Bo Ming to chair China program at U.S. think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies

The Washington think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies announced on July 13 the nomination of Matt Pottinger, a former deputy national security adviser, as chair of the organization’s China program. Pottinger and 28 other former senior officials and individuals associated with the Trump administration were declared under sanctions by the Chinese Foreign Ministry in January.

In response, Bomen said, “I am pleased to contribute to the work and mission of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which has a wonderful team of action-oriented and independent thinkers.” He said, “The United States and her allies must integrate their political, economic, military, legal, technological and information strengths into effective policies to confront Beijing’s global challenge to freedom.”

“The creative minds assembled by (Foundation for Defense of Democracies CEO) Mark Dubowitz at the China Project and the Center chaired by Juan Zarate, H.R. McMaster and Sam Ravitch are the ideal team to develop such policies,” Bomen said “.

“I can think of no better person than Bomen, who has decades of experience in government, the military and the press, and who has the fluency in Mandarin to help our team develop actionable policies for this critical strategic competition with America’s most powerful adversary,” said Dubowitz. He said, “Bomen is a national treasure who has fundamentally changed the direction of U.S.-China policy, and we are honored to have him join us as chair of our China program.”

Bomen’s former boss, former U.S. national security adviser McMaster, said, “Bomen has made a tremendous contribution to our country both in and out of the military. He is a man of impeccable character and extraordinary intelligence. His deep understanding of the Indo-Pacific region and clear vision of the challenges posed by the Chinese Communist Party will enable the CDF to make further contributions to the most important competition of the 21st century.”

Earlier, China’s Foreign Ministry announced on January 21 that it had imposed sanctions on 28 people, including Bo Ming and others, who were primarily responsible for serious violations of China’s sovereignty in China-related issues. These individuals and their families have been banned from entering mainland China and Hong Kong and Macau, and they and their affiliated companies and institutions have been restricted from dealing and doing business with China.