John Lee examines how China’s campaign of historical distortion is recycled on the public stage to justify Beijing’s increasingly assertive political, military, and territorial actions. Lee also outlines a series of targeted soft-power policy options that, if implemented, would openly and frequently challenge the historical revisionism Beijing employs to justify its hegemonic ambitions.
Caption
A US infantryman releases a Neros Archer small unmanned aircraft system for a test flight at Fort Irwin in California on October 25, 2025. (US Army)