Understanding US-China Relations Right Now with Nathan Labenz
Feb 05, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Episode description
In this week’s episode of Econ 102, Noah Smith, with special guest Nathan Labenz, unpack the U.S.-China relations, examining geopolitical tensions, strategic economic policies, AI and military technology, and the future of global technological leadership, while questioning the effectiveness of current U.S. policies and the risks of escalating conflicts under Xi Jinping's aggressive strategies.
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RECOMMENDED PODCAST:
Check out Nathan Labenz's podcast The Cognitive Revolution
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cognitive-revolution-ai-builders-researchers-and/id1669813431
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6yHyok3M3BjqzR0VB5MSyk
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CognitiveRevolutionPodcast/
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Highlights from the Episode:
The US and China were largely de facto allies throughout the 20th century, except for brief periods like the Korean War.
Xi Jinping's "great changes unseen in a century" doctrine signals intent to challenge US-led global order.
US chip export controls have been effective at limiting China's advanced chip manufacturing.
Military technology prioritizes maintaining a technological edge in precision weapons and autonomous systems, with conventional deterrence still key despite nuclear capabilities, while chip controls focus on preserving advantages in military applications over civilian technology.
Concerns about AI competition include skepticism over maintaining US "AI supremacy," the potential difficulty in containing AI capabilities like those of DeepSeek, and the risk that an aggressive approach could escalate conflict.
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RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE:
Noahpinion: https://www.noahpinion.blog/
Dwarkesh podcast with Sarah Paine https://youtu.be/fx6fakjQBdo?si=FR4ZGTGWzXsO4__E
Book: Rush Doshi, The Long Game https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52617647-the-long-game
Book: John Mearsheimer Conventional Deterrence https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/224128.Conventional_Deterrence
Noahpinion essay: Simple Lessons from China's Big AI Breakthrough https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/some-simple-lessons-from-chinas-big
Noahpinion Essay: The Elemental Foe https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/the-elemental-foe?utm_source=publication-search
