The US-China Podcast

Join National Committee Senior Director for Education Programs Margot Landman as she interviews Leta Hong Fincher, a former journalist who just completed her doctorate in sociology at Tsinghua University in Beijing, about her book, 'Leftover' Women: The Resurgence of Gender Inequality in China.  Dr. Hong Fincher reflects on the campaign in place since 2007 to persuade young urban, educated Chinese women to marry by the age of 25 - or 27 or 30 at the latest - or risk being "leftover," and thus incapable of finding a suitable - or any - husband.

Join National Committee President Stephen Orlins as he explores the perils of misperception between China and the United States with Zha Daojiong, professor of international political economy at the School of International Studies of Peking University and Arthur Ross Fellow at the Asia Society in New York for the summer of 2014.

Evan Osnos, a correspondent based in Beijing for eight years, discusses his views on China’s rise and his new book, Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China, with National Committee President Stephen Orlins. 

Norton Wheeler, associate professor at Missouri Southern State University, is interviewed by National Committee Vice President Jan Berris about his new book, The Role of American NGOs in China’s Modernization:  Invited Influence.  Dr. Wheeler explores the impact of American NGOs on education, environment, fiscal policy, and civil society in China, using three case studies:  the Hopkins-Nanjing Center,  the 1990 Institute, and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

Join National Committee Senior Director for Education Programs Margot Landman as she interviews James Carter, professor of history at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, about his book, Heart of Buddha, Heart of China.  Dr. Carter reflects on renowned monk Tanxu as an individual, a Buddhist, and a nationalist whose life spanned the tremendous upheavals in China from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century.

Join Andrew Mertha (associate professor of Government at Cornell) as he discusses his new book, Brothers in Arms:  Chinese Aid to the Khmer Rouge 1975-79.    When the Khmer Rouge came to power in Cambodia in 1975, they inherited a war-ravaged and internationally isolated country. Pol Pot's government espoused of self-reliance, but Democratic Kampuchea depended on Chinese foreign aid and technical assistance. In a markedly asymmetrical relationship between a modernizing, nuclear power and a virtually pre-modern state, China was largely unable to influence Cambodian politics or policy.  

Join National Committee President Stephen Orlins as he interviews David M. Lampton, George and Sadie Hyman Professor and Director of China Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, as they discuss Lampton’s new book, Following the Leader:  Ruling China, from Deng Xiaoping to Xi Jinping.  Dr. Lampton shares his insights on the Chinese leadership, the influence of Chinese leaders after their retirements, political reform in China, and other topics.  

Professor He Weifang, preeminent legal scholar on the rule of law and judicial independence at Beijing University, discusses the status of the rule of law in China and provides his insights into the challenging path of legal reform over the last three decades.  He points out the existing problems with the current Chinese legal system and recommends constructive measures to reform the system by loosening the Party’s control of the judiciary.  Despite the many obstacles he outlines, he remains hopeful on progress for rule of law in China. 

Join National Committee President Stephen Orlins as he interviews Dr. Stephen Roach on his new book, Unbalanced: The Codependency of America and China.  They discuss tensions in the bilateral economic relationship and the potential for greater cooperation.  Dr. Roach is a senior fellow at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs and School of Management. He was formerly chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia.

Since the end of the Cold War, China and Japan have faced each other as powers of relatively equal strength for the first time in their long history. As the two great powers of East Asia, the way they both compete and cooperate with each other, and the way they conduct their relations in the new era, will play a big part in the evolution of the region as a whole.

In Sino-Japanese Relations after the Cold War: Two Tigers Sharing a Mountain, Professor Yahuda explores the ways in which politics have shaped the thinking about history and identity in both China and Japan and explains the role political leadership in each country has played in shaping their respective nationalisms.

Michael Yahuda is professor emeritus of international relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where he taught from 1973 to 2003.