Matt Brazil

Matt Brazil is a former US Army officer, diplomat, corporate security investigator, and adjunct professor of modern Chinese history. He spent most of my career in East and South Asia. He is the co-author of Chinese Communist Espionage, An Intelligence Primer. He is a contributing editor at SpyTalk.co and a Research Fellow with the China Program at The Jamestown Foundation in Washington, DC.

November 8, 2026

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Electricity Regulator and System Operator Clash Over Proposed Tariff Increase

A dispute has emerged between Sri Lanka’s electricity regulator and the National System Operator (NSO) over a proposed tariff increase for the final quarter of 2026, with the NSO insisting that improved

Sri Lanka

Port City Colombo Attracts 68 New Strategic Businesses with $167 Million in Investment Commitments

Port City Colombo has attracted 68 new businesses designated as secondary Businesses of Strategic Importance (BSIs), with declared five-year investment commitments totalling approximately US$166.87 million, according to a technical analysis of the latest gazette disclosures. The companies include entities incorporated

November 8, 2026

Sri Lankan Opposition Accuses President of Diverting Attention from Controversial Crime Bill Provisions

Judiciary/Sri Lanka

The Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) has accused President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of drawing public attention to selected provisions of the proposed Prevention of Organised

Sri Lanka Moves to Establish Trade Negotiation Committee Ahead of New FTA Talks

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is moving to establish a National Trade Negotiation Committee to prepare the groundwork for prospective Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, with preliminary

Did China Really Lose a Nuclear Submarine?

October 13, 2023

Defence

One of the challenges of reporting on China, for the media and intelligence agencies alike, is sifting through the constant river of mis- and disinformation stimulated by the habitual secrecy of the Chinese Communist

Japan’s Spy Buildup Hits Snags and Obstacles

June 29, 2023

Columns/Defence

Japan’s efforts to re-arm in response to escalating threats from China and North Korea are well-known. Less understood are controversial efforts by some in Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to reestablish

Brussels: Hideaway of Espionage

September 1, 2022

Defence/Diplomacy

Conjure up a list of cities considered world capitals of espionage. Those featured in movies and television, with their romantic atmosphere and scenery, include Vienna, Budapest, Berlin, London, Cairo, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong