Michael Pillsbury

Former Senior Fellow and Director for Chinese Strategy

National Security and Defense Defense Strategy
michael_pillsbury

At A Glance:

Michael Pillsbury was senior fellow and director for Chinese strategy at Hudson Institute. 

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Biography

Michael Pillsbury was senior fellow and the director for Chinese strategy at Hudson Institute. He is a distinguished defense policy adviser, former high-ranking government official, and author of numerous books and reports on China.

During the Reagan administration, Dr. Pillsbury was assistant under secretary of defense for policy planning and responsible for implementation of the program of covert aid known as the Reagan Doctrine. From 1975 to 1976, while an analyst at the RAND Corporation, he published articles in Foreign Policy and International Security recommending that the United States establish intelligence and military ties with China. The proposal, publicly commended by Ronald Reagan, Henry Kissinger, and James Schlesinger, later became US policy during the Carter and Reagan administrations.

Dr. Pillsbury served on the staff of four US Senate Committees from 1978 to 1984 and 1986 to 1991. As a staff member, he drafted the Senate Labor Committee version of the legislation that enacted the US Institute of Peace in 1984. He also assisted in drafting the legislation to create the National Endowment for Democracy and the annual requirement for a DOD report on Chinese military power.

In 1992, under President George H. W. Bush, Dr. Pillsbury was special assistant for Asian affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, reporting to Andrew W. Marshall, director of net assessment. Dr. Pillsbury is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Dr. Pillsbury is the author of China Debates the Future Security Environment (NDU Press, 2000), The Hundred-Year Marathon: China's Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower, and editor of Chinese Views of Future Warfare (NDU Press, 1998).

Dr. Pillsbury has a BA in history with honors in social thought from Stanford University, and an MA and PHD from Columbia University.

Events
Back to Michael Pillsbury
08
October 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | A Book Talk with Elbridge A. Colby
Featured Speakers:
Kenneth R. Weinstein
Elbridge A. Colby
Nadia Schadlow
Michael Pillsbury
08
October 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | A Book Talk with Elbridge A. Colby

Please be advised: This event will air live on this page at 12:00 p.m. EDT, Friday, October 8. Register for the event here.

Featured Speakers:
Kenneth R. Weinstein
Elbridge A. Colby
Nadia Schadlow
Michael Pillsbury
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19
October 2020
Past Event
China's Eight Deadly Sins in Trade Policy: A Conversation with Peter Navarro
Featured Speakers:
Michael Pillsbury
Peter Navarro
19
October 2020
Past Event
China's Eight Deadly Sins in Trade Policy: A Conversation with Peter Navarro

Join Hudson Institute for a conversation with Assistant to the President and Director of the Office for Trade and Manufacturing Peter Navarro

Featured Speakers:
Michael Pillsbury
Peter Navarro
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19
February 2019
Past Event
Protecting a Free and Open Indo-Pacific: Strengthening the U.S.-Japan-India Trilateral Relationship
Featured Speakers:
Nobukatsu Kanehara
Tom Rose
Vice Admiral (ret.) Shekhar Sinha
Michael Pillsbury
Patrick Cronin
Arthur Herman
Lewis Libby
19
February 2019
Past Event
Protecting a Free and Open Indo-Pacific: Strengthening the U.S.-Japan-India Trilateral Relationship

Experts discuss the U.S.-India-Japan trilateral partnership

Featured Speakers:
Nobukatsu Kanehara
Tom Rose
Vice Admiral (ret.) Shekhar Sinha
Michael Pillsbury
Patrick Cronin
Arthur Herman
Lewis Libby
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24
October 2018
Past Event
The Mark Palmer Forum: China’s Global Challenge to Democratic Freedom
Featured Speakers:
Kenneth R. Weinstein
Michael J. Abramowitz
Jonas Parello-Plesner
Sarah Cook
Juan Pablo Cardenal
Laura Rosenberger
Carolyn Bartholomew
Xiao Qiang
Jan Jekielek
Peter Mattis
Bay Fang
Josh Rogin
Rachelle Peterson
Dr. Teng Biao
Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian
Perry Link
Isaac Stone Fish
Michael Pillsbury
(Zhang Peng/LightRocket via Getty Images)
24
October 2018
Past Event
The Mark Palmer Forum: China’s Global Challenge to Democratic Freedom

Experts discuss democracy in China

(Zhang Peng/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Kenneth R. Weinstein
Michael J. Abramowitz
Jonas Parello-Plesner
Sarah Cook
Juan Pablo Cardenal
Laura Rosenberger
Carolyn Bartholomew
Xiao Qiang
Jan Jekielek
Peter Mattis
Bay Fang
Josh Rogin
Rachelle Peterson
Dr. Teng Biao
Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian
Perry Link
Isaac Stone Fish
Michael Pillsbury
Learn More
26
September 2018
Past Event
U.S.-China Trade Relations and Challenges: Past, Present, and Future
Featured Speakers:
Kenneth R. Weinstein
Huiyao Wang
Michael Pillsbury
Arthur Herman
Richard Weitz
Aparna Pande
Dr. Miao Lu
Dr. Heiwai Tang
Dr. Wenshan Jia
Ambassador Husain Haqqani
Workers unloading bags of chemicals at a port in Zhangjiagang in China's eastern Jiangsu province, August 7, 2018
26
September 2018
Past Event
U.S.-China Trade Relations and Challenges: Past, Present, and Future

Experts discuss U.S.-China trade relations

Workers unloading bags of chemicals at a port in Zhangjiagang in China's eastern Jiangsu province, August 7, 2018
Featured Speakers:
Kenneth R. Weinstein
Huiyao Wang
Michael Pillsbury
Arthur Herman
Richard Weitz
Aparna Pande
Dr. Miao Lu
Dr. Heiwai Tang
Dr. Wenshan Jia
Ambassador Husain Haqqani
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28
June 2018
Past Event
White House National Trade Council Director Peter Navarro on Chinese Economic Aggression
Featured Speakers:
Dr. Peter Navarro
Michael Pillsbury
Steelworker in Huaibei, China, May 3, 2018
28
June 2018
Past Event
White House National Trade Council Director Peter Navarro on Chinese Economic Aggression

Peter Navarro presents new White House OTMP report.

Steelworker in Huaibei, China, May 3, 2018
Featured Speakers:
Dr. Peter Navarro
Michael Pillsbury
Learn More
10
December 2015
Past Event
The Future of India-U.S. Defense Collaboration
Featured Speakers:
Douglas Feith
Subodh Rajendra Babu
Jayant Patil
Col. H.S. Shankar
Michael Pillsbury
10
December 2015
Past Event
The Future of India-U.S. Defense Collaboration

Hudson Institute and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry host an event on the future of India-U.S. defense collaboration.

Featured Speakers:
Douglas Feith
Subodh Rajendra Babu
Jayant Patil
Col. H.S. Shankar
Michael Pillsbury
Learn More
16
November 2015
Past Event
U.S.-China Energy Cooperation: Risks, Opportunities, and Solutions
Featured Speakers:
Yossie Hollander
Michael Pillsbury
Qiang Liu
Fuqiang Yang
Damien Ma
Gal Luft
Jerry Fletcher
David Sandalow
Jeremy Carl
Arthur Herman
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16
November 2015
Past Event
U.S.-China Energy Cooperation: Risks, Opportunities, and Solutions

Hudson Institute conference on China's growing energy needs and U.S.-China energy cooperation featuring policy experts from both China and the U.S.

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Featured Speakers:
Yossie Hollander
Michael Pillsbury
Qiang Liu
Fuqiang Yang
Damien Ma
Gal Luft
Jerry Fletcher
David Sandalow
Jeremy Carl
Arthur Herman
Learn More
23
October 2015
Past Event
What is China's Strategy in Asia? And What Should the Next American President Do About It?
Featured Speakers:
Jacqueline Deal
Mark Stokes
Dan Blumenthal
Michael Pillsbury
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23
October 2015
Past Event
What is China's Strategy in Asia? And What Should the Next American President Do About It?

Dan Blumenthal, Jacqueline Deal, Mark Stokes, and Michael Pillsbury discuss what to expect in Chinese strategy in the coming years.

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Featured Speakers:
Jacqueline Deal
Mark Stokes
Dan Blumenthal
Michael Pillsbury
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30
September 2015
Past Event
Xi Jinping's Visit: What It Means for Taiwan
Featured Speakers:
Seth Cropsey
Michael Pillsbury
Mark Stokes
Ian Easton
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30
September 2015
Past Event
Xi Jinping's Visit: What It Means for Taiwan

Seth Cropsey, Michael Pillsbury, Mark Stokes, and Ian Easton discuss the impact and result of Xi’s visit and what it means for Taiwan.

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Featured Speakers:
Seth Cropsey
Michael Pillsbury
Mark Stokes
Ian Easton
Learn More
10
September 2015
Past Event
China Looks at the West: A Book Discussion with Christopher Ford
Featured Speakers:
Congressman J. Randy Forbes
Christopher Ford
Elbridge Colby
Maochun Yu
Michael Pillsbury
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10
September 2015
Past Event
China Looks at the West: A Book Discussion with Christopher Ford

Congressman Randy Forbes, Christopher Ford, Elbridge Colby, Maochun Yu, and Michael Pillsbury discuss China Looks at the West and Sino-U.S. relations.

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Featured Speakers:
Congressman J. Randy Forbes
Christopher Ford
Elbridge Colby
Maochun Yu
Michael Pillsbury
Learn More
08
September 2015
Past Event
Xi Jinping in Washington: The Taiwan Factor
Featured Speakers:
Michael Pillsbury
Parris Chang
Ian Easton
Seth Cropsey
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08
September 2015
Past Event
Xi Jinping in Washington: The Taiwan Factor

Parris Chang and Ian Easton join Seth Cropsey and Michael Pillsbury to discuss Taiwan's role and stake in U.S.-China relations.

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Featured Speakers:
Michael Pillsbury
Parris Chang
Ian Easton
Seth Cropsey
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16
July 2015
Past Event
Facing New Threats: Towards a Transatlantic Renewal
Featured Speakers:
Kenneth Weinstein
Ambassador Mark Green
Paulo Rangel
Mikuláš Dzurinda
Stephen Nix
Sandra Kalniete
Jeffrey Gedmin
David J. Kramer
Werner Fasslabend
Michael Benhamou
Michael Doran
Elliott Abrams
Davis Lewin
Jacob Funk Kirkegaard
Danuta Maria Hübner
Christopher Sands
Roland Freudenstein
Michael Pillsbury
Olin Wethington
Raquel Vaz Pinto
Benjamin Haddad
Paul McCarthy
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16
July 2015
Past Event
Facing New Threats: Towards a Transatlantic Renewal

The Transatlantic Think Tank Conference is a three-day event organized by Hudson Institute, IRI, and the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies.

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Featured Speakers:
Kenneth Weinstein
Ambassador Mark Green
Paulo Rangel
Mikuláš Dzurinda
Stephen Nix
Sandra Kalniete
Jeffrey Gedmin
David J. Kramer
Werner Fasslabend
Michael Benhamou
Michael Doran
Elliott Abrams
Davis Lewin
Jacob Funk Kirkegaard
Danuta Maria Hübner
Christopher Sands
Roland Freudenstein
Michael Pillsbury
Olin Wethington
Raquel Vaz Pinto
Benjamin Haddad
Paul McCarthy
Learn More
10
April 2015
Past Event
The Legacy of the Hong Kong Democracy Protests
Featured Speakers:
Michael Pillsbury
David Feith
Libby Liu
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10
April 2015
Past Event
The Legacy of the Hong Kong Democracy Protests

Michael Pillsbury, David Feith, and Libby Liu discuss the legacy of the Hong Kong protests, the future of Hong Kong, and the impact on regional media.

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Featured Speakers:
Michael Pillsbury
David Feith
Libby Liu
Learn More
03
February 2015
Past Event
The Hundred-Year Marathon: China's Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower
Featured Speakers:
Representative J. Randy Forbes
Michael Pillsbury
Ambassador Husain Haqqani
03
February 2015
Past Event
The Hundred-Year Marathon: China's Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower

Michael Pillsbury, Rep. Randy Forbes, and Amb. Husain Haqqani discuss The Hundred Year Marathon, Pillsbury's new book on U.S.-China relations.

Featured Speakers:
Representative J. Randy Forbes
Michael Pillsbury
Ambassador Husain Haqqani
Learn More
22
May 2014
Past Event
The Current State of U.S.-Taiwan Security Relations
Featured Speakers:
Seth Cropsey
Michael Pillsbury
Mark Stokes
Michael Auslin
22
May 2014
Past Event
The Current State of U.S.-Taiwan Security Relations

Mike Pillsbury, Mark Stokes, Michael Auslin, and Seth Cropsey discussed what the U.S. should do to ensure U.S.-Taiwan security relations.

Featured Speakers:
Seth Cropsey
Michael Pillsbury
Mark Stokes
Michael Auslin
Learn More
07
June 2013
Past Event
South and East China Seas: Challenges and Opportunities for Enduring Regional Peace and Security
Featured Speakers:
Seth Cropsey
Dr. Yann-Huei Song
Paul Giarra
Michael Pillsbury
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07
June 2013
Past Event
South and East China Seas: Challenges and Opportunities for Enduring Regional Peace and Security

Washington's proposed "pivot to Asia" faces important tests in a region vital to global economic growth, but riven by territorial disputes a

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Featured Speakers:
Seth Cropsey
Dr. Yann-Huei Song
Paul Giarra
Michael Pillsbury
Learn More
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