China Unscripted

Chinese hospitals are filling up, and the Chinese government is claiming these are just seasonal illnesses.But they seem a lot worse than usual, leading some to question the official narrative. In this just us episode of China Unscripted, we discuss whether what's spreading is just seasonal or if there's something more going on, the challenges of reshoring American manufacturing, and the scourge of China's pandas.

The Chinese Communist Party is on shaky ground already. And if the US and its allies would stop propping the regime up, it could collapse in short order. In this episode of China Unscripted, we discuss US policy on China, the latest in China's depraved organ transplant system, and China's intimidation tactics in the US. Joining us in this episode is Piero Tozzi, a lawyer and the Staff Director of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. Before that he was the Republican Staff Director for the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.

The Philippines has been on the front lines of fighting against China's political, economic and military warfare, and it's come up with some pretty clever tactics to fight back. One of its most brilliant strategies is called Angels of the Sea, which we discuss in this episode of China Unscripted, along with the history of China's claims to the Philippines' territory, the US role in the conflict and how things are changing in the region. Joining us in this episode is David Day, the chairman of the Global Risk Mitigation Foundation, and one of the leading international legal practitioners on the Indopacific region, including the Philippines.

The Chinese government is desperately trying to stop a recession, or at least slow it down so it doesn't result in societal collapse, but it's going about it in very shortsighted ways. In this just us episode of China Unscripted we discuss the economy, China's panda diplomacy, and the Biden-Xi meeting at APEC.

China has been preparing for war in the Americas by creating a network of authoritarian states and building infrastructure that could be used for civilian and military purposes. In this episode of China Unscripted, we talk about China's plan for Latin America, how the Chinese Communist Party is behind the drug trade that's fueling America's opioid epidemic, and how Chinese bankers are bankrolling the drug trade. Joining us in this episode is Joseph Humire, the executive director of the DC-based think tank Center for a Secure Free Society and a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation.

From the outside, Russia and China seem to be close allies, especially after Russia started its war in Ukraine. But behind the exchanges of friendship necklaces and promises of a "no limits" friendship between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, there's a lot of bitterness between the two countries. In this episode of China Unscripted, we discuss China and Russia's border disputes, whether the US could forge an alliance with Russia against China, and how to keep China from taking over international institutions.

There's been a lot of talk about how big and modern China's military has become, and it's true that in terms of size and and technology, it's improved significantly over the last few decades. But there's a human factor that has to be taken into account when talking about China's ability to win a war, and that could be China's biggest weakness. In this episode of China Unscripted, we discuss one big weakness of Chinese soldiers, how we're already in Cold War 2.0, and how to combat the popularity of communism. Joining us in this episode is Professor Madhav Das Nalapat, the vice chair of the Manipal Advanced Research Group, and the author of the new book "Cold War 2.0: Illusion Versus Reality."

China has been playing a bigger and bigger role in the Middle East, which for the time being, has been a boost for its energy security. But there are fires on the horizon that China might not be able to be able to put out that could permanently sour the relationship. In this episode of China Unscripted, we discuss China's strategy in the Middle East, it's alliance with Iran in defiance of the US, and the trouble China's already facing in the region. Joining us in this episode is Jonathan Cristol, a professor of international affairs at Yeshiva University in New York City and author of "The United States and the Taliban before and after 9/11."

China has vowed to take control of Taiwan, an independent democratic country about 70 miles from its coast. But that's not all China wants. China is seeking world domination, and Taiwan is just the start. In this episode of China Unscripted, we discuss how Taiwan could be the first domino in China's quest for domination in space as well, how Japan's islands could be next, and why China's exploration of the moon could determine its dominance on earth. Joining us in this episode of Rick Fisher, Jr., a weapons expert, a Senior Fellow with the International Assessment and Strategy Center, and author of the book "China's Military Modernization: Building for Regional and Global Reach."

The Chinese Communist Party has been waging war against the US since it came to power in 1949. Part of the problem with the US response is that it doesn't see itself as being at war with China. In this episode of China Unscripted, we discuss China's smokeless war against the US, how China could cripple the US with the press of a button, and how the US can fight back. Joining us in this episode is Bill Holstein, co-author of the new book “Battlefield Cyber: How China and Russia are Undermining Our Democracy and National Security.”