Over $6 trillion of trade flows through 8 chokepoints in the South China Sea, with at least 50% of China’s imports going through the Taiwan and Malacca Straits alone. The United States, China, and other countries heavily rely on these maritime routes to import and export crucial goods. As the Strait of Hormuz crisis continues to unfold, countries across the globe are now looking at the South China Sea as the next potential economic chokepoint. What are the United States and China doing to ensure stable and safe access through maritime passages in the South China Sea?
Brian Hart joined us on October 16, 2026, to share how crucial maritime chokepoints are to the global economy and what the United States and China are doing to uphold or undermine international shipping stability.
In July 2026, Brian co-authored a CSIS brief on chokepoints in the South China Sea, read the full report here.
Brian Hart
Brian Hart is deputy director and fellow of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He also helps to lead Hidden Reach, a CSIS special initiative that shines light on underappreciated sources of China’s influence through open-source data and satellite imagery. His research focuses on Chinese foreign and security policy, China’s military and defense industrial base, Taiwan security issues, U.S.-China relations, and Chinese technology policy. Brian is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. Prior to joining the CSIS China Power Project, he conducted research at the Project 2049 Institute, the CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies, Trivium China, and Wake Forest University. Brian earned his MA with honors in China studies and international economics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a graduate certificate in China studies from the SAIS Hopkins-Nanjing Center. He received a BA with honors in politics and international affairs from Wake Forest University.