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 remai...

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...

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 youn...

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 i...

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 resu...

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 fro...

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. Pr...

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...

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 ...

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 ...