Bush China Foundation Podcast

The year 2023 has thus far been a turbulent one for the U.S.-China relationship. An already deeply strained relationship has been rocked further by a number of significant events. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently concluded a visit to Beijing with the stated purpose of re-establishing and reinvigorating high-level contact between the two governments stemming the hemorrhaging in the bilateral relationship.  What are the prospects for the U.S.-China relationship for the remainder of 2023 and beyond? Is a materially, or even incrementally, improved relationship between the two countries possible in the foreseeable future? Joining host David Firestein is Dr. Susan Shirk, a research professor and founding chair of the 21st Century China Center at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California San Diego and author of Overreach: How China Derailed Its Peaceful Rise.

The downturn in the U.S.-China relationship and the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled sharp increases in anti-Asian rhetoric and hate crimes. Yet, data on the reality of day-to-day life in the United States for Chinese Americans have been limited. To fill this gap in knowledge, the Committee of 100 and Columbia University administered a comprehensive survey late last year to highlight the demographic backgrounds, political opinions and engagement and health and economic status of Chinese Americans.

Joining host Euhwa Tran, chief programs officer and chief of staff at the Bush China Foundation, are representatives of the two principle organizations conducting the research: Zhengyu “Z” Huang, president of the Committee of 100 and Qin Gao, associate dean for doctoral education at the Columbia University School of Social Work and the founding director of the Columbia China Center for Social Policy. 

A recent study found that 70% of young people between the ages of 16 and 25 are extremely worried or very worried about the climate. The latest assessment that the global temperature is rising faster than previously predicted has added urgency for action and radical changes. Climate and sustainability are inherently intergenerational, as we must think about our consumption and using our environment in a way that is compatible with maintaining it for future generations. What are the roles young people play to increase awareness and ensure sustainability and a better future for all? How do we foster intergenerational solidarity to create positive synergies and push forward change?

In recent years, China has moved to the center of the federal public policy agenda. Increasingly, it has become a significant topic at the state level, as well. The economic and commercial relationship between China and the state of Texas is substantial and indeed globally significant; China is among Texas’ top export destinations and sources of imports and investment and Chinese students attend Texas universities in large numbers. Despite these connections, some Texas state legislators are introducing bills aimed at immigrants and visa holders from China. One effort, discussed in this podcast, would ban Chinese immigrants from acquiring and owning real property in the state of Texas. If passed, such legislation would likely have far-reaching, and perhaps not fully understood, consequences for the state’s economy, inbound investment and the lives of the many Chinese immigrants who lawfully call Texas home. Another bill introduced after the recording of this podcast would bar Chinese immigrants from attending Texas public colleges and universities.

Joining David Firestein to explore the topic of China as a public policy issue in Texas as well as local AAPI issues is Texas State Representative Gene Wu, who represents part of Houston and is a lawyer by trade.

Last year, North Korea tested more missiles than any other year and showcased its capability to launch different types of attacks from multiple directions. Its leader Kim Jong-Un has vowed to expand its nuclear arsenal and mass produce tactical nuclear weapons targeting South Korea. In response to these provocations, the US-South Korea alliance remains strong as the core deterrent against North Korean aggression. With increasing hostile rhetoric from all sides, what are the prospects for resuming peace talks? Has the Russian war in Ukraine impacted Kim’s calculus? What are China’s role and interests on the Korean Peninsula, and how are they affected by its strategic rivalry with the U.S.?

Join host Zoe Leung, senior director of research at the Bush China Foundation and guest Seong-Hyon Lee, visiting scholar at the Harvard University Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, to discuss these important questions.

After three years of strict pandemic controls, China suddenly reversed its zero covid policy last December, as omicron spread rapidly in the country. A top Chinese epidemiologist claimed that the current wave of the outbreak has gotten 80% of the population, which is 1.1 billion people, sick. But the true impact of this wave is still a mystery as the Chinese government continues to underreport covid cases and deaths. Meanwhile, dozens of countries have maintained restrictions on travelers from China. What does China’s reopening mean for the rest of the world and its foreign relations? How do we compare mainland China’s pandemic management to Taiwan’s? Join host Zoe Leung, senior director of research at the Bush China Foundation and guest Tsung-Mei Cheng, health policy research analyst at Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs to discuss these important issues.

The recent Bali summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping underscored two things about the U.S.-China relationship as we near the end of the year 2022: first, that many of the differences between the United States and China are, in the end, irreconcilable; and second, that notwithstanding that, both sides have a stated desire to restore some level of functionality and constructiveness to this deeply strained, but vitally consequential, bilateral relationship. Prominent on the agenda for this first in-person meeting between the two presidents was the issue of Taiwan, which has been a source of significantly increased tensions in the relationship between the United States and China in recent years and months. Joining host David Firestein to discuss these important topics is guest Dr. Robert Wang, senior associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies and adjunct professor at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.

The issue of human rights has long been one of the thorniest issues in the U.S.-China relationship. Both countries publish annual reports lambasting the perceived human rights violations of the other country, and U.S. condemnation of Chinese policies in Xinjiang affecting the Uyghur population routinely dominate media headlines as well as the attention of policymakers in both countries. But one human rights issue to which little attention is paid by either country, relatively speaking, is the illicit massage business in the United States, an industry whose trafficking victims are nearly all of Chinese descent. Why are these victims primarily all Chinese, who are the operators of these businesses and who are the clients? What can be done to combat these illegal activities? And specifically, what can the United States and China do to stop human trafficking and support current victims?

Host Euhwa Tran, chief program officer and chief of staff at the Bush China Foundation, is joined by Chris Muller-Tabanera, chief strategy officer at The Network to explore these questions.  

The Network is an intelligence-driven counter-human trafficking organization. Mr. Muller-Tabanera leads The Network’s efforts to defeat traffickers by learning how their business works, identifying their vulnerabilities, creating risk, and then strategically disrupting it. He speaks and writes extensively about the illicit massage industry, is featured in numerous articles on the issue and is a contributing author for the book, The Historical Roots of Human Trafficking: Informing Primary Prevention of Commercialized Violence.

Every so often on our podcast series we slightly depart from issues within the strict U.S.-China geopolitical context to examine subjects that are indirectly affected. This is just such an episode, where we will speak about the necessity of diversity and community inclusion in both technological advancements, but also in strengthening our nation against what divides us. As we have seen acutely in the past few years, attacks and hate toward the AAPI community have become more widespread. What can we do to diffuse tensions in our communities? How can technology help different communities come together? Host Leslie Tisdale Reagan is joined by YJ Lin, senior program manager at Dell for Startups Strategic Partnerships, to answer these questions.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has not only elevated the risk of a nuclear conflict but also led to some rethinking about the role of nuclear weapons in international affairs. Even before the war, weapon development in North Korea and the breakdown of negotiations with Iran already set back progress in arms control. Meanwhile, China is rapidly expanding and modernizing its nuclear arsenal alongside the rest of its military, prompting warnings of a potential arms race in the Pacific. How should we think about the role of nuclear weapons in the Asia-Pacific and the threats that they cause? What are the implications of a potential nuclear competition between the United States and China?