Ben Bland

Many say this was a terrible penalty. But that's hindsight bias & overlooks Kelleher's role. If he'd dived either way, people would have said it was a cool, confident penalty. If you watch view from behind, Kelleher feints a dive to lure Le Fée into striking the ball centrally.

China presents an intelligence challenge of unprecedented scale and ambition. It is not only the world’s largest authoritarian regime but an economic and technological superpower, writes @benjaminbland for @ChathamHouse. chathamhouse.org/2025/10/china-…

🔟 How can the UK better 'join the dots' across its bilateral relationships and other interactions in the #IndoPacific? 🇬🇧🌏 @ChathamHouse experts @benjaminbland, @LivJOSullivan and @Chietigj explain all in their July publication ⬇️ chathamhouse.org/2025/07/why-in…

Good piece by our South Asia watcher @Chietigj on a difficult foreign policy year for Narendra Modi and why India’s cherished strategic autonomy can sometimes look more like strategic aloofness foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/26/ind…

My recent @ChathamHouse piece calling for closer Europe-Taiwan cooperation is cited here: theguardian.com/world/2025/nov…

Free, human-generated advice for people using generative AI to draft basic work emails: 1) Don't do it. 2) If you do, remove the ChatGPT wording "Of course, here's a draft email you can send" before you send the email.

I'm pleased to have been elected to the board of @BeesUnited, which is the only fan group in the Premier League with a seat on the main board of its club. Hoping to do my bit to preserve the history and heritage of the mighty but humble Brentford FC. beesunited.org.uk/meet-the-team/

Had a good discussion about Donald Trump's trip to Asia and the wider geopolitical implications on the Battle Lines podcast with my (very) former employer The @Telegraph. Thanks @venetiarainey shows.acast.com/battle-lines-i…

China presents an intelligence challenge of unprecedented scale and ambition. It is not only the world’s largest authoritarian regime but an economic and technological superpower, writes @benjaminbland for @ChathamHouse. chathamhouse.org/2025/10/china-…

With US leadership in doubt, can its allies chart their own course? If 🇺🇸 allies in Europe and the #IndoPacific fail to do more together, they will not have the resources or scale to thrive in these uncertain times, writes @benjaminbland for @NPR. npr.org/2025/10/07/nx-…

The UK needs to do more to tackle the very real threat of Chinese espionage, infiltration and influence operations. It should pool expertise and resources with key partners in Europe & Asia to expand public awareness about China, writes @benjaminbland. chathamhouse.org/2025/10/china-…

While we are often caught up in news-cycles looking for the “next big story”, it is helpful to let the dust settle and examine at an important development through the benefit of hindsight. I do so in two interviews for the @abcnews ‘Rear Vision’ podcast and @dgquarterly magazine, discussing the recent reset in #China-#India relations and deterioration in the India-#Pakistan relationship, respectively. Listen here and read in the comments: @ChathamHouse, @CHAsiaPacific abc.net.au/listen/program…

The alleged China espionage case currently roiling Westminster should be a wake-up call for the UK to take a much more concerted approach toward understanding China, and the risks it presents, I argue in my latest @ChathamHouse commentary chathamhouse.org/2025/10/china-…

While all countries spy on and seek to influence each other, China presents an intelligence challenge of unprecedented scale and ambition. Read @benjaminbland's (@CHAsiaPacific) latest analysis for Chatham House⤵️ chathamhouse.org/2025/10/china-…

🚨Last chance to register for tomorrow's webinar with @Sinostrategy, Yi-Chieh Chen @ISDP_Sweden, @benjaminbland & @JKynge to discuss what Europe & Taiwan can learn from each other to navigate shared challenges amid ⬆️ China–US competition. Register now!👇 chathamhouse.org/events/all/res…

From chips to #USChina tensions: How can Taiwan & Europe work together to manage shared challenges? Join our webinar: 🔹Alexander Huang @Sinostrategy 🔹Yi-Chieh Chen @ISDP_Sweden 🔹@benjaminbland 🔹Chair: @JKynge 📅 16 Oct ⏰ 09:45 BST 📍 Online 🔗chathamhouse.org/events/all/res…