Webinar | Is the Emperor on His Way Out? Will His Legacy be World War Xi?

During the Cold War, American experts would scrutinize every shred of evidence – including who stood where on Lenin’s tomb during military parades – for clues about Kremlin leadership struggles and their implications for our security.

A similar phenomenon is currently underway regarding China’s secretive Communist hierarchy. Purges of senior military officers believed to be loyal to the current Chinese “emperor,” Xi Jinping, his recent, protracted absences – both physical and from the state-controlled media, and rumors of his ill-health are feeding speculation he may soon be toppled from power.

A most timely Committee on the Present Danger: China webinar from 12-1:15 p.m. ET today will feature a conversation moderated by Frank Gaffney with six of America’s preeminent experts on the Chinese Communist Party, Xi’s ambitions and their Unrestricted Warfare against America: Gordon Chang, Capt. James Fanell, Col. John Mills, Col. Grant Newsham, Brian Kennedy and Dr. Karen Siegemund.

Among the topics to be discussed will be:

- Are Xi’s days as absolute dictator indeed numbered?
- Either way, is the advanced state of his preparations for a shooting war such that we are at a moment of acute danger – and what is our appropriate response?
- If Xi is in extremis, will he lash out? If so, how and what must we be prepared to do?
- What are our allies’ responses likely to be to CCP leadership volatility?
- War on the Home Front: Is chaos here Xi’s hole card?
- Does a CCP leadership crisis offer an opportunity for freeing the Chinese people and, if so, how do we help?”

Moderator:

- Frank Gaffney, President, Institute for the American Future; Vice Chairman, Committee on the Present Danger: China

Panelists:

- Gordon Chang, Esq., Senior Fellow, Gatestone Institute; columnist, Newsweek; author, “Plan Red: China’s Project to Destroy America,” “China is Going to War,” and “The Coming Collapse of China”; Follow on X @GordonGChang

- Captain James Fanell, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Former Director of Intelligence and Information Operations, U.S. Pacific Fleet; co-author, “Embracing Communist China: America’s Greatest Strategic Failure”

- Colonel John Mills, U.S. Army (Ret.), Veteran Special Operator; former senior official responsible for Cybersecurity Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense; former member, the National Security Council staff and detailed to the Department of Homeland Security; host, “The National Security Hour”; author, “War Against the Deep State”

- Colonel Grant Newsham, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.), Former Military Attaché in Embassy Tokyo; former Foreign Service Officer; longtime business executive in the Western Pacific; author, “When China Attacks: A Warning to America”

- Brian T. Kennedy, Chairman, Committee on the Present Danger: China; President, American Strategy Group; former President, Claremont Institute; author, “Communist China’s War Inside America”

- Dr. Karen Siegemund, PhD, Founder and President, The American Freedom Alliance; Founding Member, The Sovereignty Coalition