CSIS

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Channel • 52 Shows

Government

Government

Updated Twice Monthly
News

News

Updated Fortnightly
Government

Government

Updated Fortnightly
News

News

Updated Weekly
News

News

Updated Fortnightly
Government

Government

Updated Fortnightly
News Commentary

News Commentary

Updated Fortnightly

3 days ago

Ambassador Dan Kritenbrink on US-China Summits and Strategy

In this episode of Pekingology, Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink, former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, and Senior Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council, to discuss U.S.-China diplomacy and the upcoming meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Drawing on decades of experience engaging with senior Chinese officials, including Xi Jinping, Kritenbrink reflects on Xi’s leadership style and China’s increasingly confident approach to the United States and the international system. He discusses the role of leader-level diplomacy in managing U.S.-China competition, lessons he learned from preparing for Xi’s 2015 state visit to Washington, and what effective communication between Washington and Beijing looks like behind closed doors. They also examine what to expect from the Trump-Xi summit, the prospects for maintaining what Kritenbrink describes as a “fragile truce” between the two countries, and the economic, technological, and security issues that will continue to test U.S.-China relations.
4 days ago

Taking Stock of U.S. Strategy in Asia

In this episode, Mike sits down with Randall Schriver, Chairman of the Board at the Institute for Indo-Pacific Security and former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs (January 2018-December 2019), to take stock of America’s strategy in Asia. They explore the forces shaping Washington’s approach to the region, the challenges accompanying Asia's shifting strategic landscape, and how U.S. allies and partners are influencing — and being influenced by — the United States' strategic calculus.
3 Sept

Kurt Campbell on China Strategy and Diplomacy

In this episode of Pekingology, Henrietta Levin, Senior Fellow with the CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies, is joined by Kurt Campbell, former Deputy Secretary of State and President Biden’s “Asia Czar.” He is currently Chairman of The Asia Group and Distinguished Fellow in Diplomacy with the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. Henrietta and Kurt discuss how Beijing views American power, the development of U.S. strategy towards China, U.S.-China diplomacy and the characters that sat on the Chinese side of the table, and more. To learn more about Kurt Campbell’s perspectives on China, you can read his April 2025 Foreign Affairs article, co-authored with Rush Doshi, ⁠Underestimating China: Why America Needs a New Strategy of Allied Scale to Offset Beijing’s Enduring Advantages⁠, and his 2016 book, ⁠The Pivot: The Future of American Statecraft in Asia⁠.
5 days ago

Beef, Russia Sanctions Bill, Canada-Europe Relations, and Italian Pasta

Bill and Scott follow up on President Trump's executive orders on beef, take a look at the Russia Sanctions Bill stalled in Congress, and discuss the push for closer ties between Canada and Europe plus what Italian pasta can tell us about the administration's approach to trade enforcement.
10 Sept

China’s View of the Upcoming Trump-Xi Summit: A Conversation with Da Wei

In this episode, Dr. Da Wei joins the ChinaPower Podcast to preview this month's Trump-Xi summit in Washington, D.C., and to discuss China's expectations for the meeting. He examines how Beijing views the current trajectory of U.S.-China relations, why he believes the relationship may be entering a more stable phase, and how economic and technology competition, Taiwan, and the war in Iran could shape the leaders' discussions. Da Wei is Director of the Center for International Security and Strategy and Professor in the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University in China.
9 Sept

The Beef Imports, G20 Finance Meetings, and U.S.-Canada Trade Tensions

Bill and Scott unpack President Trump's efforts to bring down beef prices by increasing imports and what that means for American ranchers, discuss key takeaways from this week's G20 finance meetings, and check back in on U.S.-Canada trade talks and Canada's retaliatory tariffs.
10 Sept

The Future of EU-Southeast Asia Relations with Max Bergmann

This week, Greg was joined by Max Bergmann to discuss their upcoming report on EU-Southeast Asia coordination under the Trump Administration.
20 Aug

China’s Struggle for Influence in Central Asia

Founded in 2001 by China, Russia, and key Central Asian states, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) marks its 25th anniversary this year. With Chinese President Xi Jinping expected to attend the SCO Leaders' Summit in Kyrgyzstan later this month, the organization has become an increasingly important platform for advancing Beijing's vision of a multipolar international order as China's economic, political, and security influence across Central Asia continues to grow. In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Bradley Jardine, co-author of the new book, Backlash: China’s Struggle for Influence in Central Asia. Henrietta and Bradley unpack China's goals for the upcoming SCO summit, as well as China's long history in Central Asia. They discuss Beijing's use of Silk Road narratives to frame its contemporary engagement with Central Asia, Chinese leaders' top priorities in the region - from border security, to energy resilience, to construction of an increasingly Sinocentric regional architecture - how Central Asian governments quietly manage tensions over repression in Xinjiang, and whether the "debt diplomacy" narrative holds up. They also explore the collision of Chinese and Russian interests in Central Asia, and how the SCO became a leading component of the new international order China is working to build.
6 Aug

Inside China's Dual Economy

China is generating groundbreaking advances in electric vehicles, battery technology, applied artificial intelligence, and industrial robotics. Yet Chinese households are facing stagnant wages, consumption is weak, and public confidence in the economy appears to be declining. In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Alicia García-Herrero, a leading expert on Chinese economics, to unpack China's "dual economy." They discuss why President Xi has prioritized global technological leadership over economic opportunity at home, why many of China's most successful companies struggle to turn a profit, and whether rapid AI adoption will boost growth or imperil social stability. To learn more, read Alicia García-Herrero's recent article in China Leadership Monitor, "China's Dual Economy: When Strategic Ambition Hollows Out the Foundation."
30 June

The New Great Game in the Pacific Islands

In this episode, Mike is joined by Ambassador Laura Stone, who most recently served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of the Marshall Islands and previously held senior leadership roles at the U.S. Department of State, including Deputy Assistant Secretary for China and Mongolia. They discuss the role that the Marshall Islands and the broader Pacific Islands play in U.S. engagement with the Indo-Pacific, how they factor into U.S.–China strategic competition, and how the United States can work more effectively with its allies and partners to strengthen its approach to the region.

CSIS podcasts feature experts & scholars on a range of critical issues surrounding geopolitics, national security, defense, & international affairs topics.