To discuss, ChinaTalk assembled two of my favorite Japanese think-tankers, Yuka Koshino, a Research Fellow at the UK think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), and Akira Igata, the Executive Director at the Tama University-affiliated Center for Rule-making Strategy (CRS). Joshua Fitt of The Center for a New American Security cohosts. Thanks to CNAS for making this show possible. Outtro songs: Takayan, What’s the meaning of living: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGDQQnBVUsk...
Apr 04, 2021•48 min
Derek Sandhaus is the author of Drunk in China: Baijiu and the World's Oldest Drinking Culture and part of the team behind Ming River Baijiu, the first (good) Baijiu created especially for the international market. We discuss AA in china, Baijiu's origins, different varieties of Baijiu, the drink's evolving role in modern China, as well as the challenge of bringing such a polarizing drink to Europe and the US. Please consider supporting ChinaTalk at https://glow.fm/chinatalk/ Outtro music: Hiper...
Apr 02, 2021•49 min
Are the US and China in ideological competition? How does one go about answering that question? Dan Tobin of the US Intelligence Community's National Intelligence University and Ryan Manuel of Official China have a dangerous amount of fun debating guiding ideologies and what they mean for geopolitics. Dan's 2020 congressional testimony on CCP ideology: https://www.uscc.gov/sites/default/files/testimonies/SFR%20for%20USCC%20TobinD%2020200313.pdf Ryan's PhD thesis on CCP bureaucracy (which really ...
Mar 30, 2021•1 hr 28 min
John Verwey of the Substack “Semi-Literate" (and formerly of Commerce’s BIS, USITC, and USTR) talks the history and future of China's chip industry. We get into government guidance funds, the CHIPS Act, “Fabs not Labs,” export controls, and more. John's substack: https://semiliterate.substack.com/ Outtro Music: Justice‘s Genesis (Live Version) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdsEaSx7u90 Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ...
Mar 27, 2021•1 hr
Michèle Flournoy joined AcquisitionTalk's Eric Lofgren and me for another crossover episode of China-AcquisitionTalk. Flournoy is a former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, co-founder and new board chair of CNAS (where I'm a fellow), and currently the founder and managing partner of WestExec Advisors. I dove deep into the archive, digging up copies of Flournoy's undergraduate and master's theses to discuss "psycho-social approaches to international relations" and 1980s nuclear policy. We als...
Mar 24, 2021•42 min
In her years as a Wall Street Journal foreign correspondent in Hong Kong and Beijing, Te-Ping Chen came across a lifetime of remarkable characters and events. Most of these didn’t make her newspaper articles, so she began collecting them in short stories, which were collected in a book published just last month, Land of Big Numbers. Mara Hvistendahl guest hosts an interview with Te-Ping, where we discuss her writing process, journalism versus fiction writing, and some of the stories behind the s...
Mar 20, 2021•34 min
Dan Rosen is the founding partner of the Rhodium Group and leads the China team. He is also my boss! We talk about our plans for China tech coverage, lessons from thirty years of China-watching, how he thinks about decoupling, China's debt situation. We also play underrated/overrated on whether track two dialogues are a waste of time, PDF length, and talking to government officials. Want to work with me? Please get in touch at jschneider@rhg.com. Outtro Music: YTH Chopie ft YOUNG13DBABY -《Best F...
Mar 16, 2021•41 min
Rory Medcalf, head of the National Security College at Australia National University discusses his new book 'Indo-Pacific Empire.' We talk 15th-century Korean maps, the promise of the 1947 Asian Relations Conference, Australia and India's shifting conceptions of their place in the region, the origins of the Quad, China-Australia relations, and advice Rory has for the Quad countries as they try to figure out what this 'minilateral' should amount to. Megan Lamberth of CNAS cohosts. Also discussed ...
Mar 13, 2021•53 min
Adam Tooze (now on Substack!) and Matt Klein, author of Trade Wars Are Class Wars, return to ChinaTalk and pick up right where they left off in September. We discuss whether Ricardo’s theories of comparative advantage actually work in a globalized age, why Stalin’s embrace of “socialism in one country” was a response to the hegemonic power of British (and American) capital, whether a Bolshevik Revolution is the best way to solve global inequality, how intra-elite conflict drives sovereignty-limi...
Mar 11, 2021•55 min
Shen Lu of Protocol discusses the magical world of Mandarin language Clubhouse before diving into the feminist movement in China. We cover the Xianzi case, Bilibili's misogynist content, and the challenges that women face working in China's highest-flying tech firms. Please consider supporting ChinaTalk at glow.fm/chinatalk Outtro Music: 賽文&GOD - 努力工作吧 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYSncvx4txE We mentioned https://www.freshgogo.com/ and https://www.yamibuy.com/en as Chinese grocery deliver...
Mar 04, 2021•30 min
Aizhe, 故事FM's founder, runs the leading Chinese language podcast. His show gives a platform for everyday Chinese to tell their stories. We talked about his show and the state of journalism in modern China. Aizhe is a personal hero of mine and I'm so grateful I had this opportunity to record this episode. Aizhe would love to get in touch with American podcast producers, so if you are one, please don't be shy. Reach out to me and I'll put you in touch! Please consider supporting ChinaTalk at www.g...
Feb 27, 2021•36 min
Four contributors to the recent book China's Quest for Foreign Technology: Beyond Espionage discuss China’s foreign technology acquisition. Is it nefarious, or just typical behavior of an upwardly mobile nation? Is the myth of a stateless global society dead? And why does such a pressing issue seem invisible in the West? Please consider supporting ChinaTalk at https://glow.fm/chinatalk Outtro music: AR [for my money the hottest lyricist in the game] - ABC (feat Buzzy, Cee) https://www.youtube.co...
Feb 25, 2021•54 min
I have a newsletter! If you listen to this podcast I can say with high confidence you'll enjoy it! Do subscribe at https://chinatalk.substack.com/. Jose Luis Ricón Fernández de la Puente, an independent researcher who runs the blog nintil.com, complicates our previous week's ChinaTalk on US industrial policy with Rob Atkinson. We discuss whether the state invented the iPhone, if the trends of history are pointing Taiwan’s direction, why the way we fund science is broken, what mass conversions to...
Feb 17, 2021•1 hr 17 min
Chinese Cooking Demystified is my favorite English language Youtube cooking channel. I chat with creators Chris and Steph about how they create their recipes, who watches their videos, whether Chinese food is soft power, bilibili vs youtube cooking channels, and why everyone in China wants to learn to bake. Please consider supporting ChinaTalk at https://glow.fm/chinatalk/ 春节快乐！ Outtro music, Doubanjiang by Masiwei https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HxkMKb_EQs Get bonus content on Patreon See acas...
Feb 11, 2021•45 min
Richard Fontaine, CEO of CNAS, discusses what it's like to run what very well may be the hottest think tank in the Asia policy game (full disclosure: I'm a CNAS adjunct). We get into Biden and Asia and how the new president's foreign policy team will prioritize what they want to get out of the US-China relationship. We also touch on the biggest argument Richard's had with current senior DoD official and former CNAS VP Ely Ratner, what he's learned from looking at China questions with Silicon Val...
Feb 08, 2021•1 hr 28 min
Maggie Lewis (Seton Hall) and Lev Nachman (UC Irvine) talk Biden's Taiwan policy, pork trade politics, the future of the KMT, third parties, academic freedom, gay marriage, and asylum from Hong Kong. Please consider supporting ChinaTalk at www.glow.fm/chinatalk Outtro Music: ABAO阿爆（阿仍仍)【Kinakaian 母親的舌頭】feat. 林宜瑾, 丁立芬 共創 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tsh4lMH1fA8) Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...
Jan 29, 2021•58 min
I have a newsletter! If you listen to this podcast I can say with high confidence you'll enjoy it! Do subscribe at https://chinatalk.substack.com/. Rob Atkinson is the president of ITIF, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a non-partisan DC-based think tank. We’re going to discuss US industrial policy grand strategy in light of China’s rise, what the US can expect from its allies on tech policy, as well as the “power trader” paradigm and how Albert Hirschmann’s analysis of 20th...
Jan 22, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Rana Mitter, professor of Chinese history at Oxford University, discusses his book from earlier this year, China’s Good War: How World War II Is Shaping a New Nationalism. Now seventy-five years after China’s victory over Japan, China is rethinking how it grapples with the legacy of WWII (see, for example, The Eight Hundred, the highest-grossing film of 2020, discussed towards the end of the show). Mitter argues that this growing emphasis on World War II is evidence of a subtle rewriting of hist...
Jan 17, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Matt Brazil discusses his new book co-written with Peter Mattis, 'Chinese Communist Espionage, An Intelligence Primer.' We talk about the role spies played in the creation and evolution of the CCP, run through some Zhou Enlai conspiracy theories, and discuss the role of espionage in today's China. Please consider supporting ChinaTalk at https://glow.fm/chinatalk/ Intro Music: Wong Chia Chi's theme from Lust, Caution Outtro Music: Player's Ball by Outkast (Thank you Georgia!) Get bonus content on...
Jan 07, 2021•1 hr 1 min
On the second joint episode of Acquisition Talk and ChinaTalk, Richard Danzig, a Secretary of the Navy under Clinton, discusses US-China relations and military innovation. Richard is a Senior Fellow at Johns Hopkins APL, a former Secretary of the Navy, and a fiction guy. We traverse a number of subjects, including: How the risk of war with China is reflected in trade policy The problems regulators face in high-tech industries Views on growing the US Navy to 500 ships How US prime contracts diffe...
Jan 02, 2021•57 min
Kicking off a series on US-China defense-related issues with Eric Lofgren of the podcast AcquisitionTalk, we host Defense Innovation Unit head Michael Brown. We touch on a number of topics, including: Industrial espionage and foreign investment The debate over basic vs. applied research China starting to determine technical standards Coordinating with allies on semiconductors Transitioning tech in the DoD Before taking the helm of DIU in 2018, Michael co-authored a study with Pravneet Singh show...
Jan 02, 2021•47 min
Why is KFC so big in China? What is the “Toilet Revolution” and why does it matter? How does Chinese propaganda work? How have bicycles’ role in Chinese society evolved over time? Neil Thomas of MacroPolo takes on this grab bag. Note this is a rebroadcast from November 2018. Please consider supporting ChinaTalk at glow.fm/chinatalk. Outtro music is a KFC vs McDonalds rap battle. Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choic...
Dec 26, 2020•1 hr 6 min
Duoduodiliao walks us through his favorite Chinese rap songs of 2020, taking us everywhere from soul rap and R&B to drill and Caribbean-inspired beats. Please consider supporting ChinaTalk at www.glow.fm/chinatalk Songs in order played in the show, all available on YouTube PO8 - 霓虹 李爾新 lil shin《CN DRILL》官方微博完整版 慕斯塔法 / JELLORIO 李佳隆 - Falling 八口8uck/KnowKnow -《Map》 Lexie Liu 刘柏辛 - 佳人 "站着亲吻子弹"艾热派克特组淘汰Athree后，发作品《Punch》发表感想《说唱听我的》 艾福杰尼 - 葡萄架下的篝火 Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy...
Dec 22, 2020•36 min
Peter Harrell and Liz Rosenberg, both CNAS fellows, joined ChinaTalk in May to talk about their report authored with Ashley Fung, 'A New Arsenal for Competition: Coercive Economic Measures in the U.S.-China Relationship.' We discuss how the Trump administration has refined the use of these policy tools since Liz and Peter served under Obama, do a round overrated/underrated for international economic policy tools, and hear their best tv pilot pitches with sanctions themes. Please consider contrib...
Dec 17, 2020•1 hr 3 min
Wendy Culter, who served 28 years in the Office of the US Trade Representative, discusses how Biden should address Beijing on trade. We talk about how he could leverage allies' frustration with Chinese behavior and speculate about the future of the WTO. We also debate the merits of a number of my hair-brained trade ideas including the Strategic Shiraz Reserve and a Mutual Trade Defense Pact. If ChinaTalk is worth $1 an episode to you, please consider becoming a supporter of ChinaTalk at https://...
Dec 13, 2020•43 min
Xiaowei Wang discusses her new book. She explores Taobao villages where Snow White Halloween costumes get made, how one police station is sputtering towards digitization, parallels between Silicon Valley and Chinese tech culture, and pearl farming #distrupt. Please consider supporting ChinaTalk at https://glow.fm/chinatalk Pick up a Smart Air Filter for the holidays (https://smartairfilters.com/) and be sure to use the promo code 'ChinaTalk' for a 5% discount. Music by Collage and Mondo Grosso G...
Dec 08, 2020•54 min
Emily Weinstein of CSET talks open source China research. We also sort truth from fact and fiction on Chinese talent programs and MCF. Buy an air filter at https://smartairfilters.com/ and use the code 'ChinaTalk' for a discount! Please consider supporting ChinaTalk at https://glow.fm/chinatalk/. Music by Nujabes and 珂拉琪 Collage Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 05, 2020•51 min
Yun Jiang walks step by step through the past three years of deteriorating Australia-China relations. I haven't sold an ad this calendar year. Please consider supporting ChinaTalk financially: https://glow.fm/chinatalk Music by Taiwanese-Australian artist Kim Yang, song entitled Garden of Eden is about the brushfires. For more, check out her website at www.kimyangmusic.com Photo of Xi in 2014 in Tasmania receiving a lavender bear. Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy an...
Dec 02, 2020•55 min
I chatted this week with Rasheed Griffith of the China in the Caribbean Podcast. I highly recommend you check out his channel! We discuss: The possible future of US-China tech competition under the incoming Biden Administration The nature of China's Twitter influence campaigns and what we can learn about making viral memes from Russian disinformation operators. See here for my deep dive. Why open-source software should be the basis for a new US industrial policy and why China is looking to push ...
Nov 28, 2020•30 min
President-Elect Joe Biden just tapped Jake Sullivan to serve as his first National Security Advisor, the most important foreign policy role in the White House. In light of this announcement, I'm rerunning an episode we recorded in late 2019. Jake Sullivan previously served in the Obama administration as National Security Advisor to Vice President Joe Biden and Director of Policy Planning at the U.S. State Department. Check out my newsletter at https://chinatalk.substack.com/. In the most recent ...
Nov 24, 2020•53 min
