CogitAsia

In this episode, we dig into China’s technology innovation efforts and explore how China has become the tech workshop of the world. To give context to China’s efforts to innovate in technology, Dr. Scott Kennedy, director of the CSIS Project on Chinese Business and Political Economy, sat down with China tech sector expert Alberto Moel – a senior research analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein, a premier investment research firm based in Hong Kong. Scott and Alberto discuss the emergence of Shenzhen as a tech capital, the rise and fall of companies in the Chinese smart phone market, key Chinese tech firms you probably haven’t heard of yet, the future of technology product development in robotics and automation, and what countries like the United States could do in response to China’s innovation drive. Hosted by Will Colson. Audio edited by Liz Mayes. Written and produced by Jeffrey Bean. https://www.csis-cips.org/To learn more, visit our China Innovation Policy Series site here:

In this episode we explore how Japan’s relations with Southeast Asia have expanded from economic engagement and development assistance to also include security collaboration and maritime capacity building. To discuss the dynamics of Japan-Southeast Asia relations, we turned to Dr. Kei Koga, a 2017 CSIS Strategic Japan Fellow, and Geoffrey Hartman, a Fellow with the CSIS Southeast Asia Program.  They analyze the recent history of Japan’s engagement in Southeast Asia, assess the benefits of Japan’s involvement in regional architecture, and extrapolate how Japan’s engagement with ASEAN countries will shape the strategic environment going forward. Hosted by Will Colson. Audio edited by Ribka Gemilangsari. Written and produced by Jeffrey Bean.        Read Dr. Koga’s working paper in the Strategic Japan series here.

This week we take a deep dive into relations between two key U.S. allies -- Japan and Australia. CSIS Strategic Japan Fellow Dr. Tomohiko Satake and CSIS Senior Adviser Andrew Shearer join to discuss the drivers for closer cooperation between Tokyo and Canberra and describe the context of their shared history. They also explain why Australia has encouraged Japan to increase its security role in the region and assess how the relationship benefits stability in the Asia Pacific during the Trump era. Hosted by Will Colson. Audio edited by Ribka Gemilangsari. Written and produced by Jeffrey Bean.   Read Dr. Satake’s working paper in the Strategic Japan series here.

In this episode, we explore India’s energy efficiency efforts. Dr. Kartikeya Singh, Deputy Director of the CSIS Wadhwani Chair, discusses some of the ways India’s state governments are saving electricity with Saurabh Kumar, Managing Director of Energy Efficiency Services Limited, or EESL.   EESL is a unique joint venture between India’s central power ministry and state-owned public services with a mandate to stand up large-scale energy efficiency projects throughout India and South Asia. Mr. Kumar shares how EESL is helping India’s states spend less on electricity, how India benefits from input from U.S. and international partners, and describes how EESL is providing longer lasting services through projects like an affordable LED bulb replacement program. Hosted by Will Colson. Audio edited by Ribka Gemilangsari. Written and produced by Jeffrey Bean.

In this episode, we look at U.S.-China relations ahead of the first summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. Longtime China hand Dr. Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Chancellor’s Professor of History at the University of California-Irvine, joins the podcast to provide a panorama on contemporary developments in China, U.S.-China relations, and China’s ties with its neighbors in Asia. Hosted by Will Colson. Audio edited by Ribka Gemilangsari. Written and produced by Jeffrey Bean. To learn more about the Trump-Xi meeting, read analysis by the CSIS Asia Program Directors here.

Ties between Washington and Manila have been on a downward trajectory since President Rodrigo Duterte took office in June 2016. In this joint podcast with the CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, we assess how these two allies will get on in the era of President Donald Trump. What about Manila’s efforts to (potentially) cozy up to Beijing and Moscow? AMTI Director Gregory Poling stops by to discuss the implications for the alliance and maritime security, fallout from Duterte’s drug war, and the decisions facing both sides. Hosted by Will Colson. Audio edited by Ribka Gemilangsari. Written and produced by Jeffrey Bean.

On March 11, Indian legislative assembly election results from five states — Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh — will be announced to the public. Nearly 240 million Indians reside in this group of states alone. Policies the newly elected state governments implement will have a significant impact on these states’ economic competitiveness as they strive to develop advantages that translate to jobs and growth.   Dr. Kartikeya Singh, Deputy Director of the CSIS Wadhwani Chair, sat down with Dr. Amit Kapoor, President and CEO of the India Council on Competitiveness, to talk about the pending elections, the connection between governance and competitiveness in India’s states, and how public and private sector partners in the United States and around the world should interpret the elections. Hosted by Will Colson. Audio edited by Liz Mayes. Written and produced by Jeffrey Bean.

Political developments in South Korea, the United States, and North Korea are all shaping up to affect the Korean Peninsula in 2017. CSIS Korea Chair Dr. Victor Cha joins to discuss President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment, the Trump administration’s Korea policy, and potential North Korean provocations on the horizon. He also shares findings from recently gathered survey data about the daily life of North Koreans and provides details about his new book, Power Play: The Origins of the American Alliance System in Asia. Hosted by Will Colson. Audio edited by Ribka Gemilangsari. Written and produced by Jeffrey Bean.

The death of longtime Thai King Bhumipol Adulyadej and the succession of his son, King Vajiralongkorn, marks the beginning of a sensitive period in Thai politics entering 2017. Murray Hiebert, Deputy Director of the CSIS Southeast Asia Program, joins the podcast to discuss the legacy of King Bhumipol, assess the status of Thai political institutions, and project what the future holds for the junta government in Thailand. Hosted by Will Colson. Audio edited by Ribka Gemilangsari. Written and produced by Jeffrey Bean.

In this episode, we focus on healthcare innovation in India. Dr. Sunil Wadhwani, founder of the WISH Foundation, sat down with CSIS Senior Fellow Richard Rossow to discuss his organization’s unique and innovative work with primary healthcare clinics in rural Rajasthan and urban Delhi. Acting as an angel investor when necessary, WISH evaluates innovations for potential and then provides rigorous field testing, constantly seeking to scale them up to effectively address India’s many challenges in primary healthcare. Hosted by Will Colson. Audio edited by Frances Burkham. Written by Sarah Watson. Produced by Jeffrey Bean.