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In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Ambassador Kurt Tong joins new host Bonny Lin to discuss China’s approach toward Hong Kong. Ambassador Tong describes how the Hong Kong citizenry has responded to China’s recent policies in the city. He argues that Beijing initially prioritized tolerance toward Hong Kong when implementing its “One Country, Two Systems” policy; however, such tolerance has recently declined. Ambassador Tong also explains how China’s foreign relations impact its policies toward Hong Kong. In addition, Ambassador Tong provides predictions for the future of the China-Hong Kong relationship and compares Beijing’s past and current goals in the city. Lastly, he analyzes the Biden administration’s responses to the current situation in Hong Kong and provides recommendations for the administration’s Hong Kong-related policies in the future.Ambassador Kurt Tong is a Partner and member of the Executive Committee at The Asia Group, where he leads the firm’s work in Japan and Hong Kong, and on East Asia regional policy matters. Prior to joining The Asia Group, Ambassador Tong served as Consul General and Chief of Mission in Hong Kong and Macau, leading U.S. political and economic engagement with that important free trade hub. Prior to that role, he served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs at the State Department from 2014 to 2016, guiding the Department’s institutional strengthening efforts as its most senior career diplomat handling economic affairs.

This special "best of ChinaPower" episode explores China’s efforts to integrate its military and civilian sectors to support its military development and broader national security agenda. Our guest, Mr. Greg Levesque, discusses how Military-Civil Fusion (MCF) fits into China’s grand strategy and evaluates how effectively it has implemented the program to date. Levesque also weighs the risks and rewards of MCF in Beijing’s strategic calculus, and offers a path for how the US and its allies can respond to the growing nexus between military and civil development in China.Greg Levesque is co-founder and CEO of Strider, a technology company enabling organizations to combat intellectual property theft and supply chain vulnerabilities outside of the cyber domain. Greg has advised and supported Fortune 500 companies as well as US and European government agencies on matters of economic statecraft, particularly around China.This episode was first released on May 5, 2020. Listeners can find Bonnie Glaser's new work with her China Global podcast.

This special "best of ChinaPower" episode examines the trajectory of Chinese military developments and national strategy, as well as key findings of the 2020 Department of Defense (DoD) annual report to Congress entitled Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China. Our guest, Mr. Chad Sbragia, then-Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China, discusses a wide range of topics, including China’s capacity to launch an amphibious assault on Taiwan, China’s nuclear strategy, and the Belt and Road Initiative. Mr. Sbragia also highlights the growing alignment between the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and China’s broader national strategy, and he explores the implication of PLA modernization for stability and crisis prevention in the coming years. Mr. Chad Sbragia is the Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs within the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 2019-2021. In this capacity, he was responsible for advising senior leadership within the Department of Defense on all policy matters pertaining to the development and implementation of defense strategies, plans, policies, and bilateral security relations for China. This episode was first released on September 22, 2020. Listeners can find Bonnie Glaser's new work with her China Global podcast. 

This special "best of ChinaPower" episode unpacks China’s push to develop a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). Our guest, Dr. Kevin Desouza, explains Beijing's motives and compares China’s plans for creating its own national digital currency with those of other countries. Dr. Desouza explores how a national digital currency can be used to bolster China’s finance and technology sectors, as well as its economy as a whole. He also offers his views on what China’s timeline might be for rolling out its own CBDC, particularly in light of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.Dr. Kevin Desouza is a professor of Business, Technology, and Strategy in the School of Management at the Queensland University of Technology Business School. Dr. Desouza is also a Nonresident Senior Fellow in the Governance Studies Program at the Brookings Institution, and a Distinguished Research Fellow at the China Institute for Urban Governance at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He has held tenured faculty appointments at the University of Washington, Virginia Tech, and Arizona State University.This episode was first released on May 19, 2020. Listeners can find Bonnie Glaser's new work with her China Global podcast. 

In this special "best of ChinaPower" episode, Mr. Ankit Panda discusses China's growing conventional missile arsenal and associated implications for military strategy and security in the Indo-Pacific region. He touches on the role of China’s ground-based missiles in the projection of military strength, noting that an increased arsenal can hamper US forces in the region and give the People’s Liberation Army increased maneuverability. Mr. Panda specifically highlights the importance of anti-ship ballistic missiles to China’s anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy in areas like the South and East China Seas. He also discusses the consequences of the US withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty and the political obstacles to expanding the US’ arsenal along China’s periphery. In addition, he explains the strategic implications of China's dual-capable missile force, specifically the DF-26 missile’s ability to rapidly convert between nuclear and conventional warheads. Finally, Mr. Panda analyzes the role of hypersonic glide vehicles, noting that, while the underlying technology is not new, advances in materials science have allowed more countries to develop HGV systems.Ankit Panda is the Stanton Senior Fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. An expert on the Asia-Pacific region, his research interests range from nuclear strategy, arms control, missile defense, nonproliferation, emerging technologies, and US extended deterrence. He is the author of Kim Jong Un and the Bomb: Survival and Deterrence in North Korea.This episode was first released on December 8, 2020. Listeners can find Bonnie Glaser's new work with her China Global podcast. 

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Malin Oud joins us to discuss the importance of language in understanding China’s diplomatic and international cooperation strategies. Ms. Oud breaks down China’s efforts to both redefine international values and standards, such as “democracy,” “rule of law” and “human rights," and promote its own definitions when interacting with other nations via diplomacy and international cooperation. She argues that China’s efforts to both weaken current international norms and promote its own norms on the global stage indicates that China has growing confidence in itself and its political system. This increased confidence, Ms. Oud explains, has increased China’s desire to build its discursive power, and become a “rule maker” rather than a “rule taker.” Lastly, Ms. Oud states that when Western nations engage with China, they need to not only understand what China means when it uses the language of international values and standards, but also strengthen their own, domestic capabilities so as to meaningfully defend current standards and international norms. Malin Oud is the Director of the Stockholm Office of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. She was the founder and Managing Director of Tracktwo, Sweden, and was previously the Programme Manager for the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. Her most recent report, The Decoding China Dictionary, co-edited with Katja Drinhausen, was published earlier this year by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and International Law.

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Agatha Kratz joins us to discuss how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Dr. Kratz provides background on the history and past successes of the BRI from 2013-2020. She argues that, prior to the pandemic, China’s BRI was at a low point. There were fewer contracts and increased scrutiny on past unsustainable projects and loans. Dr. Kratz contends that those pre-existing trends were further accentuated by the Covid-19 travel restrictions, deteriorated financial conditions, and disruptions in trade. Nonetheless, she explains, new BRI projects have arisen as a result of the pandemic, such as the “Health Silk Road”.  Lastly, Dr. Kratz identifies the core problem with the BRI to be the long-lasting debt – which can lead to debt crises – in recipient countries. China’s common practice of debt renegotiations, rather than debt forgiveness, creates a further disincentive. Together, they slow the appetite for further BRI projects. Alternatively, she explains, recipient countries have begun to seek more sustainable and profitable projects. Dr. Agatha Kratz is an Associate Director at Rhodium Group, where she coordinates European activities and leads research on European Union-China relations and China’s commercial diplomacy. She also contributes to Rhodium’s work on China’s global investment, industrial policy, and technology aspirations. Dr. Kratz is a non-resident Adjunct Fellow of the Reconnecting Asia Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies under the Simon Chair in Political Economy.

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Stella Hong Zhang joins us to discuss China’s new model of international development cooperation. Ms. Zhang analyzes China’s January 2021 white paper titled “China’s International Development Cooperation in the New Era”, the shift in China’s international development policy, and the implications that this shift has for both China and other nations around the world. She argues that the policy changes reflect China’s goal to be seen as a leader in global governance and its aim to shape discourse on China's domestic governance model and development achievements. Similarly, Ms. Zhang contends that this shift in China’s international development policy must be understood as part of Xi Jinping’s more assertive foreign policy and emphasis on expanding China’s relationships with other developing nations. Lastly, Ms. Zhang explains that China’s decision to frame its international development cooperation policy in moral language plays strongly to a domestic audience that is skeptical of providing resources to other countries while China itself is still developing. 

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Ambassador Derek Mitchell joins us to discuss the implications of the 2021 Myanmar coup for China-Myanmar relations. Ambassador Mitchell analyzes the current state of China-Myanmar relations, describes its historical development, and outlines China’s interests within the region after the coup. Ambassador Mitchell also examines which areas the United States and China can cooperate in Myanmar and which areas they likely cannot. He argues that while China faces widespread public antagonism amongst the population in Myanmar, it still commands significant influence due to the investments that it has made in Myanmar as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as its continued association with communist groups in northeastern Myanmar. Nonetheless, Ambassador Mitchell contends that Myanmar is not without leverage when it comes to interacting with China, as it can make use of its relations with Japan, Europe, the United States, and even Russia to prevent China from developing a monopolizing influence.Ambassador Derek Mitchell is currently the president of the National Democratic Institute. He has previously served as the United States Ambassador to Myanmar, the first U.S. Special Representative and Policy Coordinator for Burma, and the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs. Ambassador Mitchell was previously a senior fellow, director for Asia, and director of the Southeast Asia Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

In this episode, Dr. Luke Patey joins us to discuss the implications of China’s rise in a dynamic world and how the rest of the world should respond. Dr. Patey challenges the idea that an ascendant China will lead to a world in which small developing countries become a sphere of influence for China. Alternatively, he contends smaller nations are not content to play a subservient role and there is room for pushback when China overreaches. He stresses that middle powers such as Japan and India can play a significant role in shaping global affairs and the global economy. In addition, Dr. Patey contends that in advanced democracies, China’s economic power and its willingness to use that power are often exaggerated. Lastly, Dr. Patey argues national leaders should escape the hawks-and-doves dichotomy, explaining that the importance of China demands more nuance because various countries’ business, political, and security relations with China are interconnected. Dr. Luke Patey is a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies and a lead senior research fellow of the Africa oil and gas program at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. He is the author of How China Loses: The Pushback Against Chinese Global Ambitions. His current research focuses on China's foreign and security policy and Chinese foreign investment and trade, with a focus on China’s relations in Europe, Africa, and East Asia.

On this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Mr. Peter Martin joins us to discuss his recent book, "China's Civilian Army: The Making of Wolf Warrior Diplomacy." Chinese diplomacy in the past several years has become more assertive and its diplomats have used sharper language --hence the name wolf warrior diplomacy which comes from a Chinese film. Peter Martin's research traces the roots of wolf warrior diplomacy to the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 and its first diplomat, Zhou Enlai. Martin discusses China's diplomacy today and its impact. He explains that although there are some critics in China of wolf warrior diplomacy, it is popular among the general public amid rising nationalist sentiment in the country. In addition, Mr. Martin discusses how both public opinion and the directives of Xi Jingping have combined to force China’s diplomatic corps to be assertive players in international relations. Lastly, Mr. Martin describes the motivations behind wolf-warrior diplomacy and how diplomats are being rewarded for their aggressive rhetoric and posture. Mr. Peter Martin is a political reporter for Bloomberg News. Mr. Martin has written extensively about China and U.S.-China relations. His latest book is, “China’s Civilian Army: The Making of Wolf Warrior Diplomacy,” which will be published in April 2021.

In this episode, Dr. Roslyn Layton and Dr. James Lewis discuss how to control the proliferation of technologies for military use with a special focus on China. Our guests explain the history of US export policy regarding advanced technology, noting the delicate balance between opportunities for private enterprise and the needs of national security. They describe the Wassenar Agreement and its impact on current US advanced technology exports to China. Dr. Layton argues in favor of US designation of companies as military-end-users in China as one method to prevent US technology from being transferred to China’s military. Dr. Lewis analyzes China’s progress in its semiconductor industry, noting that China is still dependent on Western technology. Our guests also interpret China’s actions in retaliation to international technology export restrictions. Lastly, our guests evaluate how the Trump administration has acted in its approach to China and recommend actions the incoming Biden administration should take.  Dr. Roslyn Layton is a visiting researcher at Aalborg University Center for Communication, Media, and Information Technologies and Senior Vice President at Strand Consult. Dr. Layton focuses on evidence-based policy for the information, communications, and digital technology industries. Dr. James Lewis is a senior vice president and director of the Strategic Technologies Program at CSIS. He has authored numerous publications on the relationship between technology, innovation, and national power.

This special episode of the ChinaPower podcast is the last of five featuring the audio from the China Power Project's fifth annual conference, which comprises five live online debates.  Prior to the debate, Representative Rick Larsen delivered keynote remarks on the challenges and opportunities posed by China’s growing power and the view from Congress, followed by a Q&A conversation hosted by Bonnie Glaser, CSIS senior adviser for Asia and director of the China Power Project. Representative Rick Larsen represents the Second Congressional District of Washington State. Representative Larsen is a co-chair of the bipartisan US-China Working Group, which educates Members of Congress about bilateral issues through meetings and briefings with academic, business, and political leaders from the US and China. Representative Larsen has visited China eleven times. Following the keynote remarks, the China Power Project hosted a debate on the proposition: "Selective US-China economic decoupling will set back China’s emergence as a global high-tech leader."  The Trump administration has imposed restrictions on exports to leading Chinese telecom and semiconductor companies. In addition, the US has taken measures to encourage American companies to diversify their production and supply chains in order to reduce reliance on China. Given the interconnectedness of the global economy, these efforts could pose a challenge to the competitiveness of Chinese tech firms and manufacturers. Matthew Turpin, Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, argued that US-China decoupling will set back China’s emergence as a global high-tech leader. Rebecca Fannin, Founder of Silicon Dragon Ventures, argued that US-China economic decoupling will not set back China’s emergence as a global high-tech leader. This event is made possible by the generous support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

This special episode of the ChinaPower podcast is the fourth of five featuring the audio from the China Power Project's fifth annual conference, which comprises five live online debates. The fourth debate took place on December 9, 2020 and featured two experts debating the following proposition: Within the next five years, China will use significant military force against a country on its periphery.Under President Xi Jinping, China’s military capabilities have continued to grow. China has stepped up military pressure on Taiwan and conducted frequent large-scale military exercises in the South China Sea. In addition, border tensions with India reached the highest level in decades. A skirmish in June 2020 led to fatalities on both sides. China’s last significant uses of force were in the 1980s along the land border with Vietnam, and in the 1988 clash over Johnson South in the South China Sea.Oriana Skylar Mastro, Center Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University, and Foreign and Defense Policy Fellow at American Enterprise Institute (AEI), argued that China will use military force against a country on its periphery within the next five years. M. Taylor Fravel, Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor of Political Science, and Director of the Security Studies Program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), argued that China will not use military force on a country on its periphery within the next five years.This event is made possible by generous support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

This special episode of the ChinaPower podcast is the third of five featuring the audio from the China Power Project's fifth annual conference, which comprises five live online debates. The third debate took place on December 3, 2020 and featured two experts debating the following proposition: China will exploit the Covid-19 pandemic to shift the geopolitical balance of power in its favor. As the Covid-19 pandemic spread across the globe, China increased pressure on India, Taiwan, and several Southeast Asian neighbors that have territorial claims in the South China Sea. Chinese officials also lashed out at some foreign governments, which many characterized as “wolf warrior diplomacy.” In addition, China has embarked on a public health-diplomacy campaign, promising personal protective equipment and preferential vaccine access to developing nations and partners of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Yan Xuetong, Dean of the Institute of Modern International Relations at Tsinghua University, argued that China will exploit the COVID-19 pandemic to shift the geopolitical balance of power in its favor. Aaron Friedberg, Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University, argued that China will not exploit the COVID-19 pandemic to shift the geopolitical balance of power in its favor. This event is made possible by generous support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

This special episode of the ChinaPower podcast is the second of five featuring the audio from the China Power Project's fifth annual conference, which comprises five live online debates. The second debate took place on November 24, 2020 and featured two experts debating the following proposition: “One country, two systems” in Hong Kong is dead. When Hong Kong was handed over to China in 1997​, its people were promised that they would continue to enjoy a high degree of autonomy under the “one country, two systems” formula for at least 50 years. However, the Chinese government passed a National Security Law for Hong Kong in June 2020, which granted Beijing unprecedented powers over the city. The passing of this law has led some to question whether “one country, two systems” remains intact. Daniel Russel, Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) and former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, argued that “one country, two systems” in Hong Kong is dead. Regina Ip, legislator and member of Hong Kong's Executive Council, argued that “one country, two systems” in Hong Kong is still alive. This event was made possible by generous support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

This special episode of the ChinaPower podcast is the first of five featuring the audio from the China Power Project’s fifth annual conference, which comprised five live online debates. The first debate took place on November 19 and featured two experts debating the following proposition: The US-China relationship can best be described as a “new Cold War.”Over the last several years, relations between the United States and China have grown increasingly tense. Both the United States and China have expelled journalists and closed consulates amid heightened trade tensions and rancor about responsibility for Covid-19. Some experts believe Beijing is seeking to export its development model and that US-China competition has spread to the ideological realm. Other experts disagree, arguing that the Chinese Communist Party is more focused on defending against threats to its rule at home.Hal Brands, Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), argued that the US-China relationship can best be described as a “new Cold War.” Melvyn Leffler, Edward Stettinius Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Virginia, argued that the US-China relationship cannot be described as a “new Cold War.”This event was made possible by generous support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

In this episode, Dr. Jeffrey Wilson joins us to discuss China's expanding trade restrictions against Australia. Dr. Wilson analyzes China’s trade strategy of targeted geo-economic sanctions and argues that China’s goal is to maximize economic pain without hurting its own welfare. In addition, Dr. Wilson explains how China’s targeted sanctions on Australia’s top 20 exports to China could serve as a precedent for other nations in the Indo-Pacific region. When considering whether China’s trade coercion against Australia is a violation of international law, Dr. Wilson contends that many of China’s actions fall into the grey zone. He discusses Canberra's decision to file a case against China in the World Trade Organization and contends that Australia will be better positioned to fight the case if it has support from the international community. Finally, Dr. Wilson asserts that the future of China-Australia trade tensions may depend on how U.S.-China relations develop, since China views Australia as an ideal proxy for sending a message to the United States. Dr. Jeffrey Wilson is the Research Director at the Perth USAsia Centre, where he provides leadership and strategic direction in developing the Centre’s research program across its publications, policy and dialogue activities. Dr. Wilson specializes in the regional economic integration of the Indo-Pacific, and has particular expertise in the politics of trade agreements, regional economic institutions, and Australia’s economic ties with Asia. 

In this episode, Mr. Ankit Panda joins us to discuss China's growing conventional missile arsenal and associated implications for military strategy and security in the Indo-Pacific region. He highlights the role of China’s ground-based missiles in the projection of military strength, noting that an increased arsenal can hamper U.S. forces in the region and give the People’s Liberation Army increased maneuverability. China’s missile arsenal is an important factor in its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy, Mr. Panda argues, examining the role and efficacy of anti-ship ballistic missiles in projecting force areas surrounding the South and East China Seas. Mr. Panda talks about the consequences of the U.S. withdrawal from the INF treaty and the political obstacles to an increased U.S. arsenal around China’s periphery. Mr. Panda talks about the consequences of the U.S. withdrawal from the INF treaty and the political obstacles to an increased U.S. arsenal around China’s periphery. In addition, he explains the strategic implications of China's dual-capable missle force, and specifically the DF-26 missile’s ability to rapidly convert between nuclear and conventional warheads. Finally, Mr. Panda analyzes the hypersonic glide vehicle, noting that, while the underlying technology is not new, advances in materials science have allowed more countries to develop HGV systems.  Ankit Panda is the Stanton Senior Fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. An expert on the Asia-Pacific region, his research interests range from nuclear strategy, arms control, missile defense, nonproliferation, emerging technologies, and U.S. extended deterrence. He is the author of Kim Jong Un and the Bomb: Survival and Deterrence in North Korea.

In this episode, Dr. Darren Byler joins us to discuss China’s policies in Xinjiang and policy options for the international community. Dr. Byler analyzes the portrayal of Uyghur and Kazakh ethnic minorities in Xinjiang in comparison to other minorities in China and in relation to the Han majority. He describes how Chinese policymakers have shifted the discourse on policies towards Uyghur Muslims from concerns of “separatism” to concerns of “terrorism,” and evaluates the appropriateness of these terms to the Uyghur and Kazakh populations in Xinjiang. In addition, Dr. Byler describes the displacement of Uyghurs and Kazakhs in the Xinjiang region following China’s economic development policies in the 1990s. Finally, Dr. Byler discusses the camps in Xinjiang and the responses from the international community towards the camps, and offers suggestions for international policymakers moving forward.  Dr. Byler is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Asian Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he researches the dispossession of ethno-racial Muslim minorities through forms of surveillance and digital capitalism in China and the global South. Dr. Byler’s first book project, Terror Capitalism: Uyghur Dispossession and Masculine Violence in a Chinese City, examines emerging forms of media, infrastructure, economics and politics in the Uyghur homeland in Chinese Central Asia. Prior to joining the University of Colorado, Dr. Byler was a lecturer in Anthropology at the University of Washington in Seattle.