Caption
An oil tanker is being unloaded with imported crude oil at the Qingdao Port Oil Terminal in Shandong Province, China on April 7, 2026. (Getty Images)
Caption
The sun rises of the Gubeikou Great Wall in Beijing on September 28, 2023. (Fei Maohua via Getty Images)
While the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has weathered crises before, a sudden regime collapse in China is not entirely unthinkable. Policymakers need to consider what might happen and what steps they would have to take if the world’s longest-ruling Communist dictatorship and second-largest economy collapses.
Hudson Institute’s China Center will convene experts and policymakers to discuss the potential collapse of CCP authority in China. The event will examine the possibilities and analyze what steps the United States should take in the immediate aftermath to stabilize China’s political, economic, and social institutions. Finally, they will assess the forces required to shape China’s post-CCP future.
The conference will feature remarks from experts in military affairs, intelligence, economics, human rights, transitional justice, and constitutional governance, and include two moderated panels to discuss the larger implications of a potential CCP collapse on regional and global security.
Agenda
8:30 a.m. | Registration
9:00 a.m. | Welcome Remarks
- John Walters, President and CEO, Hudson Institute
9:05 a.m. | Opening Remarks
- Miles Yu, Senior Fellow and Director, China Center, Hudson Institute
9:15 a.m. | Panel 1: After Collapse—Security Implications and the International Community’s Response
- Randall Schriver, Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Affairs
- Gordon G. Chang, Former Counsel to Paul Weiss LLC, Shanghai, and Partner, Baker and McKenzie, Hong Kong
- Rick Fisher, Senior Fellow, Asian Military Affairs, International Assessment and Strategy Center
Moderator
- Dr. Miles Yu, Senior Fellow and Director, China Center, Hudson Institute
10:30 a.m. | Panel 2: Disintegration—Ethnic Grievances, Constitutional Convention, and Democratization Process
- Piero Tozzi, Staff Director, Congressional-Executive Commission on China
- William Nee, Senior Manager, Asia Regional Program, National Endowment for Democracy (NED)
- Nina Shea, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
- Donald Clarke, Professor Emeritus, George Washington University Law School
Moderator
- Dr. Miles Yu, Senior Fellow and Director, China Center, Hudson Institute
Related Events
08
May 2026
Virtual Event | Online Only
Voices Inside Iran: The Internal Dimension of Operation Epic Fury
Featured Speakers:
Zineb Riboua
Mariam Memarsadeghi
Samira Gharaee
08
May 2026
Virtual Event | Online Only
Voices Inside Iran: The Internal Dimension of Operation Epic Fury
Research Fellow Zineb Riboua will discuss how the war is reshaping Iranian society with Mariam Memarsadeghi, who researches civil society, democratic movements, and civic education inside Iran and Samira Gharaei, who reports on political developments and public sentiment across Iranian media.
Featured Speakers:
Zineb Riboua
Mariam Memarsadeghi
Samira Gharaee
11
May 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Defending Taiwan: A Strategy to Prevent War with China
Featured Speakers:
Eyck Freymann
Jason Hsu
11
May 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Defending Taiwan: A Strategy to Prevent War with China
With Jason Hsu, Freymann will discuss how the United States and its partners can adapt to China’s evolving strategy and develop a coherent plan to prevent conflict while safeguarding Taiwan’s future.
Featured Speakers:
Eyck Freymann
Jason Hsu
12
May 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
China’s Persecution: Assault on All Faiths
Featured Speakers:
Sam Brownback
Hon. Frank Wolf
Michael Arkush
Mihrigul Tursun
Arjia Rinpoche
Frances Hui
Wang Chunyan
Pastor Pan Yongguang
Peter Xu
Enes Freedom
Pastor Corey Jackson
Grace Jin Drexel
Moderator:
Nina Shea
12
May 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
China’s Persecution: Assault on All Faiths
To address these concerns, former senator Sam Brownback, who served as ambassador at large for international religious freedom in the first Trump administration, will join Senior Fellow Nina Shea to propose new policies for the US government and actions for the American public.
Featured Speakers:
Sam Brownback
Hon. Frank Wolf
Michael Arkush
Mihrigul Tursun
Arjia Rinpoche
Frances Hui
Wang Chunyan
Pastor Pan Yongguang
Peter Xu
Enes Freedom
Pastor Corey Jackson
Grace Jin Drexel
Moderator:
Nina Shea
14
May 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Adapting to the Modern Media Landscape
Featured Speakers:
Mike Gallagher
Hugh Hewitt
14
May 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Adapting to the Modern Media Landscape
Join Hudson Institute Distinguished Fellow Mike Gallagher for a fireside chat with radio host and commentator Hugh Hewitt, whose career in media and politics has spanned more than four decades.
Featured Speakers:
Mike Gallagher
Hugh Hewitt
Related Research
Caption
(Screenshot via Newsmax)
Caption
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Bharatiya Janata Party President Nitin Nabin greets supporters as he arrives at the BJP headquarters to celebrate its election victory on May 4, 2026, in New Delhi, India. (Getty Images)
Caption
A flight of US Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, armed with rockets and Hellfire missiles, taxis in the Central Command Area on May 1, 2026. (US Army)
