Ely Ratner Quoted in Semafor

Ely Ratner, a Biden-administration defense adviser, told me that Chinese leader Xi Jinping is “in a wait-and-see mode.” He argues (and most analysts agree) that Xi would prefer a peaceful solution, believing that time is on his side as China’s relative power increases and America’s ability and willingness to intervene in Taiwan declines. For now, says Ratner, the war in Iran has demonstrated to China a revolution is underway in military affairs, especially the integration of AI into warfighting — an area in which the US is “way far ahead” — and “China ought to be worried about that.”

Semafor