The US-China Podcast

When President Richard M. Nixon met with Chairman Mao Zedong in Beijing in February 1972, at his side was a young U.S. diplomat serving as his principal interpreter: Chas W. Freeman, Jr. had started studying Mandarin (and Taiwan’s dialect, Minnan) in Taiwan three years earlier; and he spent much of his long diplomatic career specializing in China, including Taiwan. InInteresting Times, Ambassador Freeman brings a broad and well-informed historical perspective to his analysis of the issues that have confronted the world’s two most powerful countries over the last four decades.

Professor Karla Simon, co-director of the Center for International Social Development at Catholic University of America and an affiliated scholar at the U.S.-Asia Law Institute at New York University School of Law, discusses her most recent book, Civil Society in China: The Legal Framework from Ancient Times to the “New Reform Era.”

James Millward (Georgetown University), author most recently of The Silk Road:  A Very Short Introduction, discusses with National Committee Senior Director for Education Margot Landman the background of the Silk Road, what (other than silk) traveled along it, and its contemporary role and uses in China and Central Asia.  For those interested in further reading, Professor Millward recommends:

Peter Golden, Central Asia in World History (Oxford Univ Press, 2011)

Valerie Hansen, The Silk Road:  A New History (Oxford Univ Press, 2012)

James Millward, Eurasian Crossroads:  A History of Xinjiang (C. Hurst & Co., Ltd., 2007)

In this podcast Scott Kennedy (Indiana University) and He Fan (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) discuss with National Committee President Stephen Orlins policy recommendations based on their new report, part of their collaborative Initiative on China and Global Governance project.  Professors Kennedy and He argue that major issues, including trade, investment, finance, and climate change, can best be addressed through regional and multilateral mechanisms.

Noted cultural historian and author (including of the second edition of China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know, due out in June) Jeffrey Wasserstrom discusses challenges facing contemporary Chinese society, including corruption, energy, politics and the environment, and ways they are being addressed by China’s people and leadership. Dr. Wasserstrom, Chancellor’s Professor of History and chair of the department of history at the University of California, Irvine and editor of the Journal of Asian Studies, is interviewed by National Committee Senior Director for Education Programs Margot Landman. 

Dr. Richard Bush, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and director of its Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies, discusses recent developments in the complex U.S.-China-Taiwan relationship with National Committee President Stephen Orlins. This interview examines key regional issues based on Dr.  Bush’s recently published book, Uncharted Strait: The Future of China-Taiwan Relations. 

Over the past decades China has experienced massive urbanization: its cities are now home to 10% of the world’s population and around 50% of China's population.  In this podcast Dr. Wu Weiping, professor of urban and environmental policy and planning at Tufts University and senior fellow at the Center for Emerging Market Enterprises at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, explores the dynamism of China’s cities.

The rapid development of China’s wind-power sector has created a world-class industry with the promise to make low-carbon technology more affordable and available both in China and around the world. Author Joanna Lewis, assistant professor of science, technology and international affairs at Georgetown University, discusses the findings of her book, Green Innovation in China: China’s Wind Power Industry and the Global Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy, and ways that China’s wind power sector compliments the global quest for affordable renewable energy.    

Christine Loh, Hong Kong undersecretary for the environment and former CEO of the public policy think tank Civic Exchange, discusses environmental developments in Hong Kong, regulatory interactions with neighboring Guangdong Province and prospects for ensuring environmental sustainability for Hong Kong’s seven million residents. 

China’s policies towards the countries of the Middle East and the forces that drive their regional relations are explored by Dr. Pan Guang, vice chairman and professor of political science and history at the Shanghai Center for International Studies of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences in this program hosted by Jan Berris, vice president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. Dr. Pan is also director of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Studies Center; dean of the Center of Jewish Studies, Shanghai; and vice president of the Chinese Association of Middle East Studies.  He has conducted research and given lectures widely in North America, East Asia, Russia, Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Australia.