This week on the Sinica Podcast, I chat with well-known author and public intellectual Yascha Mounk about his recent fascination with China, his approach to learning about the country and learning Chinese, and his thoughts on how China fits into the current crisis of Western liberal democracy.

7:15 – Yascha’s experience of living in China and learning Chinese

12:18 – Yascha’s perspective on China’s strengths and weaknesses

20:12 – China in a global comparative perspective: Generational aspirations and demographic decline

29:45 – China’s Soft Power vs. Japan, Korea, and the U.S.

45:30 – Media narratives on China: have they shifted?

54:20 – Western Liberalism confronts China

01:07:07 – Backlash & criticism

01:11:35 - Polarization and “China as enemy” narratives

Recommendations:

Yascha: The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa (book), The Leopard (1963) (movie)

Kaiser: A Thousand Small Sanities: The Moral Adventure of Liberalism by Adam Gopnik (book)

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