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3D AGO

APEC, ASEAN, and the Trump-Xi Meeting: A Conversation with Henrietta Levin and Gregory Poling

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Henrietta Levin and Gregory Poling unpack the outcomes of the ASEAN Summit and the Trump–Xi meeting on the sidelines of APEC. They examine how Washington and Beijing are prioritizing economic stability over strategic confrontation, why topics like Taiwan and the South China Sea were not discussed, and how ASEAN is seeking balance through new trade and digital initiatives. The discussion concludes with what to watch next, particularly with China’s trade implementation and rising tensions in the South China Sea. Henrietta Levin is a senior fellow with the Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS in Washington, D.C. She previously held senior roles at the U.S. Department of State and the White House, spearheading U.S. strategy and diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific. Greg Poling is the director of the Southeast Asia Program and the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at CSIS, focusing on maritime security and regional diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific.

3d ago

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44 min
5D AGO

Takeaways from Trump's Trip to Asia

On this episode of the Trade Guys, we talk through the outcomes from President Trump's trip to Asia, including negotiations with China, the ROK, and ASEAN.

5d ago

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28 min
OCT 30

How Firms Serve the Party-State

In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Ning Leng, assistant professor at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy and a Wilson Center China Fellow. They discuss her new book Politicizing Business: How Firms Are Made to Serve the Party-State in China. Henrietta and Ning explore the relationship between politics and business in China, what the Party really wants from Chinese firms, and why a malfunctioning wastewater treatment plant in southwest China has so many decorative fish.

Oct 30

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31 min
OCT 23

Inside the PLA’s Accelerating Modernization: A Conversation with John Culver

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, John Culver argues that two seemingly contradictory trends define China’s military this year: Xi Jinping’s sweeping purge of senior PLA leaders and the PLA’s rapid transformation into a far more lethal, joint-capable force. He notes unprecedented vacancies on the Central Military Commission and across theater commands—suggesting corruption is the excuse, not the cause—as Xi prioritizes loyalty and faster progress toward his ambitious reform goals. While 2027 isn’t an “invasion deadline,” Culver says the PLA is racing to meet its centennial benchmarks, with September’s parade showcasing a growing nuclear triad, serious investments in undersea warfare, and expanding unmanned aircraft. He cautions that any U.S.-created “hellscape” around Taiwan can be mirrored by China, which can produce equipment that is combat relevant in the Western Pacific at industrial scale. On gray-zone pressure, he casts China’s Coast Guard as a paramilitary tool and says its ability to run a sustained blockade would hinge on complex command-and-control that it hasn’t yet demonstrated in military exercises. Ultimately, Culver emphasizes that there is much about the PLA that remains unknown from the outside as Xi Jinping purposely keeps information opaque. This episode was recorded on October 15, 2025. John Culver is a nonresident senior fellow in the John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings. Prior to retiring from the Central Intelligence Agency in 2020, he served since 1985 as an analyst and manager on China, with a particular focus on the People’s Liberation Army. From 2015 to 2018, Culver served as national intelligence officer for East Asia (NIO-EA). He was a founding member of the CIA’s Senior Analytic Service, was in the Senior Intelligence Service, and was a recipient of the CIA’s Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal, and the William L. Langer Award for extraordinary achievement in the CIA’s analytic mission.

Oct 23

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33 min
4D AGO

What Selling Nvidia's Blackwell Chips to China Would Mean for the AI Race

In this episode, Georgia Adamson and Saif Khan from the Institute for Progress join Greg to unpack their October 25 paper, "Should the US Sell Blackwell Chips to China?" They discuss the geopolitical context of the paper (3:26), how the rumored B30A would compare to other advanced AI chips (11:37), and the potential consequences if the US were to permit B30A exports to China (32:00). Their paper is available here.

4d ago

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1h 4m
OCT 27

Shipping Emissions, Pre-APEC Tit For Tat, and U.S. Agriculture Exports

On this episode of the Trade Guys, we discuss a vote on rules aimed at lowering carbon emissions from shipping which was called off under U.S. pressure. We also cover expanded rare earth export controls coming out of China and new CSIS findings on the severe impacts of retaliation on U.S. farmers.

Oct 27

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31 min
OCT 16

Behind the Scenes of U.S.-China Summitry

In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Sarah Beran, who managed the U.S.-China relationship in senior roles at the State Department, the American Embassy in Beijing, and the White House National Security Council. Ahead of President Trump's potential meeting with President Xi on the margins of the 2025 APEC Leaders Meeting, Sarah explains how U.S.-China diplomacy and summitry actually work. Sarah unpacks the tough negotiations that set the stage for conversations between the two nations' leaders, what Chinese officials want most from these dialogues, and how President Xi has evolved as a diplomat over his long tenure.

Oct 16

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38 min
OCT 25

The Impact of New Sanctions and Ukrainian Deep Strikes on the Russian Energy Industry with Clayton Seigle

Max and Maria spoke with Clayton Seigle about how new sanctions from the Trump administration could potentially impact Russian energy revenues. Additionally, they discussed the effects of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries. This conversation was recorded on October 23, 2025.

Oct 25

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43 min
OCT 30

Greg and Matt discuss career advice for aspiring AI policy professionals.

One of the most common questions we get from listeners is how to build a successful career in AI policy—so we dedicated an entire episode to answering it. We cover the most formative experiences from Greg's career journey (3:30), general principles for professional success (45:09), and actionable tips specific to breaking into the AI policy space (1:11:52).

Oct 30

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1h 52m
OCT 21

Trade Policy and U.S. Geopolitical Strategy

Mike speaks with Barbara Weisel, nonresident scholar in the Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She built a career serving in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative for 23 years, departing as Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Southeast Asia in October 2017. They discuss U.S. trade policy past and present, the mechanics of trade negotiations, how trade agreements impact national security and geopolitical strategy, how allies and partners should approach economic relations with the United States in the coming years, and more.

Oct 21

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38 min

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