# Episode 9 : Chinese Strategic Thinking with Phillip Colon

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/think-fight-learn-repeat-7782308/episode-9-chinese-strategic-thinking-with-phillip-colon
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/think-fight-learn-repeat-7782308/episode-9-chinese-strategic-thinking-with-phillip-colon.md
Podcast: [Think.Fight.Learn.Repeat.](https://stenobird.com/podcast/think-fight-learn-repeat-7782308)
Published: 2026-05-21T00:54:40+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lex8899/episodes/Episode-9--Chinese-Strategic-Thinking-with-Phillip-Colon-e3jm1ou
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/10fffbd64/podcast/play/120308958/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-4-21%2F5499ce54-edf0-4ad9-d90d-2e0f0ffe71e2.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/think-fight-learn-repeat-7782308/episodes/episode-9-chinese-strategic-thinking-with-phillip-colon
Duration seconds: 2260

## Resource

How do historical assumptions shape strategic decisions and what happens when we get them wrong? In this episode, Phillip Colon, a wargame analyst at Group W, part of Systems Planning and Analysis, joins the podcast to explain why understanding China requires more than analyzing current events. We explore how China’s pre-modern political traditions, the Century of Humiliation, and the Chinese Communist Party’s interpretation of history continue to shape Beijing’s strategic behavior today. Phillip discusses the enduring influence of Confucianism and Legalism, the operational lessons of the Opium Wars and China’s internal conflicts, and why historical memory remains central to issues like sovereignty, legitimacy, and competition below the threshold of armed conflict. For military professionals, strategists, and anyone seeking to better understand China as a long-term competitor, this episode is essential to understanding the context behind modern Chinese decision-making.

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## Transcript

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