Sinica Podcast

Kaiser Kuo
  • 4.7 (589)
  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED SEMIMONTHLY
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. 3D AGO

    Adam Tooze Climbs the China Learning Curve

    I'm in Shaxi, a wonderful little town in the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, and I was joined here by the Columbia economic historian Adam Tooze, who shared his thoughts on what he sees happening on the ground in China. Adam's been in China for the last month and reflects on his experiences learning about the country — and even attempting the language! 03:49 - The economic situation in China 10:42 - Patterns of consumption in China 14:38 - China’s industrial policy and renewable energy  18:52 - China vs. the U.S. on renewables 26:15 - China’s economic engagement with the Global South 33:13- Beijing’s strategic shift and Europe’s rethinking 37:49- The recent European Parliament paper 42:43 - Learning about China as an “Outsider”  51:31 - Adam’s evolving views on China  59:30 - Paying it Forward 01:01:07 - Recommendations  Paying it Forward: Kyle Chan, Pekingology. Recommendations: Adam: Caught by the Tide, Jia Zhangke (movie). Kaiser: Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI, Karen Hao (book), Vera, or Faith, Gary Shteyngart (book). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1h 3m

  2. JUN 25

    Carnegie's Tong Zhao on the Expansion of China's Nuclear Arsenal

    This week on Sinica, in a show taped in early June in Washington, Kaiser chats with Tong Zhao (赵通) of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a leading expert on Chinese nuclear doctrine, about why the PRC has, in recent years, significantly increased the size of its nuclear arsenal. Zhao offers a master class in the practice of strategic empathy. 03:12 – China’s nuclear doctrine: core principles 06:56 – Xi Jinping’s leadership and nuclear policy 12:33 – Symbolism vs. strategy: Defensive or offensive buildup? 16:55 – What’s driving the nuclear expansion? 28:33 – Trump’s second term: Impact on China’s strategic thinking 34:34 – Nukes and Taiwan 41:45 – Washington and Beijing nuclear doctrines perceptions 48:04 - China’s perspective on the Golden Dome program 52:32 - China’s Stance on North Korea’s nuclear program  01:01:00 - Beijing’s View on North Korean troops in Ukraine Paying it forward: David Logan, at Tufts University Recommendations: Tong:  Yellowstone, TV series  Kaiser: Gomorrah, TV series  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1h 10m

  3. JUN 18

    The Strange Afterlife of an American Football Story from China

    In 2014, the writer Christopher Beam published a humorous, heartwarming story in The New Republic about an unlikely team of American football enthusiasts in Chongqing who went on to defeat their archrivals in Shanghai to win a championship. The piece was optioned by Sony Pictures, and had some big names attached, but was ultimately never made — not, at least, by an American studio. Eleven years later, Chris has written about a film that was made: Clash, produced by iQiyi, hit theaters in China earlier this year and followed the Chongqing Dockers in the same story arc, but with important and telling differences. His new story was published in The Atlantic, and he talks to me about the Dockers and the long, strange story of the film that wasn't and the one that was. 03:50 – The Meaning of Chinese YOLO 05:33 – Chris’s First Meeting With the Chongqing Team 13:11 – Chris McLaurin’s Background 15:54 – American Football as a Symbol of Masculinity 19:50 – The Failed Hollywood Adaptation 25:34 – First Impressions of the Film 31:55 – Bridging Perspectives: Can a Movie Speak To Both Sides? 36:42 – A Lost Moment in Globalization Paying it Forward: Viola Zhou Recommendations:  Chris: Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte (short story collection) Kaiser: Becoming Led Zeppelin (documentary); the Beijing-based artist Michael Cherney. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    45 min

  4. JUN 11

    The Raider: China and the Life of Evans Carlson, with Historian Stephen Platt

    This week on Sinica, I chat with Stephen Platt, historian at UMass Amherst and author, most recently, of the book The Raider: The Untold Story of a Renegade Marine and the Birth of U.S. Special Forces in World War II. Like his previous works, Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom and Imperial Twilight, it offers a compelling narrative history of an overlooked chapter through a deeply empathetic and well-researched examination of individual lives. Please make sure to listen to the excerpt from the audiobook at the end of this podcast. 04:21 - Evans Carlson: A forgotten hero 07:49 - The Real Carlson vs. the constructed Carlson 10:04 - The book's origin 12:20 - Carlson's ideological transformation 16:50 - Carlson's religious beliefs and public perception 20:04 - Emerson's influence on Carlson's thinking  23:46 - Inner conflicts: Soul-searching or regret? 27:15 - Carlson's relationship with President Franklin D. Roosevelt 30:39 - Gung Ho Meetings: meaning, practice, and legacy 33:34 - Zhu De’s influence on Carlson  40:28 - Carlson’s relationships with Agnes Smedley and Edgar Snow 47:49 - Hopes for U.S.-China alliance  51:57 - Carlson’s death and his legacy  58:01 - Lessons from Carlson Paying it Forward: Peter Thilly, Emily Mokros Recommendations:  Stephen: 11.22.63 by Stephen King; Ted Chiang (author); Otoboke Beaver (band); Book of Mormon (musical) Kaiser: Wobbler (band); The Religion by Tim Willocks; Zappa (2020) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1h 22m

  5. JUN 10

    Industrial Policy, "Overcapacity," and U.S.-China Trade: A Conversation with Cambridge's Jostein Hauge

    This week on Sinica, I chat with Jostein Hauge, political economist and an Assistant Professor in Development Studies at the University of Cambridge, based at the Centre of Development Studies and the Department of Politics and International Studies, and author of the book The Future of the Factory: How Megatrends are Changing Industrialization. 3:09 – Self Introduction: Jostein Hauge 4:23 – Anti-China Sentiment in Western Discourse 7:40 – Misconceptions and Prevailing Narratives 10:08 – Technological Transfer and the Political Economy 12:18 – Historical Periods of Economic Rivalry  14:36 – Evolving Industrial Policy: From Japan’s MITI to China and the U.S. today 18:59 – China’s Contemporary Industrial Policy: Quality or Quantity?  21:13 – China as a Rising Power: Is History Repeating? 24:18 – The Sustainability of China’s Industrial Policy  26:43 – China, Overcapacity, and Global Imbalances 34:07 – Overcapacity: Economic Reality or Ideological Construct? 36:04 – China's domination in the renewable energy market 39:13 – China’s greenhouse gas emissions 43:17 – How China is reshaping the IP regime  48:14 – The U.S. national security stance and the trade war with China 55:10 – Europe’s approach to China Paying it forward: Kyle Chan at High Capacity Recommendations: Jostein: The White Lotus (TV Series) Kaiser: The Raider: The Untold Story of a Renegade Marine and the Birth of U.S. Special Forces in World War II by Stephen R. Platt See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1h 8m

  6. JUN 4

    Seeking the Next DeepSeek: the Chinese Generative AI Algorithm Registry, with Kendra Schaefer

    This week on Sinica, I speak with Kendra Schaefer, the partner at Trivium China who heads their tech practice. She recently published a fascinating paper looking at the Cyberspace Administration of China's comprehensive database of generative AI tools released in China, and she shares the insights and big takeaways from her research on that database. It's a terrific window into what Chinese firms, both private and state-affiliated, are doing with generative AI. 03:51 – Mandatory registration of generative AI Tools in China 10:28 – How does the CAC categorize AI Tools? 14:25 – State-affiliated vs. non-state-affiliated AI Tools 18:55 – Capability and competition of China's AI Industry 22:57 – Significance of Generative Algorithmic Tools (GAT) registration counts 26:06 – The application of GATs in the education sector 29:50 – The application of GATs in the healthcare Sector 31:00 – Underrepresentation of AI tools in other sectors 32:56 – Regional breakdown of AI innovation in China 36:07 – AI adoption across sectors: how companies integrate AI 40:21 – Standout projects by the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) 42:42 – How multinationals navigate China's tech regulations 47:50 – Role of foreign players in China's AI strategy 49:38 – Key takeaways from the AI development journey 53:41 -– Blind spots in AI data 57:25 – Kendra's future research direction Paying it Forward: Kenton Thibaut. Recommendations: Kendra: The Chinese Computer: A Global History of the Information Age by Thomas Mullaney. Kaiser: the Rhyming Chaos Podcast by Jeremy Goldkorn and Maria Repnikova See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1h 4m

  7. MAY 29 · BONUS

    Bonus Ep: Rubio's Visa Revocations, with Jeremy Goldkorn [Explicit]

    Jeremy Goldkorn joins for this largely unedited throwback to the early, sweary days of the show. We talk about the announcement made on Wednesday, 28 May 2025, on the "aggressive" revocation of Chinese student visas for students with Party "connections" or who study "critical fields." You've been warned! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    50 min

  8. MAY 22 · BONUS

    Ukraine, China, and the Emerging Geopolitics of Resource Security

    A bonus episode this week. On May 22, I moderated a panel organized by Vita Golod and the UNC Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies. The focus was on the U.S.-Ukraine Mineral Security Partnership, and it features Ivan Us, Chief Consultant at the Center for Foreign Policy at the National Institute for Strategic Studies; Jim Mullinax, a Senior Foreign Service Officer and former Consul General at the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu (closed in 2020); Grzegorz Stec, Senior Analyst and Head of the Brussels Office at MERICS; and Xu Qinduo, journalist at CGTN and Senior Fellow at the Pangoal Institution. The panel explores the background and the implications of the minerals deal, signed on May 1, 2025, for the ongoing war in Ukraine, and prospects for post-war reconstruction. I hope you enjoy what I thought was a fascinating conversation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1h 29m
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Hosts & Guests

4.7
out of 5
589 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Kaiser Kuo
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2025
  • Episodes
    508
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    Sinica Podcast

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