For decades, D.C. insiders and Wall Street elites perpetuated the lie that American engagement with Communist China would cause that nation to open, to liberalize, and to reform. Even as evidence accumulated to the contrary, some benefitting from this deception continued to profit off of China at the expense of America’s stature and America’s workers. The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) advances policies that study how decades of America’s accommodation of Communist China has nurtured an existential rival to our Nation and our livelihood as we know it.
Team
Latest
News Release
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June 23, 2026
AFPI Hosts Discussion on North Korea, Nuclear Deterrence, and U.S. National Security
Today, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) hosted a special fireside chat on confronting the North Korean nuclear threat and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
News Release
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June 18, 2026
New AFPI Report: Iran Was China’s “Counter-Pivot” — And Operation Epic Fury Just Dismantled It
The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) today released a new report contending that China spent two decades using Iran as a tool to keep the United States distracted from the Pacific — and that Operation Epic Fury has now broken that architecture, handing Washington a lasting strategic advantage over Beijing.
Research Report
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June 18, 2026
Iran as China’s “Counter-Pivot”: The Strategic Implications of Operation Epic Fury for America’s Competition with China
Certain commentators have raised the eye-catching question of whether Operation Epic Fury—the American prong of the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran—is "All About China" (Riboua, 2026). It is an arresting contention that overstates the case that Epic Fury principally aims to end the half-century of threats to the American people from the Iranian regime: from hostage-taking to IEDs maiming American soldiers in Iraq, from the sponsorship of terrorist movements across the Middle East to its arsenal of ballistic missiles and its pursuit of nuclear weapons capable of threatening the region and beyond.
Speech
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June 2, 2026
Restoring the Founders’ Vision and Promoting Civilizational Values Cross Culturally
I recently addressed how one could hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable not to Western standards of rights, but rather to standards akin to rights in the Chinese tradition, and how there is a confluence among these two traditions which enables us to speak of universal rights shared across cultures. Today I will elaborate more on that theme, with today’s talk on “Restoring the Founders’ Vision and Promoting Civilizational Values Cross Culturally.”
Op-Ed
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May 12, 2026
NC’s land is worth protecting. Let’s do it right.
North Carolina is one of the most strategically important states in America, home to a vibrant agricultural sector and unique military infrastructure. That also makes it one of the most important targets for foreign adversary activity.
Topics
- Rural Prosperity
- Farmers First
- American Land Protection
- Criminal Justice & Public Safety
- The Courts
- Trade
- Post Secondary Education
- Energy
- Environment
- Big Tech & Censorship
- Public Health
- Border & Immigration
- Asia
- Europe
- Defense
- Israel & the Middle East
- China Policy Initiative
- Marriage, Family, & Children
49
issues
Videos
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New AFPI Report: Iran Was China’s “Counter-Pivot” — And Operation Epic Fury Just Dismantled It
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Brooke Rollins and Lee Zeldin on China’s Threat to US National Security
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Combating Fentanyl - The America First Action Plan
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The America First Agenda Podcast Episode Four: The China Threat with Jack Posobiec
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Chad Wolf joined Fox and Friends to discuss threats from China and border security
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Steve Yates joined Fox Business to discuss the latest on Russia and Ukraine, China and Taiwan
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