ChinaPower CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, we are joined by Mr. July Amador to discuss the Philippines’s view of the recent escalation of tensions in the South China Sea and China’s behavior in the waters and beyond. Mr. Amador dives into China’s coercive tactics in the Second Thomas Shoal and the Scarborough Shoal and its repeated violations of international law in those areas. He speaks to China’s advantages in resources and the staying power it possesses, giving it an edge over the Philippines and other regional actors. Mr. Amador highlights the need for collective action by the international community to condemn China’s actions and further bolster support and resources for the Philippines. 
July Amador is executive director of the Philippine-American Educational Foundation. Previously, he was a civil servant in the Philippine government working on foreign affairs and national security. He continues to be active in Track 1.5 and Track 2 diplomacy and specializes on Philippine foreign policy and national security, US-Philippine alliance, and regional security.

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, we are joined by Dr. Dawn Murphy to discuss China’s engagement with the global south, particularly the Middle East. Murphy lays out drivers of China’s engagement with the Middle East, which includes securing access to resources and markets and obtaining support for PRC policies. At the same time, China is building an alternative order in the Middle East, deepening relations with regional actors across the board. She argues that Beijing’s approach towards the Israel-Hamas conflict is consistent with its prior positions on tensions in the region. She explains that despite China’s growing influence in the region, it is not clear Beijing believes it can or should do more to end the Israel-Hamas conflict aside from facilitating dialogue among regional stakeholders. Beijing is unlikely to use its leverage to pressure Iran or other actors. Finally, she notes that China benefits from a stable and peaceful Middle East and there is potential for the United States and China to find common ground. Washington should understand the limits of Beijing’s willingness to become involved.
Dr. Dawn Murphy is the author of the book “China’s Rise in the Global South: The Middle East, Africa, and Beijing’s Alternative World Order.” Dr. Murphy is an associate professor of National Security Strategy at the U.S. National War College. She specializes in Chinese foreign policy and domestic politics and U.S.-China relations. Her research analyzes China’s interests as a rising global power and its behavior towards the existing international order.  

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, we are joined by Dr. Daniel Kliman to discuss the new special report released by the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, titled How the People’s Republic of China Seeks to Reshape the Global Information Environment. Dr. Kliman underscored PRC ambitions for controlling the global information landscape and what that means for the U.S. and its allies. Dr. Kliman also shines light on specific PRC tactics, including five different ways China engages in information manipulation. Finally, he highlights how the United States is working with key allies and partners. 
Dr. Daniel Kliman is the director of the Global Engagement Center’s China Division. Previously, he worked in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, where he served as Senior Advisor for Asia Integration. He was the former Program Director and Senior Fellow for the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. He has also worked at the German Marshall Fund as a Senior Advisor with the Asia Program. Dan is an expert in Asia-Pacific strategy, with a particular focus on U.S. competition with China.   

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, we are joined by Ilaria Mazzocco to discuss China’s booming automotive industry. Ilaria explains that the Chinese government’s support for the industry plays a big role in its rapid developments. She also unpacks the growing popularity of Chinese-manufactured vehicles and Chinese car brands. Finally, Ilaria highlights the need for the United States and the European Commission to provide incentives for their companies to be more innovative to compete with the Chinese auto industry.
Dr. Ilaria Mazzocco is a senior fellow with the Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics at CSIS. Prior to joining CSIS, she was a senior research associate at the Paulson Institute, where she led research on Chinese climate and energy policy for Macropolo, the institute’s think tank. She holds a PhD from the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where her dissertation investigated Chinese industrial policy by focusing on electric vehicle promotion efforts and the role of local governments.

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, we are joined by Ian Johnson to discuss his new book Sparks: China’s Underground Historians and Their Battle for the Future, which sheds light on China’s dissident journals and historians. Ian explains that Xi Jinping has made shaping narratives of history one of his signature priorities. He further explains how underground historians are still fighting to control the understanding of Chinese history and, with time, could shape the future trajectory of their country. Johnson urges Western intellectuals to engage with these Chinese historians and to understand the diversity of views within China.
Ian Johnson is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and is an expert on Chinese politics, society, and religion. He has lived more than twenty years in China as a student, journalist, and teacher. His work appears regularly in The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, and other publications, and for five years he was on the editorial board of The Journal of Asian Studies.  

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, we are joined by David Logan and Phil Saunders, who’ve recently co-authored a new report titled Discerning the Drivers of China’s Nuclear Force Development: Models, Indicators, and Data. They lay out the six models developed in the report and explain which models are the most compelling for explaining China’s behavior. Dr. Logan dives into the expansion in size, structure, and capabilities of China’s nuclear stockpile in the last 10 years but highlights the fact that there has been no official announcement on China’s reasoning for this build-up. In the context of this expansion, Dr. Saunders points out that China is showing signs that its nuclear strategy could be shifting, and he notes that the prospects of strategic arms control have become more complicated.
Dr. David Logan is an Assistant Professor of Security Studies at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He previously taught in the National Security Affairs Department at the Naval War College and conducted research for the Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs at the National Defense University, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and the Office of Net Assessment. His research focuses on nuclear weapons, arms control, deterrence, and the U.S.-China security relationship.
Dr. Phil Saunders is Director of the Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs at the National Defense University. He previously worked at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, where he served as Director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program and taught courses on Chinese politics, Chinese foreign policy, and East Asian security. He has conducted research and consulted on East Asian security issues, as well as Asia policy issues.