Craig Singleton

Craig Singleton is a senior China fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former U.S. diplomat.

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Articles by Craig Singleton
A collage illustration shows open shipping boxes falling through the scene. In one box is U.S. President Donald Trump, waving, and in another is Chinese President Xi Jinping waving.
A collage illustration shows open shipping boxes falling through the scene. In one box is U.S. President Donald Trump, waving, and in another is Chinese President Xi Jinping waving.

Welcome to the Era of Mutually Assured Disruption

Analysis
Craig Singleton
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani appear at a welcoming ceremony in Tehran on Jan. 23, 2016.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani appear at a welcoming ceremony in Tehran on Jan. 23, 2016.

Tehran’s Wake‑Up Call for Beijing

Analysis
Grant Rumley, Craig Singleton
U.S. President Donald Trump reads the New York Post as he arrives at Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida, on April 5.
U.S. President Donald Trump reads the New York Post as he arrives at Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida, on April 5.

Trump and Xi Are in a Tariff Trap

Analysis
Craig Singleton
Chinese President Xi Jinping takes part in a joint media appearance with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée Palace in Paris on May 6, 2024.
Chinese President Xi Jinping takes part in a joint media appearance with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée Palace in Paris on May 6, 2024.

Xi Jinping’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good Year

Analysis
Craig Singleton
Philippine Coast Guard members pass a China Coast Guard vessel during a resupply mission to Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on March 5.
Philippine Coast Guard members pass a China Coast Guard vessel during a resupply mission to Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on March 5.

China and the U.S. Are Careening Toward a South China Sea Crisis

Argument
Craig Singleton
Taiwanese President-elect William Lai and his running mate Hsiao Bi-khim speak to supporters at the Democratic Progressive Party's headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan.
Taiwanese President-elect William Lai and his running mate Hsiao Bi-khim speak to supporters at the Democratic Progressive Party's headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan.

Beijing’s Post-Election Plan for Taiwan

Argument
Craig Singleton
BYD electric cars wait to be loaded on a ship at an export terminal in Suzhou, China, on Sept. 11.
BYD electric cars wait to be loaded on a ship at an export terminal in Suzhou, China, on Sept. 11.

Are Chinese Battery Companies the Next Huawei?

Argument
Craig Singleton
A worker makes repairs on the roof of a pedestrian underpass in Beijing on July 22.
A worker makes repairs on the roof of a pedestrian underpass in Beijing on July 22.

Xi Prepares to Eat Economic Bitterness

Analysis
Craig Singleton
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping reach out to shake hands, against a backdrop of Russian and Chinese flags, at the Kremlin in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping reach out to shake hands, against a backdrop of Russian and Chinese flags, at the Kremlin in Moscow.

Xi’s Schadenfreude Over Moscow’s Mutiny

Argument
Craig Singleton
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin make a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin make a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21.

Why Xi Is Ghosting Biden

Argument
Craig Singleton
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on Sept. 16, 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on Sept. 16, 2022.

China’s Ukraine Peace Plan Is Actually About Taiwan

Analysis
Craig Singleton
A Panzerhaubitze 2000 tank howitzer fires during a mission in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
A Panzerhaubitze 2000 tank howitzer fires during a mission in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.

Lessons for the Next War

Analysis
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Anne-Marie Slaughter, David Petraeus, Lee Hsi-min, Graham Allison, Rose Gottemoeller, Elisabeth Braw, Craig Singleton, Chris Krebs, Tai Ming Cheung, Maria Shagina, Mauro Gilli, Vance Serchuk, Stefan Theil
A woman walks past election signs ahead of the U.S. midterm elections in Silver Spring, Maryland, on Oct. 28.
A woman walks past election signs ahead of the U.S. midterm elections in Silver Spring, Maryland, on Oct. 28.

Chinese Election Meddling Hits the Midterms

Analysis
Craig Singleton
Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during the opening session of the 20th Chinese Communist Party Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on Oct. 16.
Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during the opening session of the 20th Chinese Communist Party Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on Oct. 16.

Xi’s Third Term Is a Gift in Disguise

Analysis
Craig Singleton
President Xi Jinping is welcomed by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin
President Xi Jinping is welcomed by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin

How Far Will Xi Go to Help a Desperate Putin?

Analysis
Craig Singleton
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