Sinica Podcast

Kaiser Kuo
Sinica Podcast

A weekly discussion of current affairs in China with journalists, writers, academics, policymakers, business people and anyone with something compelling to say about the country that's reshaping the world. Hosted by Kaiser Kuo.

  1. قبل يوم واحد

    The War for Chinese Talent in America, with David Zweig

    This week on Sinica, I chat with David Zweig, a veteran China scholar who is Professor Emeritus from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. We discuss Davis'd latest book, The War for Chinese Talent in America, which looks at Chinese efforts to harness the intellectual firepower of Chinese scientists and engineers who studied abroad, especially in the United States, and bring them — or at least their knowledge —back to China. David's book takes a balanced look at both the very real problems generated by Chinese policies as well as the overreaction by the U.S. Department of Justice in the form of the infamous China Initiative. 3:40 – Why got David interested on this particular topic  7:07 – The diaspora option 12:09 – The Thousand Talents Program/Plan 18:28 – How the talent programs operate 23:48 – Motivations for Chinese to participate in the talent programs, how geopolitics now impacts these decisions, and what the effect of the China Initiative has been on collaboration  36:29 – The China Initiative’s climate of fear and the concern for racial profiling  49:40 – The extent of the validity of U.S. security concerns 57:24 – David’s suggestions for balancing national security interests and open scientific exchange  Paying It Forward: Dan Lynch and his book, China’s Futures: PRC Elites Debate Economics, Politics, and Foreign Policy Recommendations: David: It’s a Wonderful World — The Louis Armstrong Musical in New York Kaiser: The Invention of Yesterday: A 50,000-Year History of Human Culture, Conflict, and Connection by Tamim Ansary, especially the audiobook read by the author See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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  2. ١٥ شعبان · إضافة

    Getting China Right: Senator Andy Kim at the Hopkins SAIS Institute for America, China, and the Future of Global Affairs

    I’m delighted to bring you today the first in a series of conversations from a remarkable day-long session put on by the Institute for America, China, and the Future of Global Affairs, or ACF, at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). The session was held on Monday, February 3, and was called “Getting China Right.” On today’s show, we’ve got U.S. Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey, one of the best-informed and sensible legislators focused on China today. He’ll be in conversation with James Steinberg, dean of SAIS, who also served as Deputy Secretary of State from 2009 to 2011. You’ll hear introductory remarks from Jim and from Jessica Chen Weiss, inaugural faculty director ACF and David M. Lampton Professor of China Studies at SAIS, who listeners certainly know from her appearances on Sinica. More to come in this series, so stay tuned! Please enjoy Senator Kim’s very thoughtful remarks. Watch the morning sessions on YouTube here. The Institute for America, China, and the Future of Global Affairs (ACF) of the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) was established in 2024 to add rigor and reason to public and policy discussions on China and the range of domestic and international issues that intersect China’s global role, bringing together experts and practitioners to foster informed public dialogue, promote evidence-based research, and support the next generation of scholars and practitioners. ACF was founded with the support of Johns Hopkins University and philanthropic contributions from across the United States. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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  3. ١٤ شعبان

    Back to the 80s: For Trump, is China the New Japan? with Andy Liu

    This week on Sinica, I chat with economic historian Andrew B. Liu of Villanova University about how to understand Trump's thinking on China and tariffs. Andy wrote about this in an excellent piece on N+1 called "Back to the 80s? Trump, Xi Jinping, and Tariffs." Check it out and then listen to the show! 3:59 – How the U.S.’s current trade anxieties echo those of the ‘80s 9:34 – How Cold War geopolitics shaped U.S.-Japan trade relations 18:23 – The lessons China learned from Japan’s experience and how it has shaped its recent economic strategy  21:03 – What Xi Jinping’s vision for the Chinese economy actually looks like  34:26 – Why China is favoring a more Ford-like model of industrial structure 41:28 – Michael Pettis’s ideas from Trade Wars Are Class Wars and points of critique  52:44 – The Trump administration’s use of tariffs Paying It Forward: Viola Zhou’s reporting on Rest of World (especially her piece on Foxconn in India) and Dong Yige  Recommendations: Andrew: Hetty Lui McKinnon’s Substack for vegan modern Cantonese recipes  Kaiser: The Substack of the Carter Center’s U.S.-China Perception Monitor; and the essay “The new frontline: The US-China battle for control of global networks” on the Transnational Institute website See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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    Is the U.S. Experiencing a Narrative Shift on China?

    This week as we enter the Year of the Snake, Sinica co-founder Jeremy Goldkorn makes a re-appearance on the show. It's been a year since his last, and much has changed — and indeed, if Jeremy is right, we may be at an inflection point in American attitudes toward China. With the "TikTok Refugees" on Xiaohongshu or "RedNote" taking in a view of China that contrasts starkly with the image presented by the U.S. Government and by many American media outlets, and with DeepSeek now having upended some ideas about American tech primacy, the "vibes" on China among young people seem to have changed for the better. Will it endure? Jeremy and I plunge into that question on this week's episode of the Sinica Podcast. 2:55 – What Jeremy has been up to lately  4:19 – What has been driving the recent narrative/vibe shift in China discourse in the U.S., and why human rights rhetoric around Xinjiang has died down   14:11 – Whether the narrative/vibe shift will be long-lasting and the role of young people in driving it  23:06 – Predictions for future changes within China 29:40 – The concern that the narrative/vibe shift could go too far, or that the copium will overwhelm the positive of the shift  33:24 – Previous narrative shifts around freedom of speech, the internet, and China, and technological innovation  43:57 – What recent developments reveal about Chinese soft power, and Jeremy’s predictions for how everything will play out  49:34 – Whether the narrative/vibe shift will change how American politicians talk about China, and the Chinese government has reacted to the shift so far Paying It Forward: Savannah Billman’s Career China email newsletter  Recommendations: Jeremy: Paul Cooper’s Fall of Civilizations podcast series; David Kidd’s Peking Story: The Last Days of Old China; and The 404’s podcast interview with a PornHub exec (which includes discussion of real-name registration requirements)  Kaiser: The TV miniseries American Primeval (2025) on Netflix; and Paul Triolo’s Substack  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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  5. ٢٣ رجب

    New Podcast Series – "Studying China in the Absence of Access: Rediscovering a Lost Art" from Johns Hopkins SAIS

    This week, I bring you the first in a series of podcasts in conjunction with the China Research Center at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). The series, titled "Studying China in the Absence of Access: Rediscovering a Lost Art," ran from September to November 2021, and featured four eminent "Pekingologists," or specialists in Chinese elite politics: Joseph Fewsmith, Thomas Fingar, Alice Miller, and Fred Teiwes. The talks were later published in a volume you can download here. The series is introduced by Andrew Mertha, George and Sadie Hyman, Professor of China Studies and director of the SAIS China Research Center, and each lecture includes a moderated discussion with Andy. After this series, I'll also be sharing with you a second series of lectures titled "Studying China from Elsewhere," which will include talks by Maria Repnikova, Mike Lampton, William Hurst, and Maggie Lewis — many of whom Sinica listeners will know from the show. This week's talk is from FrederickTeiwes, truly a legend in the field. The American-born Australian sinologist is best known for his analysis of Chinese Communist Party elite politics. He served as a professor emeritus in Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney until his retirement in 2006. Teiwes has frequently collaborated with Warren Sun, producing seminal works such as The Tragedy of Lin Biao (1996) and China’s Road to Disaster: Mao, Central Politicians and Provincial Leaders in the Great Leap Forward, 1955-59 (1999). In this talk, he focuses on forthcoming work on the transition following Mao Zedong's death in 1976. Great thanks to Andy and to Hasta Colman, who first suggested this collaboration when we met in Shanghai recently. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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  6. ١٩ رجب

    Xiaohongshu's "TikTok Refugees," with Ivy Yang and David Fishman

    I know I'd said last time there would be no show this week, but that was before this fascinating episode involving TikTok users signing up en masse to Xiaohongshu. Hilarity ensued, and my two guests — Ivy Yang, who runs Wavelet Strategy, an expert in cross-cultural communication, and David Fishman, Shanghai-based senior manager at Lantau Group who specializes in the Chinese energy sector and writes wonderfully about his excursions into the Chinese countryside. They've both been following this fascinating episode closely and have really smart things to say, so enjoy! 5:10 – How the migration of American Tiktokers to Xiaohongshu started  8:51 – A brief overview of Xiaohongshu: its users, typical content, and culture, including its “we’re all in this together” vibe   15:35 – The significance of Xiaohongshu as a Chinese app  19:48 – The scale of the American TikTok refugees phenomenon, and official reactions in the U.S. 24:52 – How Xiaohongshu has managed and reacted to the refugee phenomenon so far, and the PR opportunity presented for the PRC 29:33 – The Chinese government’s perspective  34:54 – Wholesome and interesting exchanges, and what American and Chinese users are finding surprising or amusing about each other’s cultures 38:50 – Why this new online encounter between Chinese and Americans is different from before  43:23 – The danger of irrational exuberance, and other risks the Xiaohongshu migration phenomenon presents  47:52 – The potential for a change in American thinking about China  Paying It Forward:  Ivy: Caiwei Chen David: Robert Wu and Amber Zhang, especially their work on Baiguan, and Robert’s Substack China Translated, especially his essay, “The Great Divorce” Recommendations: Ivy: Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence by Dr. Anna Lembke  David: Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China by Peter Hessler Kaiser: Other works by Peter Hessler (River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze; Country Driving: A Chinese Road Trip; and Other Rivers: A Chinese Education), and Telecaster type electric guitars, especially the Sire Larry Carlton T7 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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  7. ١٦ رجب

    Lizzi Lee on China's Economy and the Trump Presidency

    This week on Sinica, I'm joined by Lizzi Lee, fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute and by my lights one of the most astute, well-informed people writing on China in the English-speaking world today. She has fascinating perspectives on China's preparations for the Trump administration, on China's reluctance to roll out large-scale cash stimulus, and Xi Jinping's challenges. Don't miss this one! (I will update the show notes and publish the transcript early next week — thanks for your patience!) 3:39 – Lizzi’s argument from her op-ed, “Counting the Hawks in the Trump 2.0 Administration is Pointless”: the importance of which country will be able to get its act together  10:25 – U.S.-China competition as a long game, from China’s perspective 14:22 – How China views the current state of division in American politics 19:00 – The main risks and opportunities for China presented by Trump’s return, including opportunities in the geopolitical realm with the Europeans  28:09 – The state of China’s domestic economy 33:28 – Counterarguments to critiques of China’s cautious deployment of stimulus, and where Lizzi stands on the issue  43:46 – Lizzi’s thoughts on deflation in the Chinese economy  49:30 – The idea of accepting short-term pain for long-term gain in economic recovery  53:59 – Xi Jinping’s vision for China’s economy  58:46 – How Xi Jinping’s ideological language can be challenging for officials and markets  1:03:57 – How China’s political calendar has hindered execution of policy  1:06:42 – What Lizzi thinks the Chinese leadership should prioritize now Paying it Forward: Lizzi recommends the work of Barclay Bram, especially his series on Chinese youth at the Asia Society here. Recommendations: Lizzi: Grazia Ting Deng’s book Chinese Espresso: Contested Race and Convivial Space in Contemporary Italy Kaiser: More historical fiction by Robert Harris, including An Officer and a Spy and Munich. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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A weekly discussion of current affairs in China with journalists, writers, academics, policymakers, business people and anyone with something compelling to say about the country that's reshaping the world. Hosted by Kaiser Kuo.

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