ChinaPower

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, we are joined by Ilaria Mazzocco to discuss China’s booming automotive industry. Ilaria explains that the Chinese government’s support for the industry plays a big role in its rapid developments. She also unpacks the growing popularity of Chinese-manufactured vehicles and Chinese car brands. Finally, Ilaria highlights the need for the United States and the European Commission to provide incentives for their companies to be more innovative to compete with the Chinese auto industry.

Dr. Ilaria Mazzocco is a senior fellow with the Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics at CSIS. Prior to joining CSIS, she was a senior research associate at the Paulson Institute, where she led research on Chinese climate and energy policy for Macropolo, the institute’s think tank. She holds a PhD from the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where her dissertation investigated Chinese industrial policy by focusing on electric vehicle promotion efforts and the role of local governments.

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, we are joined by Ian Johnson to discuss his new book Sparks: China’s Underground Historians and Their Battle for the Future, which sheds light on China’s dissident journals and historians. Ian explains that Xi Jinping has made shaping narratives of history one of his signature priorities. He further explains how underground historians are still fighting to control the understanding of Chinese history and, with time, could shape the future trajectory of their country. Johnson urges Western intellectuals to engage with these Chinese historians and to understand the diversity of views within China.

Ian Johnson is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and is an expert on Chinese politics, society, and religion. He has lived more than twenty years in China as a student, journalist, and teacher. His work appears regularly in The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, and other publications, and for five years he was on the editorial board of The Journal of Asian Studies.  

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, we are joined by David Logan and Phil Saunders, who’ve recently co-authored a new report titled Discerning the Drivers of China’s Nuclear Force Development: Models, Indicators, and Data. They lay out the six models developed in the report and explain which models are the most compelling for explaining China’s behavior. Dr. Logan dives into the expansion in size, structure, and capabilities of China’s nuclear stockpile in the last 10 years but highlights the fact that there has been no official announcement on China’s reasoning for this build-up. In the context of this expansion, Dr. Saunders points out that China is showing signs that its nuclear strategy could be shifting, and he notes that the prospects of strategic arms control have become more complicated.

Dr. David Logan is an Assistant Professor of Security Studies at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He previously taught in the National Security Affairs Department at the Naval War College and conducted research for the Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs at the National Defense University, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and the Office of Net Assessment. His research focuses on nuclear weapons, arms control, deterrence, and the U.S.-China security relationship.

Dr. Phil Saunders is Director of the Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs at the National Defense University. He previously worked at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, where he served as Director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program and taught courses on Chinese politics, Chinese foreign policy, and East Asian security. He has conducted research and consulted on East Asian security issues, as well as Asia policy issues.

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, we are joined by Eric Huang and Fei-fan Lin. Representing the Kuomintang (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) respectively, they share their views on the upcoming 2024 Taiwan presidential election and Vice President Lai’s recent U.S. transit. They shed insight on the political agendas of the two parties and speak to approaches the candidates may take on cross-Strait relations. Both guests highlight the basis for a dialogue with China that each candidate proposes and provide the audience with pointers of what to pay attention to as the elections approach. 

Eric Huang is currently a Mason Fellow at Harvard University, where he is pursing a masters in Public Administration. Previously, he served as the Spokesperson for the KMT and then as Deputy Director of the International Affairs Department. He was appointed as the KMT Deputy Representative in the United States and was an adjunct lecturer at Taiwan’s Tamkang University. Eric received his master’s degree in International Political Economy at the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and was a visiting fellow at CSIS earlier this year.

Fei-fan Lin is a board member of the New Frontier Foundation, the official think tank of the DPP in Taiwan. He was a student activist who led the Sunflower Movement in 2014 and joined the DPP as the party’s Deputy Secretary-General in 2019. He received his master’s degree in Political Science from National Taiwan University and was also a visiting fellow at CSIS earlier this year.

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, we are joined by Dr. Vanda Felbab-Brown to discuss China’s role in the fentanyl epidemic. Dr. Felbab-Brown explains that the fentanyl crisis is not just confined to the U.S. but has spread throughout North America as well as the rest of the globe. She unpacks the Chinese government’s approach to this issue and the conflicts it faces with trafficking networks. Moving forward, Dr. Felbab-Brown underscores the opportunity for the United States to engage with other countries to tackle this problem collaboratively. 

Dr. Vanda Felbab-Brown is a senior fellow in the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution. She is the director of the Initiative on Nonstate Armed Actors and acted as a senior advisor to the congressionally-mandated Afghanistan Peace Process Study Group. Dr. Felbab-Brown is an expert on international and internal conflicts and nontraditional security threats, including insurgency, organized crime, urban violence, and illicit economies.  

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, we are joined by Dr. Pete Connolly to discuss China’s activities in the Pacific Islands, specifically Melanesia. Dr. Connolly explains that through his field research, he observed a shift in Chinese engagement in Melanesia between 2017 and 2022, indicating the strategic importance that China attaches to region. He unpacks major Chinese political and economic efforts in Melanesia and argues that they have had a strong impact on the region. Moving forward, Dr. Connolly predicts growing PRC activity and influence in Melanesia.

Pete Connolly is an expert in security, strategy, and international relations with 36 years of experience in the Australian Defence Force and a PhD in international, political, and strategic studies. His dissertation analyzed change in China’s statecraft in the Pacific Islands from 2017 and local responses to it. His analysis connects extensive on-the-ground research in Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji with China’s strategic interests. As a military officer he led multidisciplinary teams in planning, analysis, engagement, and research in Defence, the Pentagon, and coalition operations.

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, we are joined by Professor Meg Rithmire to discuss U.S.-China economic relations and Secretary Janet Yellen’s recent visit to Beijing. Professor Rithmire explains that the main goal of Secretary Yellen’s visit was to convey the United States’ willingness to discuss difficult issues with Beijing and that the United States does not seek to contain or decouple with China. She explains China’s internal economic challenges and details that, in China’s perspective, its economic challenges can be tied to U.S. trade restrictions. The future of U.S.-China economic relations is still fragile and a long way from stable, Professor Rithmire argues, but both sides are attempting to make improvements by having more frequent meetings. 

Professor Meg Rithmire is an associate professor in the Business, Government, International Economy Unit at the Harvard Business School. She is also a faculty associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, the Fairbank Center for East Asian Studies at Harvard, and the Harvard Faculty Committee on Southeast Asia. Professor Rithmire’s primary expertise is in the comparative political economy development with a focus on China and Asia. Her work focuses on China’s role in the world, including Chinese outward investment and lending practices and economic relations between China and other countries, especially the United States. 

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, we are joined by Dr. Edward Parker to discuss China’s advancement in quantum technologies. Dr. Parker explains that China is emerging as a leader in quantum technology and has underscored it as a “strategic priority.” Dr. Parker also reveals that China is heavily invested in quantum communications, whereas the U.S. is more focused on quantum computing and quantum sensing. In the context of U.S.-China competition going forward, Dr. Parker notes that broad export controls on quantum technologies run a risk of slowing down scientific progress.  

Dr. Edward Parker is a physical scientist at the RAND Corporation. He is broadly interested in the societal impact of disruptive technologies, and his current research focuses on emerging quantum technologies, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. He has served as a peer reviewer for the physics journals Quantum Science and Technology, the European Journal of Physics, and Physica A. Dr. Parker’s recent report on emerging quantum technologies can be found online here.  

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, we are joined by Professor Xin Qiang and Professor Dennis Wilder to discuss how the U.S. and China could manage potential crises from elevated military activities. Both speakers emphasize that tensions between the U.S. and China are at a new high due to increased levels of strategic competition and neither side is well-prepared to handle a military collision or accident. Professor Wilder explains quiet diplomacy is critical for managing crises and cultural differences between the U.S. and China should always be considered in order to prevent miscommunication. Professor Xin notes that U.S. military activity to challenge normal Chinese military exercises are viewed differently than U.S. activities to challenge PRC activities aimed at countering “sensitive” U.S. or Taiwan activities. The latter would be viewed as much more hostile by the Chinese side. On an ending note, they both agree that the establishment of communication channels are essential to de-escalate potential future crises. 

Xin Qiang is the Inaugural Director of the Center for Taiwan Studies and Deputy Director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University. He is currently a visiting fellow at Paul Tsai China Center, Yale Law School and conducting research on how to manage turbulent Taiwan issue amid intensifying US-China Strategic Competition. 

Dennis Wilder is a Professor and Senior Fellow for the Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues at Georgetown University, where he previously served as the managing director. Prior to this, he served as the Deputy Assistant Director for East Asia and the Pacific for the Central Intelligence Agency from 2015 to 2016. He also was the Director for China as well as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for East Asian Affairs at the National Security Council.  

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, we are joined by Dr. Michael J. Green to discuss U.S.-China competition for influence in the Pacific Islands and broader Indo-Pacific region following President Biden’s trip to Asia. Dr. Green begins with an overview of countries’ expectations ahead of Biden’s trip. Despite Biden’s shortened trip, the trip was still substantive, maintains Dr. Green, with major breakthroughs and agreements struck. He highlights the varying attitudes and approaches G7 countries have towards China and describes the difference between decoupling and de-risking. Lastly, Dr. Green reveals that the People’s Liberation Army’s recent actions have been damaging to its overall grand strategy.  

Dr. Michael J. Green is Chief Executive Officer at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. Previously he was Senior Vice President for Asia, Japan Chair, and Henry A. Kissinger Chair at CSIS and director of Asian Studies and Chair in Modern and Contemporary Japanese Politics and Foreign Policy at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He also served on the staff of the National Security Council from 2001 through 2005, first as director for Asian affairs with responsibility for Japan, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, and then as special assistant to the president for national security affairs and senior director for Asia, with responsibility for East Asia and South Asia.