China Field Notes – with Scott Kennedy

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China Field Notes – with Scott Kennedy

Understanding China has become more difficult than ever. It has also become more important than ever. Whether the United States and China are rivals, partners, or a mix of both, effective policy will only be as good as the information on which it is based. Host Scott Kennedy, the Senior Adviser and Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics at CSIS, has been one of the few American scholars to travel between Washington and Beijing in recent years. His travels are driven by a firm belief that field research, direct observation, and talking and listening to Chinese perspectives must be a part of our toolkit to understand the People’s Republic of China. Join Scott as he speaks to Chinese leaders from business, government, and academia, as well as foreigners who have spent many years living and working in China, on what makes China tick, where the country is going, what connects us, and what divides us. We’ll dive into all of that and more on China Field Notes – with Scott Kennedy.

  1. SEP 16

    The Evolution of China’s Government Affairs Industry: A Conversation with Yuan Haiying

    On this episode of China Field Notes, Scott Kennedy speaks with Yuan Haiying, one of the pioneers of the government affairs profession in China. Yuan explains the origins of the industry, how it has changed and evolved throughout his career, how the field help Chinese and foreign multinational companies navigate current geopolitical challenges, and the profession’s future. Yuan then provides his outlook on the recently concluded Third Plenum economic conference and other opportunities and challenges in China’s economy today. Yuan Haiying founded Yuan Associates in February 2004, and since then he and the firm have become major players in China’s growing government affairs industry. Yuan has thirty years of experience in the Chinese Government, including senior diplomatic postings in Washington D.C., as China’s Agriculture Attaché, and in Rome, as the Alternate Representative to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. He has been involved in negotiations on numerous bilateral and multilateral agreements in the areas of trade, investment, agriculture, forestry, fishery and environmental protection. For his efforts, he received an Outstanding Contribution Certificate from the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and Outstanding Contribution Awards from the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In China, Yuan was the Director of the Ministry of Forestry’s Department of International Cooperation. After retiring from public service, Yuan worked as a Senior Vice President at Edelman Public Relations and as a Vice President at APCO Worldwide. Yuan chaired the Government Affairs Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce and the China Quality Brands Protection Committee (QBPC) of the Chinese Government Cooperation Committee.

    34 min

  2. AUG 12

    Innovation in the Fast Lane: Discussing China’s Auto Industry with Michael Laske

    On this episode of China Field Notes, Scott Kennedy speaks with Michael Laske, a sage veteran auto industry consultant in China. In this in-depth conversation, he explains how over the last three decades China’s domestic auto firms went from being students in joint ventures to achieving global leadership in electric vehicles and batteries. He analyzes why Chinese industrial policy has been more effective in this sector than in others as well as the important value to the West of having their firms in China and Chinese firms in the Western markets. Since 1995, Michael has led the development of AVL List GMBH in China. AVL List is the leading provider of engineering and technology development support, and hardware and software testing solutions necessary for innovation and technology development in mobility sectors, particularly automotive applications. He has witnessed and directly participated in the growth of the automotive sector in China, as China eventually emerged as the largest market and later as a major source of technical innovation and exports. Michael believes that the automotive sector and its global relationships provide important insight into and strongly influence global geopolitical strategy and commercial developments. Michael Laske received an MA and an East Asian Institute Certificate from Columbia University’s School of International Affairs in 1980. Following four years in Taiwan, Michael and his family moved to China in January 1989, where he remains based.

    1h 1m

  3. JUL 11

    Taiwan’s Semiconductor Success: Industry Expert Jack Chang

    On this episode of China Field Notes, Scott Kennedy speaks with Jack Chang, one of the world’s foremost experts on Taiwan’s semiconductor industry. They discuss the industry in-depth, from the original policies that led to the establishment of companies like TSMC and UMC to disruptions during the Covid-19 pandemic. The conversation then shifts to the current semiconductor landscape, including the challenges of U.S.-China tensions, increasing overseas investments, and debates about the meaning of supply chain resilience. Finally, they discuss future industry trends, including shifts to more advanced nodes and the exploration of alternative semiconductor materials like germanium. Dr. Jack C. Chang recently retired from the Industry, Science and Technology International Strategy Center of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) in Chutung, Taiwan, after 34 years of service. Most recently, he was senior strategy executive director for sustainability. During his tenure at ITRI, Chang served as principal investigator of various technology, policy & market research projects from public and private sectors. He also serves as an adjunct professor at the Graduate Institute of Patent of the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology in Taipei.

    29 min

  4. MAY 29

    Investing in Innovation: Primavera Capital’s Veronica Li

    On this episode of China Field Notes, Scott Kennedy speaks with Veronica Li of Primavera Capital Group. They discuss her pathway to a career in finance and how Primavera weighs U.S.-China competition, China’s economy, and entrepreneurial innovation in China when making when making investment decisions. They focus on the trajectory of the EV industry and how markets may change in response to emerging technologies.

    29 min

  5. MAR 27

    Building a Path Forward: Peking University’s Yu Tiejun on U.S.-China Scholarly Recoupling

    On this episode of China Field Notes, Scott Kennedy speaks with Yu Tiejun, Professor and President of Peking University’s Institute of International and Strategic Studies (IISS). This conversation accompanies a new report and event culminating a two-year initiative of the CSIS Trustee Chair and IISS to avoid U.S.-China scholarly decoupling and restore ties amongst scholars, students, universities and think tanks. Yu and Kennedy recount the benefits and surprises of their exchanges between Beijing and Washington, the background that led to Yu to study international affairs, the role of IISS in China, and the importance of renewed collaboration in the current environment.

    27 min

  6. FEB 15

    Observing the Iowa Caucuses: China’s Xie Tao on American Politics

    On this timely episode of China Field Notes, Scott Kennedy is joined by Xie Tao, Dean and Professor of the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University. Xie speaks to Scott after a remarkable trip with his students to the United States to observe the 2024 Iowa caucuses amidst a historic blizzard. They discuss how Xie became interested in studying American politics, the importance of field research, the difficulties he encountered entering the U.S., his impressions from Iowa, and his view of America’s future. Although Xie is from China, his observations most strikingly reflect the perspective of a political scientist. Xie Tao is Dean and Professor of the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University. He holds a PhD in political science from Northwestern University (2007). His research interests include U.S. Congress, elections, public opinion, and U.S.-China relations. His research has been published in the Journal of Contemporary China and American Politics Research, as well as leading journals in China. He is the author of U.S.-China Relations: China Policy on Capitol Hill (Routledge 2009 and Living with the Dragon: How the American Public Views the Rise of China (with Benjamin I. Page, Columbia University Press, 2010).

    38 min

  7. 12/20/2023

    China’s Climate Outlook Following COP28: ASPI China Climate Hub Director Li Shuo

    On this special episode of China Field Notes, Scott Kennedy is joined by Trustee Chair Senior Fellow Ilaria Mazzocco for a timely conversation with Li Shuo, Director of the new China Climate Hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute. Li joins Scott and Ilaria at the tail end of the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai. They discuss how Li became passionate about the environment and climate issues, the pros and cons of China’s “all of the above” energy strategy, US-China climate cooperation, and China’s evolving role in global climate governance.

    27 min

  8. 12/12/2023

    Candid Business Diplomacy: A Conversation about China with Joerg Wuttke

    Join Scott Kennedy for a discussion with Joerg Wuttke, one of the most influential foreign business leaders in China in the past fifty years. They discuss Wuttke’s long career in China, the different approaches to China of the European and American chambers of commerce, the legacy of Dr. Henry Kissinger, and China’s future trajectory.

    33 min
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About

Understanding China has become more difficult than ever. It has also become more important than ever. Whether the United States and China are rivals, partners, or a mix of both, effective policy will only be as good as the information on which it is based. Host Scott Kennedy, the Senior Adviser and Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics at CSIS, has been one of the few American scholars to travel between Washington and Beijing in recent years. His travels are driven by a firm belief that field research, direct observation, and talking and listening to Chinese perspectives must be a part of our toolkit to understand the People’s Republic of China. Join Scott as he speaks to Chinese leaders from business, government, and academia, as well as foreigners who have spent many years living and working in China, on what makes China tick, where the country is going, what connects us, and what divides us. We’ll dive into all of that and more on China Field Notes – with Scott Kennedy.

Information

  • Channel
    CSIS
  • Creator
    Center for Strategic and International Studies
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2024
  • Episodes
    13
  • Copyright
    © 2023 Center for Strategic and International Studies

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