Blog - China Econ Group

Chinese Bitcoin Mines: A Threat to US National Security.

By Antonio Graceffo May 12, 2024Blog

By Antonio Graceffo Chinese cryptocurrency mining operations have been discovered in 12 U.S. states, raising national security concerns. The Pentagon is overseeing surveillance of a Chinese bitcoin mining facility in…

Xi’s Taiwan timeline tied to legacy

By Antonio Graceffo April 16, 2024Blog

By Antonio Graceffo Last month, People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft and naval vessels threatened the sea and airspace around Taiwan, shortly after Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) unveiled his plan…

CCP Threat in the Digital Space

By Antonio Graceffo March 11, 2024Blog

CCP digital authoritarianism seeks to control the global information environment. By Antonio Graceffo The U.S. State Department on Sept. 28 released the “Global Engagement Center Special Report: How the People’s…

Portfolio on Repression of Religious and Ethnic Minorities

By Antonio Graceffo February 29, 2024Blog

By Antonio Graceffo Welcome to my portfolio on the repression of religious and ethnic minorities. As a trained economic and national security analyst with a specialization in China, I have…

Drugs: The Largest National Security Threat for 2024

By Antonio Graceffo February 16, 2024Blog

By Antonio Graceffo In its recently published Homeland Threat Assessment 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identifies drugs as the largest national security threat. More than 100,000 Americans died…

The Niger Coup Affects US Foreign Policy in Africa and Europe

By Antonio Graceffo January 23, 2024Blog

By Antonio Graceffo The coup in Niger has implications for U.S. foreign policy in Africa and Europe. On Aug. 7, the U.S. State Department announced they have had direct contact with…

The Coup in Niger: Why Resource-Rich Countries Are Poor

By Antonio Graceffo December 30, 2023Blog

By Antonio Graceffo The leaders of Niger’s coup have suspended the Constitution, demanded the removal of foreign troops, and threatened to ban uranium sales to the West. Neighboring countries, like…

BRICS and the Currency Wars

By Antonio Graceffo December 21, 2023Blog

By Antonio Graceffo Talk of expanding BRICS membership and de-dollarization is gaining traction, but enlarging the group or ditching the dollar remains elusive. Recently 19 countries, among them Saudi Arabia and…

The Chinese Communist Party’s War on Catholicism

By Antonio Graceffo December 12, 2023Blog

By Antonio Graceffo In early June, a pastor in China’s Shandong Province was sentenced to five years in prison for printing hymnals and other theological materials. His co-worker was sentenced to three…

Narcotrafficking’s Impact on Source, Transit, and User Countries

By Antonio Graceffo December 12, 2023Blog

By Antonio Graceffo Narcotrafficking is a transnational crime with drugs, weapons, money, and people crossing international borders for illicit purposes. Generally, narcotrafficking involves at least three countries: the source country,…