ChinaEconTalk

ChinaEconTalk

By SupChinaBusiness
Download on the App Store

ChinaEconTalk episodes

  • Pottinger on Trump 2.0

    Matt Pottinger reported for years out of China, served as a US Marine Corps intelligence officer in Iraq and Afghanistan, and held several senior roles on Trump's NSC , concluding his time in the White House as the Deputy National Security Advisor.

    Today, Matt chairs the China Program at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

    In this interview, we discuss:

    • How Matt expects a second Trump administration’s China policy might develop.
    • Why Trump is leaning more into strategic ambiguity than Biden, what that means for deterrence, and how that impacts the likelihood of him standing by were the PRC to invade Taiwan.
    • Why bipartisan support for the US-China trade war will continue to shape the contours of great-power conflict.
    • Matt’s look at the origins and political fallout of COVID-19.
    • Plus, reflections on Mike Flynn and how Trump ran his NSC. 


      • SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER! https://www.chinatalk.media/

      Outtro music: Miles Davis, So What https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylXk1LBvIqU

      Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

      55 min
    • Is the NSC Unwell?

      Heart attacks, prostate cancer, Jake Sullivan awake for a home invasion attempt at 4 AM because he was just up working on a random Tuesday night?

      Is the national security bureaucracy in America unwell?

      To discuss, I have on today John Gans, a former Pentagon speechwriter, who’s had many, many other jobs in Washington. He is also the author of the fantastic “White House Warriors,” a history of the National Security Council.  

      We get into:

      • Why the organizational design of the NSC leads to such crushing burdens for midlevel and senior staffers
      • The kinds of high-flyers that are drawn to the national security complex and what keeps them there
      • How POTUS’s time constraints impact decision-making
      • Why NSC’s historically are excellent at spotting problems but often overeager when crafting solutions
      • The NSC’s role in America’s “forever wars.”
      • Roosevelt, Kennedy, Nixon, and Trump’s “maverick model” of running the NSC compared to the Eisenhower vision of “regular order”
      • How seemingly prosaic technological innovations like track changes and video conferencing have dramatically changed national security policymaking
      • How reading Shakespeare can improve the quality of our policy-making
      • What a better model could look like


        • Illustration from the New Yorker's recent feature on Sullivan. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/10/16/trial-by-combat

        Outtro audio from

        Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

        1 hr 43 min
      • Taiwan Election Results and Implications for Beijing

        Kharis Templeman, research fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, returns to ChinaTalk to break down the recent Taiwan elections, held on January 13.


        We discuss:

        • The lack of surprises in the election results, the subdued vibes during the campaign, and contrasts between local perspectives and foreign media narratives.
        • Why the KMT failed to win the presidency, notwithstanding voter dissatisfaction with the DPP.
        • China’s surprisingly muted response to the election, and how it may reassess its cross-Strait policies given a third DPP president.
        • The new composition of the Legislative Yuan, and the strategic position of the Taiwan People’s Party as gatekeeper.
        • Observations from Kharis’s time in Taiwan during the election season, and the gift of Taiwan’s democratic process.


          • Outro music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epwlWDCCevY

          Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

          47 min
        • How the Navy Learned to Fight

          How did the US Navy evolve over the first half of the 20th century from a bunch of unschooled violent sailors who couldn't shoot straight to the world's largest and most technologically advanced fighting force? What lessons around organizational design can we learn from this transformation?

          Trent Hone, author of Learning War and Mastering the Art of Command, joins to discuss.

          Outtro Music: A selection from Brahms' 3rd Symphony, apparently Adm. Nimitz's favorite https://open.spotify.com/track/3T9xcTbS2E3epbncsMwkNC?si=296e316488c841d5

          Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

          1 hr 53 min
        • Taiwan Election Results Rapid Reaction

          How did Lai win, what does China think, and what’s at stake for the DPP?

          ChinaTalk editor Nicholas Welch reads his latest recap of the 2024 Taiwan elections: https://www.chinatalk.media/p/taiwan-election-results-how-lai-won

          Subscribe to the newsletter! https://www.chinatalk.media

          Outro music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JV9ayVWYr8

          Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

          18 min
        • AI: Open vs Closed + NeurIPS Reflections

          Should AI be more open or closed? What does it mean to be open, anyway? And can France overtake China in AI??

          Today I'm running a crossover episode with the Retort AI, hosted by AI Ethicist Tom Gilbert and Nathan Lambert who writes the fantastic https://www.interconnects.ai/ newsletter covering technological advancements in machine learning.

          Outtro Music: Bela Fleck et al, Bahar https://open.spotify.com/track/4D1ne3QFCBtUU2xFnoTir4?si=aeef1aefc6e047c6

          Cover photo is a Midjourney a riff off of this very cool Derian portrait showing in the MET till Jan 21 https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/846896?pkgids=884

          Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

          54 min
        • PilotTalk: Cops and Journalists in PRC and Taiwan TV

          New year, new PilotTalk! Ben Smith, editor-in-chief of Semafor, joins Jordan and editor Irene to watch Chinese and Taiwanese TV shows. Ben’s favorite genre is crime and police dramas, and we cover the following new-ish releases:

          • A Date With The Future 照亮你 (2023, mainland): Romance where a firefighter falls in love with a journalist!
          • **Ordinary Greatness** 警察荣誉 (2022, mainland): Sitcom about a local police station.
          • The World Between Us 我們與惡的距離 (2019, Taiwan): Acclaimed miniseries set in the aftermath of a mass shooting, addressing media sensationalism, treatment of the mentally ill, and the death penalty.

            Outtro music: Kiss Me by Taiwanese artist Karencici https://open.spotify.com/track/7HZmJLWtISxYnoBqwx04bw?si=896165f1b52a4aa0

            Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

            51 min
          • The Pentagon's AI Implementers

            Margaret Palmieri is the Deputy Chief Digital Artificial Intelligence Officer. I had her on to dicusss:

            • Innovation vs diffusion in the DoD context
            • Data issues making her life difficult
            • How CDAO sources and tests ideas for implementing AI into different corners of the kill chain

              • Thanks to the Andrew Marshall Foundation and the Hudson Institute’s Center for Defense Concepts and Technology for bringing you this episode.

              Outtro music: SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS Andre 3k, Killer Mike, Future, Erykah Badu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU0SmxKucCw

              Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

              56 min
            • Best Chinese Music of 2023

              Jake Newby of the substack Concrete Avalanche with an end of year ChinaTalk takeover!

              Here's his accompanying year in review post https://jakenewby.substack.com/p/2023-in-review?utm_source=activity_item

              Tracklist:

              Intro: 'Lost in China' (excerpt) – Tation 天声 (self-released) This 'postmodernist rock band from Tibet' produced some of their best work to date on the remarkable Illusions of the New Era EP.

              ‘Wen’s Woozy Wrap’ – Pu Poo Platter (fRUITYSHOP) Key cut from Brooklyn-formed Chinese funk group’s debut LP.

              ‘Greedysleeper’ – A Wordless Orange 沉默橙 (Taihe) Young Wuhan group deliver soulful pop-rock on one of the year’s best albums.

              ‘Watch the Crown’ – BoomHan 包涵 (Seafood Market Records) A sample of the 17-year-old Changsha rap prodigy’s impressive flow, from his debut album Gravediggaz.

              ‘Umbrella’ (featuring J-Fever) – PO8 (Tildawn Music) Not a Rihanna cover. Chengdu rapper toys with Shanghai jazz sounds.

              ‘Rap’ – ZhiYu Xia 夏之禹 (Mintone Records) Sichuan-born rapper, dubbed ‘the Jia Zhangke of hip hop’, dissects how he fell in love with the genre.

              ‘Where’s Tommy?’ – Hualun 花伦 (bié Records) intriguing change of direction from the ambient soundtrack masters.

              ‘Specter’ – The Fallacy 疯医 (Modern Sky) Brilliant return to form from Henan post-punks enlivened by new recruit Li Zenghui, who also played sax with Black Midi earlier this year

              ‘Cliff’ – The river, Orchestration, Walkman! 河边走 (self-released) Short sharp burst of bewildering brassy brilliance from one of the best new bands to emerge in 2023.

              ‘Vanished Instant’ – A Fishy Tale 有话 (Qiii Snacks Records) Another young band with a psychedelic sound; recorded during a trip to a Zhejiang mountain village.

              ‘East Yunnan Hallucinations’ – Instinkto Industrio 本能事业 (Maybe Mars) Folksy rhythms mix with techno-dystopian lyrics on one of 2023’s most characterful records. 

              ‘Standing in the Wind’ – Zhaoze 沼泽 (self-released) Guangdong guqin-driven post-rock outfit’s new album is one of their best.

              ‘Station 2020’ – Wu Zhuoling 吴卓玲 (self-released) The leading lady of alternative Chengdu music serves up an immersive ambient tune.

              ‘The Little Assassin Who Lives Beside the Sea Becomes and Environmentalist’ – Li Daiguo 李带菓 (Beihesan) The Dali-based artist had a productive year; this beautiful number was among the highlights.

              ‘Daididau’ (excerpt) – Mamer (Old Heaven Books) A too-short taste of a 7-minute long improvised piece on traditional Kazakh instrument the sherter from musical genius Mamer.

              ‘Four Seasons’ – Hugjiltu (self-released) An emotive folk number from an album featuring ‘collaborations’ with tapes of the Mongolian musician’s late father.

              ‘Harbour for Bias’ – Louzhang 楼长 (Jyugam) An alt-ambient highlight from a strong year for this offbeat Guangdong electronic label.

              ‘Snoring in the Valley’ – Howie Lee (self-released) Quirky electronic music from the renowned producer, quietly slipped out at the start of the year.

              ‘Solaris’ – Zhang Weiwei 张玮玮 (self-released) Chinese folk grandee swaps his accordion for a synth to interesting effect on his first album in over a decade.

              ‘I Want An Earth’ – Yu Su (pinchy&friends) Title track from the celebrated producer’s impressive EP of clever, beguiling electronic sounds.

              ‘Holes of Time’ – 33EMYBW (SVBKVLT) A typically idiosyncratic slice of avant club music from one of China’s leading producers.

              ‘The Forest That Hears’ – Laughing Ears (self-released) A welcome return from one of the country’s most interesting electronic music artists.

              ‘W.C.’ (Liars remix) – otay:onii (No Gold) Acclaimed artist Angus Andrew adds a new dimension to otay:onii’s weirdness after bié Records released her third LP in March.

              ‘Ἀντὶ θεῶν’ – Ὁπλίτης (self-released) Incredible one-man-band creating blistering metal tunes examining Chinese social issues. In Greek, obviously.

              Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

              1 hr 45 min
            • ChinaTalk 2023 in Perspective

              80 episodes and 145 newsletters later, we've made it through my first year working on ChinaTalk full time. Editor Ryan Hauser hosts a review episode where we reflect on the past year, get into my production function, what I think the point of all of this is, and how I expect to evolve ChinaTalk in 2024.

              Please get in touch! I'm at [email protected]

              Here's my cause exploration essay: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/E2BghQq9pwPgtHgiH/war-between-the-us-and-china-a-case-study-for-epistemic

              Outtro music: Gurrumul, Bayini https://open.spotify.com/track/1XZ9HxC4MiMUUNQ7WKFucM?si=a40c4dfdd71c428e

              Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

              42 min

            About ChinaEconTalk

            From the publisher's feed

            A weekly conversation exploring China's economy and tech scene. Guests include a wide range of policy analysts, business professionals, journalists, and academics. A SupChina production, hosted by…