WASHINGTON, SEPT. 24, 2009--Dean Cheng, an expert on China's military and space capabilities, has joined The Heritage Foundation as research fellow on Chinese political and security affairs, the leading Washington think tank announced.

Cheng has written extensively on China's military doctrine, the technological implications of that nation's space program and "dual use" issues associated with its industrial and scientific infrastructure.

"Dean is a terrific addition to our Asia team," said Walter Lohman, director of Heritage's Asian Studies Center. "He brings a depth and credibility on China political security issues that will make Heritage the go-to place on a broad spectrum of China-related issues. We are thrilled to have him on board."

Cheng, 43, will specialize in China's military and foreign policy, in particular its relationship with the United States.

Cheng previously worked for 13 years as a senior analyst, first with Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), the Fortune 500 specialist in defense and homeland security, and then with the China Studies division of the Center for Naval Analyses, the federally funded research institute.

Before entering the private sector, he studied China's defense-industrial complex for a congressional agency, the Office of Technology Assessment, as an analyst in the International Security and Space Program.

Cheng has appeared on public affairs shows such as John McLaughlin's One on One and programs on National Public Radio, CNN International, BBC World Service and International Television News (ITN). He has been interviewed by or provided commentary for publications such as Time magazine, The Washington Post, Financial Times, Bloomberg News, Jane's Defense Weekly, South Korea's Chosun Ilbo and Hong Kong's South China Morning Post.

Cheng, whose research has been published widely, has spoken at the National Space Symposium, National Defense University, the Air Force Academy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Eisenhower Center for Space and Defense Studies.

Cheng earned a bachelor's degree in politics from Princeton University in 1986 and studied for a doctorate at MIT. He and his wife live in Vienna, Va.