titled “China plays long game on border disputes,” Asia Times online, January 23, 2011.
Quoted in an article titled “Local officials stir dispute over Senkaku Islands,” Stars and Stripes, January 5, 2011
Cited in an article titled “A special report on China’s place in the world: In the balance,” The Economist, December 2, 2010.
Quoted in an article titled “Beijing’s elevated aspirations,” Financial Times, November 10, 2010.
Cited in an article titled “Puzzling Conflict,” Frontline (India), September 25, 2010.
Quoted in an article titled “US ventures into troubled Asian waters,” Financial Times, August 3, 2010.
Quoted in an article titled “Vietnam Enlists Allies to Stave Off China’s Reach,” New York Times, February 4, 2010.
Quoted in an article titled “As ties between India and China grow, so does mistrust,” Washington Post, December 14, 2009.
Quoted in an article titled “China on guard against outside influence,” The Straits Times(Singapore), November 17, 2009.
Quoted in an article titled “China Focuses on Territorial Issues as It Equates Tibet to U.S. Civil War South,” New York Times, November 13, 2009.
Quoted in an article titled “Why India Fears China,” Newsweek, Oct 19, 2009.
Featured in an interview in Rediff News (India), October 13, 2009. The article is titled “China has settled all land border disputes except with India and Bhutan.”
Quoted in an article titled “China shows off ‘Rich Nation, Strong Army’,” Financial Times, September 23, 2009.
Quoted in an article titled “ANALYSIS-Booming China-India ties strained by border tension,” Reuters, September 18, 2009.
Quoted in an article titled “Booming China-India ties strained by border tension,” Reuters, September 17, 2009.
Quoted in an article titled “China and India Dispute Enclave on Edge of Tibet,” New York Times, September 4, 2009.
Quoted in an article titled “Rio Tinto Sales Executive Found Success in China’s Changes,” Wall Street Journal, July 25, 2009.
Quoted in an article titled “China adds special riot squad to arsenal,” Financial Times, July 19, 2009.
Quoted in article titled “China Flash of Maritime Muscle May Mean Power Push in Asia Seas,” Bloomberg.com, March 24, 2009.
Cited in an article title “Resolving China’s Border Disputes,” UPIAsia.com, January 8, 2009.
“A Talk with M. Taylor Fravel: An MIT scholar asks: What would make China use its army?” Interview in the Boston Globe, Sunday, August 10, 2008.
Quoted in article titled “Bush Burnishes China Card for Obama, McCain,” Bloomberg.com, August 4, 2008.
Featured in “China’s Underground Submarine Base Scrutinized,” NPR, Morning Edition, May 9, 2008.
Quoted in article titled “Beijing Games become catch-all for causes,” Reuters, June 13, 2007.
Featured in “President Bush meets with Chinese president”, New England Cable News, Good Morning Live, April 20, 2006