ChinaPower

In this episode, Mona Yacoubian joins Bonny Lin to discuss the current state of the war in Iran, the economic ramifications of the war, and Beijing's evolving relationship with Tehran. The conversation explores China's "stealth support" for Iran and the extent of Beijing's influence over Tehran as well as whether China is using that leverage to help bring the conflict to an end.

Mona Yacoubian is director and senior adviser of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

This episode was recorded on the...

In this episode, Demetri Sevastopulo and Xiangwei Wang join the ChinaPower Podcast to discuss the current state of U.S.-China relations and what to watch for at the Trump-Xi summit in Washington, D.C. Demetri provides the inside scoop as one of very few people to interview US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent after his meeting with Chinese vice-premier He Lifeng ahead of the summit. Xiangwei provides his expert take on Xi Jinping's thinking as former editor-in-chief for the South China Morning Post. They examine efforts to stabilize U.S.-China relations and assess how issues ranging from AI...

In this episode, Dr. Da Wei joins the ChinaPower Podcast to preview this month's Trump-Xi summit in Washington, D.C., and to discuss China's expectations for the meeting. He examines how Beijing views the current trajectory of U.S.-China relations, why he believes the relationship may be entering a more stable phase, and how economic and technology competition, Taiwan, and the war in Iran could shape the leaders' discussions.

Da Wei is Director of the Center for International Security and Strategy and Professor in the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University in China.

In this second episode of a two-part series on China and biotechnology, Caitlin Frazer joins the ChinaPower Podcast to take a deeper dive into recommendations for how the United States can maintain its leadership in biotechnology as China expands its capabilities in the field. The conversation explores the rising importance of biological data, the intersection of AI and biotechnology, the possibilities of biotech for military logistics, and the growing national security implications the United States. 

Caitlin Frazer is Executive Director of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology.  

For Part I: https://chinapower.csis.org/pod...

In this first episode of a two-part series on China and biotechnology, Senator Todd Young joins the ChinaPower Podcast to discuss why biotechnology is emerging as a critical area of competition between the United States and China. The conversation examines China's biotechnology strategy, U.S. strengths and vulnerabilities, and the opportunities biotechnology presents for economic growth, manufacturing, and national security.

Senator Todd Young represents Indiana in the U.S. Senate and serves as Chair of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology.

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Ngor Luong joins us to discuss the rapid rise of Chinese startup Moonshot AI's Kimi K3 model, China’s open AI strategy, and the implications for U.S.-China competition. Drawing on her recent paper, Two Loops: How China's Open AI Strategy Reinforces Its Industrial Dominance, she examines China's rapidly expanding open AI ecosystem, unpacks the "two loops" framework behind China's AI development strategy, and assesses the implications of the growing global diffusion of Chinese AI models. 

Ngor Luong is Senior Policy Analyst on the Technology and Innovation team at the US-China Ec...

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Kristi Govella joins us to discuss the latest developments in China-Japan relations amid rising tensions between the two countries following Prime Minister Takaichi's comments on Taiwan last November. Building on a CSIS commentary published late last year, she examines how China has increased economic, diplomatic, and military pressure on Japan, how Tokyo has responded, and what these developments reveal about the future of the relationship. The conversation also explores Japan's growing cooperation with the United States and other partners and the prospects for de-escalation. 

Kristi Govella is senior adviser and Japan Chai...

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Courtney Weatherby joins us to discuss the growing crisis of scam centers in Southeast Asia. She explains how these operations function, the role of Chinese criminal networks, and their impact on the United States. The conversation explores the rise of AI-enabled scams, recent enforcement actions in Cambodia, China's selective crackdowns on scam networks, and opportunities for greater international cooperation to combat transnational cybercrime.

Courtney Weatherby is Deputy Director of the Stimson Center’s Southeast Asia program.

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Victor Cha joins us to discuss Xi Jinping’s recent visit to North Korea, his first in nearly seven years. He examines what the summit reveals about China’s evolving approach to North Korea, including the absence of any discussion on denuclearization. The conversation also explores North Korea’s growing leverage between China and Russia, the possibility of renewed Trump-Kim diplomacy, and the broader implications for U.S. allies in the region.

Victor Cha is President of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea Chair at the Center for St...

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Dr. Evan Medeiros join us to unpack President Putin’s visit to Beijing. They discuss what the timing reveals about China’s diplomatic strategy after the Trump–Xi meeting, and how both sides used optics to serve their own interests. The conversation explores Russia’s growing dependence on China, the limits of the partnership including the stalled Power of Siberia II pipeline, and what to watch for in China-Russia security cooperation.

Andrea Kendall-Taylor is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center f...

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Ambassador Edgard Kagan joins us to unpack President Trump’s recent summit with President Xi Jinping. He discusses the contrasting U.S. and Chinese readouts, Beijing’s push for a “constructive relationship of strategic stability,” and the priorities of each side. The conversation examines China’s role in Iran, Taiwan, and what to watch as Trump and Xi prepare for additional meetings later this year. 

Ambassador Edgard Kagan is senior adviser and Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Zhang Chuchu joins us to discuss how China views the war in Iran and what the conflict means for China’s interests and strategy in the Middle East. She explains Chinese concerns about regional spillover, energy security, and the erosion of trust in international negotiations. The conversation also discusses China’s diplomatic approach and what the conflict means for U.S.–China relations and the upcoming Trump–Xi leadership meeting. 

Zhang Chuchu is an associate professor at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs and deputy director at the Center...

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Albert Tzeng and Dr. Dennis Weng join us to explore domestic politics in Taiwan, with a particular focus on two key developments related to the Kuomintang (KMT) party, Taiwan’s largest opposition party. We examine the April visit of KMT Chairwomen Cheng Li-wun to China to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and KMT Taichung City Mayor Lu Shiow-yen’s March trip to the United States. We discuss what these trips showcase about Taiwan’s domestic politics, dynamics within the KMT, the KMT’s current stance on Taiwan’s relations with China and...

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Arne Westad joins us to discuss his new book, The Coming Storm: Power, Conflict, and Warnings from History. He explains why the years leading up to World War I, rather than the Cold War, offer a striking parallel from history for today’s U.S.–China relationship and great power competition. He highlights how mistrust, multipolarity, and unclear strategic aims can fuel miscalculation. The conversation examines how flashpoints such as Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula, and India–China tensions could escalate under these conditions, why rapid technological change and weak crisis communication heighten risks...

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Robert Greenway joins us to discuss key findings from his new report, TIDALWAVE: Strategic Exploitation and Sustainment in a US–China Conflict. The conversation explores China’s vulnerabilities in fuel and ammunition sustainment and how instability in the Middle East could affect PLA operations. He also discusses the risks associated with the sustainment gaps facing U.S. forces and potential steps Washington and its partners could consider to strengthen their position.
Robert Greenway is the Director of the Allison Center for National Security at The Heritage Foundation.

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Witold Rodkiewicz joins us to discuss Russian elite assessments of the China‑Russia relationship at the strategic level, how they interpret China’s growing power and the emerging U.S.–China competition, and whether U.S. policy can still influence Moscow’s strategic trajectory.
Witold Rodkiewicz is a Senior Fellow in the Russian Department at the Centre for East European Studies.

In this special episode of the China Power Podcast, listen to our recent event assessing Xi Jinping’s widespread purges of China’s military and what they reveal about China’s priorities, dynamics within the PLA, and China’s overall military readiness.

To discuss these issues, our event brought together six leading experts on China: Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens (Associate Professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin), Mr. John Culver (Nonresident Senior Fellow in the John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings), Mr. Jon Czin (Michael H. Armacost Chair in Foreign P...

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, William Hannas and Hugh Grant‑Chapman join us to discuss key findings from Bill’s new report, China’s Embodied AI: A Path to AGI, as well as the CSIS report Is China Leading the Robotics Revolution? They examine why Chinese researchers view embodied AI as a critical pathway toward advanced intelligence, how Beijing is prioritizing robotics and physical‑world AI applications, and what lessons China’s AI strategy may offer for other countries.

William Hannas is the Lead Analyst at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, or CSET. Before joi...

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Thomas Shugart and Michael Dahm join us to discuss key findings from their new report, Flooding the Zone: The Use of Civilian Landing Craft (LCTs) in PLA Amphibious Operations. They examine how civilian landing craft could provide the PLA with over-the-shore lift several times greater than its traditional landing ships in a Taiwan scenario, bridging the gap between beach assaults and port access. The conversation explores the operational constraints and vulnerabilities of LCTs and how these developments fit into Beijing’s broader strategy and 2027 military modernization goals.

Thomas Shugart is an Ad...

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Ryan Berg and Evan Ellis join us to assess the regional and global implications of the U.S. capture of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. They discuss how Beijing is interpreting the operation, what it signals about U.S. priorities, and the lessons China may draw for its military planning and approach to Taiwan.

Ryan Berg is director of the Americas Program and head of the Future of Venezuela Initiative at CSIS.
Evan Ellis is a research professor of Latin American studies at the U.S. Army War College Strategic...

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Randy Schriver and Mike Kuiken join us to discuss key findings from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission’s 2025 Annual Report to Congress, which they helped draft. They examine how Beijing is increasingly using the PLA for political signaling, how China’s treatment of space as a warfighting domain marks a notable shift, and how China’s dominance across key supply chain choke points creates structural vulnerabilities for the U.S. and global markets. The conversation also covers several other recommendations from the report, including proposals related to Taiwan’s role in supporti...

In this episode of the China Power Podcast, Chad Sbragia joins us to discuss the current state of U.S.-China mil-mil relations and the overall defense relationship between the two countries. He provides his insight into the continuities and changes in defense ties between the countries from the first Trump administration until now and the current opportunities that exist for greater engagement and increased understanding between the two sides. Sbragia also discusses his key takeaways from this year’s Xiangshan forum, Beijing’s premier defense and security forum, and what he is looking out for in the upcoming rele...

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Elizabeth Economy examines the key outcomes of China’s Fourth Plenum and what they reveal about Beijing’s evolving economic priorities and push for technological self-reliance ahead of the release of the 15th Five-Year Plan. She discusses China’s strategy in the U.S.-China trade war, including its expanding retaliatory toolkit, rare-earth export controls, and the global pushback triggered by China’s industrial overcapacity. She concludes by assessing how domestic pressures and external frictions will shape China’s policy direction and its economic engagement with the United States over the next few years.

Dr. Elizabet...

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 Chai...

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 tr...

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Mohammed Alsudairi and Dr. Andrea Ghiselli join us to discuss their newly released book Narratives of Sino-Middle Eastern Futures. They challenge prevailing narratives that frame China’s engagement in the Middle East primarily through the lens of U.S.–China rivalry and offer alternative perspectives by drawing on extensive Arabic and Chinese-language sources to highlight how regional actors themselves interpret and shape their relationships with Beijing. Drawing on Saudi Arabia and Syria as the two core case studies in their book, they show how regional  perceptions of China diverge sharply depending on va...

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Ching Kwan Lee joins us to discuss her newly released book Forever Hong Kong: A Global City’s Decolonization Struggle. She reframes the 2019 Hong Kong protests not merely as a fight for democracy, but as the culmination of a two-decade decolonization struggle that sought to redefine the city’s identity, economy, and society. Dr. Lee first explains how Hong Kong experienced double colonization - first under Britain, then under Beijing - each system of rule justified through race, from colonial difference to China’s coercive sameness. Dr. Lee also explores Beijing’s contra...

In this joint episode of Pekingology and the ChinaPower Podcast, CSIS Freeman Chair Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin and co-host CSIS China Power Project Deputy Director and Fellow Brian Hart are joined by Dan Wang to discuss his new book, Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future. The conversation unpacks China’s monumentalism in its grand engineering projects, the advantages and consequences of building at such scale, China’s push to lead in key technologies, Beijing’s social engineering efforts, and much more.
Dan Wang is a research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover History Lab. Previously, he was a fellow at...

In this special episode, listen to one of CSIS’s newest podcasts, Echonomics, that investigates how past economic events in Asia continue to impact U.S. policy today. 

In the 1980s, Japanese companies were snapping up prime New York real estate and Japanese cars lined both Main Street and Wall Street, spiking economic anxiety in the U.S. As a result, Americans and politicians targeted the country, through the destruction of Japanese-made products and heavy tariffs. 

Today, China finds itself in a similar situation. 

Ambassador Carla Hills, Bill Reinsch, Craig Allen, Kim Menke, and D...

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Yanzhong Huang joins us to examine China’s growing influence over the global pharmaceutical industry and the risks it poses for the United States. Dr. Huang explains how China evolved from a low-cost manufacturer of chemical inputs to a comprehensive pharmaceutical power producing advanced drugs and playing an important role in global pharmaceutical innovation. He highlights areas of acute U.S. dependence, from antibiotics and vitamins to critical precursor chemicals, and recounts how the Covid-19 pandemic underscored the vulnerability of U.S. supply chains. Dr. Huang explains the highly interdependent nature of...

In this special episode, listen to one of CSIS’s newest podcasts, Echonomics, that investigates how past economic events in Asia continue to impact U.S. policy today. 

After decades of negotiations, promises to open its markets, and convincing the Chinese people of the country’s next step, China officially joined the World Trade Organization in 2001. Wendy Cutler, Ambassador Xiangchen Zhang, and Bill Reinsch discuss why China and the world wanted the country to join the WTO and why many have come to regret it. 

Check out other episodes here. 

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Ms. Mona Yacoubian and Mr. Tuvia Gering join us to unpack the latest escalation between Israel and Iran and explore how China is navigating this evolving conflict. They begin by situating the conflict in the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 attack, which triggered a series of strikes by Iranian-backed militias that eventually led to direct Israel-Iran military confrontations. Ms. Yacoubian outlines how Israeli strikes were timed around a perceived window of Iranian vulnerability and rising concerns over Iran’s nuclear enrichment levels. Mr. Gering describes a significant paradigm shift in Israeli security doct...

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Ms. Meia Nouwens and Ms. Veerle Nouwens join us to discuss key takeaways from the recent 2025 IISS Shangri-La Dialogue. They start by discussing the significance of the dialogue as a high-level forum for discussion between governments on issues impacting Asian security and they highlight some of the major topics that countries repeatedly brought up throughout sessions, with cross-regional security, hybrid threats, and uncertainty in the international order as three of the most prominent. They unpack President Macron’s speech, who, they note, is the first European leader who has ever been invited to...

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Ely Ratner joins us to discuss the case for a defense pact in the Indo-Pacific. Dr. Ratner starts by laying out his argument of why he thinks now is the right time for this type of agreement, discussing that the pact may serve to help maintain stability and deterrence in the region amidst China’s aggressive ambitions to reshape the global order. Dr. Ratner discusses the four countries, U.S., Japan, Australia, and the Philippines, that he believes the pact will include to start with and what their responsibilities will be wi...

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Joseph Torigian joins us to discuss his newly released book The Party’s Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping. Dr. Torigian describes the life and struggle of Xi Zhongxun as a party official during the Cultural revolution and specifically the impact he had on the life and political views of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Dr. Torigian notes that his book utilizes the story of Xi Zhongxun’s life as a lens to better understand how the Party works and why both Xi Zhongxun and Xi Jinp...

In this episode of the ChinaPower podcast, Dr. Janka Oertel joins us to discuss the evolving relationship between Europe and China, and how Europe views both economic ties and security challenges posed by Beijing. She argues that China is not engaging in a successful charm offensive. Dr. Oertel describes how both the first and second Trump administration have shaped economic and security dynamics within the China-Europe relationship and outlines how Europe-China relations have become increasingly strained by competitive economic pressures imposed by China, such as issues with overcapacity, as well as how China’s support for Russia following its fu...

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Eric Labs and Dr. Matthew Funaiole join us to explore the widening gap in U.S.-China shipbuilding capabilities. They begin by examining the evolution in U.S.-China shipbuilding industrial capacity since World War II. Dr. Labs points out that while China’s shipbuilding industrial capacity has grown substantially due to large-scale state subsidies and government support, the U.S. has steadily fallen behind in production capacity since the 1960s with the rise of Japan and South Korea shipbuilding industries and the end of construction differential subsidies in the early 1980s...

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Scott Kennedy joins us to discuss the recent escalation in tariffs between the U.S. and China. Dr. Kennedy starts with laying out the current situation, as it was on April 14th when the podcast was recorded, with the Trump administration placing 145% tariffs on China and China retaliating with roughly 125 % tariffs on the United States. Dr. Kennedy notes that this level of escalation is not what many experts expected and explains that many in China believe that the U.S. is using the tariffs to drive the U.S. and China...

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Jeffrey Ding joins us to discuss U.S.-China artificial intelligence (AI) competition and his book, Technology and the Rise of Great Powers: How Diffusion Shapes Economic Competition. Dr. Ding describes the framework he uses to understand the competition between the US and China on AI and explains that while many assume leading a technological competition comes from developing the next breakthrough invention, it should actually be centered around the diffusion of these technologies throughout their population of users. Technological leadership, therefore, depends on which country can best transfer and spread...

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Joel Wuthnow and Dr. Phil Saunders join us to discuss their new book on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA): “China’s Quest for Military Supremacy.” They begin by explaining the motivations behind their book and the growing demand for a comprehensive resource on the PLA among students, policymakers, and defense practitioners. Dr. Wuthnow then outlines how the PLA has entered a “new era” under Xi Jinping, characterized by greater confidence, structural reforms, and an expanding operational reach. Dr. Saunders then highlights how the PLA is increasingly being used to shape the Indo-Pac...