The US-China Podcast

As tensions continue to rise between the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan, analysts and officials warn of a growing risk of military conflict, which could potentially draw in the United States. How worried should we be about a war in the Taiwan Strait?

Scott L. Kastner sheds new light on the prospects for cross-strait military conflict in his new book, War and Peace in the Taiwan Strait. He examines several key regional trends that have complex implications for stability, including deepening economic integration, the shifting balance of military power, uncertainty about the future of U.S. commitment, and domestic political changes in both the PRC and Taiwan. While the risks of conflict are real, they should not be exaggerated.

In an interview conducted by Jessica Chen Weiss on January 11, 2023, Scott Kastner argues that several distinct pathways could lead to the breakout of hostilities, yet war is not inevitable.

0:00-2:05 Introductions 

2:05-7:45 Background on Taiwan

7:45-14:42 How can we avoid conflict while navigating U.S.-China relations?

14:42-20:08 The possibility of unification 

20:08-25:00 What are Beijing’s challenges?

25:00-28:54 What is the future of Taiwan?

28:54-Avoiding tragedy

About the speakers: https://www.ncuscr.org/event/war-and-peace-taiwan-strait/

Find the transcript to this conversation here

Follow Jessica Chen Wiess on Twitter: @jessicacweiss

Subscribe to the National Committee on YouTube for video of this interview. Follow us on Twitter (@ncuscr) and Instagram (@ncuscr).

The growth of markets and consumerism in China’s post-Mao era of political and economic reform is familiar. The Mao period (1949–1976), by contrast, a time of scarcity, appears to have had little material culture. In reality, people attributed great meaning to materials and objects, often precisely because they were rare, expensive, and difficult to obtain. Material Contradictions in Mao’s China, essays on art, cinema, culture, performance, and more, explores the paradox of material culture under Chinese Communist Party rule and illustrates how central material culture was to social and economic construction of the country and to projections of a socialist utopia within reach of every person, if only they worked hard enough.

In an interview conducted on December 9, 2022, Material Contradictions co-editors Jennifer Altehenger and Denise Ho, in conversation with Philip Tinari, discuss the significance of physical objects during the Mao period.

0:00-2:22 Introductions 

2:22-8:27 Material Contradictions Under Mao

8:27- 17:28 Objects, scarcity, and abundance

17:28-25:45 The political and the commodity

25:45- Agency in consumerism

About the speaker: https://www.ncuscr.org/event/material-culture-maos-china/

Follow Philip Tinati on Twitter: @philiptinari

Subscribe to the National Committee on YouTube for video of this interview. Follow us on Twitter (@ncuscr) and Instagram (@ncuscr).

Stephen Roach’s new book, Accidental Conflict: America, China, and the Clash of False Narratives, examines the ominous trajectory of conflict escalation between the United States and China and offers suggestions for resolution. In just four years, two countries have entered a trade war, a tech war, and perhaps a new Cold War. This conflict between the world’s two most powerful nations would not have happened but for an unnecessary clash of false narratives. The United States falsely blames its trade and technology threats on China yet overlooks its shaky saving foundation. China falsely blames its growth challenges on America’s alleged containment of market-based socialism, ignoring its failed economic rebalancing.

In an interview conducted on December 19, 2022, Stephen Roach argues that much of the rhetoric on both sides is dangerously misguided, more a reflection of each nation’s fears and vulnerabilities than a reasonable assessment of the risks they face.

0:00-3:35 U.S.-China uncomfortable codependency

3:35-10:23 False narratives of technology and IP theft

10:23-17:36 Bipartisan rhetoric and economics

17:36-23:48 the trajectory of U.S.-China trade

23:48-26:15 Does China need the U.S.?

26:15-30:35 Economic competition

30:35-Conflict resolutions

About the speaker: https://www.ncuscr.org/event/us-china-false-narratives/

Follow Stephen Roach on Twitter: @SRoach_econ

Subscribe to the National Committee on YouTube for video of this interview. Follow us on Twitter (@ncuscr) and Instagram (@ncuscr).

Former Ambassador to China, Russia, and Singapore Jon M. Huntsman Jr. was the featured speaker for CHINA Town Hall 2022, a national conversation on how the U.S.-China relationship affects our communities. From supply chains to national security, new technologies to climate change, the future of both countries will be determined by their relations with one another and the global community.

The National Committee held a nationwide virtual conversation on Wednesday, November 16 at 7:00 p.m. EST, including Q&A, with a leading authority on foreign policy. As one of few Americans to personally know Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, Ambassador Huntsman discussed the ways America can cooperate and compete with China, as both countries confront the most critical issues of the 21st century.

About the speaker: https://www.ncuscr.org/event/cth-2022-jon-huntsman/

Subscribe to the National Committee on YouTube for video of this interview. Follow us on Twitter (@ncuscr) and Instagram (@ncuscr).

For much of 2022, the entire planet has been struggling to cope with extreme weather events, ranging from brutal heatwaves and severe droughts in some regions to record rainfall and catastrophic flooding in others.

Despite this, in early August, Beijing suspended ongoing U.S.-China talks on climate change in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. While some climate experts have argued that what matters most in the fight to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is for the United States and China to take action domestically, the suspension of talks represents a shift in the effort to shield the climate agenda from geopolitics and has implications for the ability of each country, and the world, to meet essential reduction targets.

In conversation with Alex Wang on November 1, 2022, Michael Davidson and Joanna Lewis discuss the significance of the downturn in U.S.-China relations on multilateral climate action.

2:22 How will U.S.-China tensions affect COP27?

6:24 How important is U.S.-China cooperation to global climate action?

9:18 Can the U.S. and China cooperate after COP27?

15:00 Will U.S.-China competition benefit or harm climate action efforts?

25:30 How can the U.S. support domestic climate action initiatives?

30:38 Why is energy security so important?

About the speakers: https://www.ncuscr.org/event/us-china-climate-action/ 

Follow Michael Davidson on Twitter:  @east_winds

Follow Joanna Lewis on Twitter: @JoannaILewis

Follow Alex Wang on Twitter: @greenlawchina

Subscribe to the National Committee on YouTube for video of this interview. Follow us on Twitter (@ncuscr) and Instagram (@ncuscr).

In Trafficking Data, Aynne Kokas examines how technology firms in the two largest economies in the world, the United States and China, exploit government policy (and the lack thereof) to gather information on citizens, putting American national security at risk. She argues that U.S. government leadership failures, Silicon Valley’s disruption preoccupation, and Wall Street’s addiction to growth have fueled China’s technological gold rush. Drawing on extensive fieldwork in the two countries and numerous corporate and policy documents, Trafficking Data explains how China is fast becoming the global leader in internet governance and policy, and thus of the data that defines our public and private lives.

In an interview conducted on October 11, 2022, Aynne Kokas, in conversation with Silvia Lindtner, argues that American complacency provides Chinese firms the opportunity to gather data in the United States and send it back to China, and by extension, to the Chinese government.

0:00 Introductions

2:04 China’s technological advances and geopolitical power

9:08 United States and China as digitized nations

16:38 Population biometric data and Zero-COVID

20:38 Can data science map Chinese society during the COVID-19 pandemic?

About the speakers: https://www.ncuscr.org/event/trafficking-data-china/

Follow Aynne Kokas on Twitter: @AynneKokas

Follow Silvia Lindtner on Twitter: @yunnia

Subscribe to the National Committee on YouTube for video of this interview. Follow us on Twitter (@ncuscr) and Instagram (@ncuscr).

In the wake of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s high profile visit to Taiwan in August, public focus on the island has reached a crescendo as Chinese military maneuvers and government rhetoric continue to escalate. How has Taiwan dealt with the increased volatility? How has the war in Ukraine affected China’s decision-making going forward? Are Taiwan’s global economic ties and critical role in technology supply chains strong enough to help deter a wider conflict? Most importantly, what does it all mean for ordinary Taiwanese?

In a conversation moderated by Sara Newland on October 12, 2022, leading Taiwan experts Jessica Drun and Lev Nachman explore Taiwan’s complex dynamics and implications for the United States and the U.S.-China relationship.

2:07 How did Taiwanese respond to Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit?

9:53 Is the war in Ukraine shifting behavior in Taiwan?

14:08 What's happening with the Taiwanese elections in 2022 and 2024?

18:23 What is the future of the KMT?

22:21 How has Taiwan capitalized on recent soft power wins?

26:38 What should people know about Taiwan?

About the speakers: https://www.ncuscr.org/event/taiwan-complex-hotspot/

Follow Jessica Drun on Twitter: @jessicadrun

Follow Lev Nachman on Twitter: @lnachman32

Follow Sara Newland on Twitter: @NewlandSara

Subscribe to the National Committee on YouTube for video of this interview. Follow us on Twitter (@ncuscr) and Instagram (@ncuscr).

For several decades after “reform and opening” began in 1978, China’s leaders adopted a restrained approach to foreign policy, assuring the world of its peaceful intentions. Then, as Susan Shirk argues in her latest book, Overreach: How China Derailed its Peaceful Rise, China went from fragile superpower to global heavyweight, threatening Taiwan and its neighbors in the South China Sea, tightening its grip on Hong Kong, and openly challenging the United States for preeminence economically, technologically, and militarily.

In an interview conducted on October 13, 2022, Susan Shirk urges the United States and other countries to respond to China’s overreach with restraint. Understanding the domestic roots of China’s actions will enable the world to avoid the mistakes that could lead to war.

0:00 Introduction

6:05 How is China responding to changes in society?

11:13 The relationship between Beijing, Taiwan, and overseas

18:17 Confucius Institutes as symbols

19:53 Xi Jinping, popularity, and Zero-COVID

26:20 U.S. position on China

About the speaker: https://www.ncuscr.org/event/china-rise-overreach/

Follow Susan Shirk on Twitter: @SusanShirk1

Subscribe to the National Committee on YouTube for video of this interview. Follow us on Twitter (@ncuscr) and Instagram (@ncuscr).

Semiconductors have become a critical policy issue around the world, making news because of their importance for everything from cellphones to nuclear weapons, as supply chain bottlenecks and political confrontations drive up scarcity and price. Global companies like TSMC and Huawei face difficult operating landscapes as they seek greater regulatory harmonization and clarity. What role do semiconductors play in the relationships among the United States, China, and Taiwan?

Technology policy expert Paul Triolo joined National Committee President Stephen Orlins for an interview conducted on September 30, 2022, to examine the complex geopolitical tensions surrounding the global semiconductor industry, its role in the U.S.-China relationship, and potential ways forward for the United States and China.

0:00 Introduction

1:43 Why are semiconductors important?

4:44 Will China's semiconductor industry succeed?

9:36 U.S. response and dependence on Taiwan

16:09 Is the CHIPS Act good policy?

20:24 Restrictions, competition, and supply chain

About the speaker: https://www.ncuscr.org/event/semiconductors-us-china-relations/

Follow Paul Triolo on Twitter: @pstAsiatech

Subscribe to the National Committee on YouTube for video of this interview. Follow us on Twitter (@ncuscr) and Instagram (@ncuscr).

For decades Americans have described China as a rising power. That description no longer fits: China has already risen. What does this mean for the U.S.-China relationship, for the global economy, and for international security? Covering security, economics, military development, climate change, public health, science and technology, education, and Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Xinjiang, the essays in The China Questions 2 look at key sites of friction and potential areas for collaboration.

In an interview conducted on September 21, 2022, China Questions 2 co-editors Maria Adele Carrai and Michael Szonyi argue that we are not facing Cold War 2.0, but rather a complex mix of conflict, competition, and cooperation that must be understood in the domestic realities of the United States and China, as well as the international context.

0:00-2:51 Introduction

2:51-10 Key questions and accessibility 

10:00-15:13 Chinese constructive engagement 

15:13-20:12 U.S. economic involvement and revisionist powers

20:13-24:07 Has constructive engagement failed?

24:07-36:11The China Questions 2

About the speakers: 

https://www.ncuscr.org/event/china-questions-2/

Follow Maria Adele Carrai on Twitter: @adele_carrai

Follow Michael Szonyi on Twitter: @MichaelSzonyi

Subscribe to the National Committee on YouTube for video of this interview. Follow us on Twitter (@ncuscr) and Instagram (@ncuscr).