Bush China Foundation Podcast

The year 2023 has thus far been a turbulent one for the U.S.-China relationship. An already deeply strained relationship has been rocked further by a number of significant events. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently concluded a visit to Beijing with the stated purpose of re-establishing and reinvigorating high-level contact between the two governments stemming the hemorrhaging in the bilateral relationship.  What are the prospects for the U.S.-China relationship for the remainder of 2023 and beyond? Is a materially, or even incrementally, improved relationship between the two countries possible in the foreseeable future? Joining host David Firestein is Dr. Susan Shirk, a research professor and founding chair of the 21st Century China Center at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California San Diego and author of Overreach: How China Derailed Its Peaceful Rise.

The downturn in the U.S.-China relationship and the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled sharp increases in anti-Asian rhetoric and hate crimes. Yet, data on the reality of day-to-day life in the United States for Chinese Americans have been limited. To fill this gap in knowledge, the Committee of 100 and Columbia University administered a comprehensive survey late last year to highlight the demographic backgrounds, political opinions and engagement and health and economic status of Chinese Americans.Joining host Euhwa Tran, chief programs officer and chief of staff at the Bush China Foundation, are representatives of the two principle organizations conducting the research: Zhengyu “Z” Huang, president of the Committee of 100 and Qin Gao, associate dean for doctoral education at the Columbia University School of Social Work and the founding director of the Columbia China Center for Social Policy. 

A recent study found that 70% of young people between the ages of 16 and 25 are extremely worried or very worried about the climate. The latest assessment that the global temperature is rising faster than previously predicted has added urgency for action and radical changes. Climate and sustainability are inherently intergenerational, as we must think about our consumption and using our environment in a way that is compatible with maintaining it for future generations. What are the roles young people play to increase awareness and ensure sustainability and a better future for all? How do we foster intergenerational solidarity to create positive synergies and push forward change?

In recent years, China has moved to the center of the federal public policy agenda. Increasingly, it has become a significant topic at the state level, as well. The economic and commercial relationship between China and the state of Texas is substantial and indeed globally significant; China is among Texas' top export destinations and sources of imports and investment and Chinese students attend Texas universities in large numbers. Despite these connections, some Texas state legislators are introducing bills aimed at immigrants and visa holders from China. One effort, discussed in this podcast, would ban Chinese immigrants from acquiring and owning real property in the state of Texas. If passed, such legislation would likely have far-reaching, and perhaps not fully understood, consequences for the state's economy, inbound investment and the lives of the many Chinese immigrants who lawfully call Texas home. Another bill introduced after the recording of this podcast would bar Chinese immigrants from attending Texas public colleges and universities.Joining David Firestein to explore the topic of China as a public policy issue in Texas as well as local AAPI issues is Texas State Representative Gene Wu, who represents part of Houston and is a lawyer by trade.

Last year, North Korea tested more missiles than any other year and showcased its capability to launch different types of attacks from multiple directions. Its leader Kim Jong-Un has vowed to expand its nuclear arsenal and mass produce tactical nuclear weapons targeting South Korea. In response to these provocations, the US-South Korea alliance remains strong as the core deterrent against North Korean aggression. With increasing hostile rhetoric from all sides, what are the prospects for resuming peace talks? Has the Russian war in Ukraine impacted Kim's calculus? What are China's role and interests on the Korean Peninsula, and how are they affected by its strategic rivalry with the U.S.?Join host Zoe Leung, senior director of research at the Bush China Foundation and guest Seong-Hyon Lee, visiting scholar at the Harvard University Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, to discuss these important questions.

After three years of strict pandemic controls, China suddenly reversed its zero covid policy last December, as omicron spread rapidly in the country. A top Chinese epidemiologist claimed that the current wave of the outbreak has gotten 80% of the population, which is 1.1 billion people, sick. But the true impact of this wave is still a mystery as the Chinese government continues to underreport covid cases and deaths. Meanwhile, dozens of countries have maintained restrictions on travelers from China. What does China's reopening mean for the rest of the world and its foreign relations? How do we compare mainland China's pandemic management to Taiwan's? Join host Zoe Leung, senior director of research at the Bush China Foundation and guest Tsung-Mei Cheng, health policy research analyst at Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs to discuss these important issues.

The recent Bali summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping underscored two things about the U.S.-China relationship as we near the end of the year 2022: first, that many of the differences between the United States and China are, in the end, irreconcilable; and second, that notwithstanding that, both sides have a stated desire to restore some level of functionality and constructiveness to this deeply strained, but vitally consequential, bilateral relationship. Prominent on the agenda for this first in-person meeting between the two presidents was the issue of Taiwan, which has been a source of significantly increased tensions in the relationship between the United States and China in recent years and months. Joining host David Firestein to discuss these important topics is guest Dr. Robert Wang, senior associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies and adjunct professor at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.

The issue of human rights has long been one of the thorniest issues in the U.S.-China relationship. Both countries publish annual reports lambasting the perceived human rights violations of the other country, and U.S. condemnation of Chinese policies in Xinjiang affecting the Uyghur population routinely dominate media headlines as well as the attention of policymakers in both countries. But one human rights issue to which little attention is paid by either country, relatively speaking, is the illicit massage business in the United States, an industry whose trafficking victims are nearly all of Chinese descent. Why are these victims primarily all Chinese, who are the operators of these businesses and who are the clients? What can be done to combat these illegal activities? And specifically, what can the United States and China do to stop human trafficking and support current victims?Host Euhwa Tran, chief program officer and chief of staff at the Bush China Foundation, is joined by Chris Muller-Tabanera, chief strategy officer at The Network to explore these questions.  The Network is an intelligence-driven counter-human trafficking organization. Mr. Muller-Tabanera leads The Network's efforts to defeat traffickers by learning how their business works, identifying their vulnerabilities, creating risk, and then strategically disrupting it. He speaks and writes extensively about the illicit massage industry, is featured in numerous articles on the issue and is a contributing author for the book, The Historical Roots of Human Trafficking: Informing Primary Prevention of Commercialized Violence.

Every so often on our podcast series we slightly depart from issues within the strict U.S.-China geopolitical context to examine subjects that are indirectly affected. This is just such an episode, where we will speak about the necessity of diversity and community inclusion in both technological advancements, but also in strengthening our nation against what divides us. As we have seen acutely in the past few years, attacks and hate toward the AAPI community have become more widespread. What can we do to diffuse tensions in our communities? How can technology help different communities come together? Host Leslie Tisdale Reagan is joined by YJ Lin, senior program manager at Dell for Startups Strategic Partnerships, to answer these questions.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has not only elevated the risk of a nuclear conflict but also led to some rethinking about the role of nuclear weapons in international affairs. Even before the war, weapon development in North Korea and the breakdown of negotiations with Iran already set back progress in arms control. Meanwhile, China is rapidly expanding and modernizing its nuclear arsenal alongside the rest of its military, prompting warnings of a potential arms race in the Pacific. How should we think about the role of nuclear weapons in the Asia-Pacific and the threats that they cause? What are the implications of a potential nuclear competition between the United States and China?

On April 15, senior U.S. congressional members visited Taiwan under the cautious eye of China. This show of support was perhaps an attempt to bolster Taiwan's faith in the U.S., as an ally that the island can count on should Beijing attempt to invade. And with continued Ukrainian resistance to Russian aggression, Taiwan is reconsidering its own self-defense. But the war in Ukraine has not just shifted Taiwan's domestic perception, it's fueled the debate about Beijing's calculus to absorb Taiwan. How should Taiwan strategize for its own defense? What are the overall implications of the war in Ukraine for Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific? Has it created more challenges, or has it opened more opportunities?

Just a few weeks ago, Dr. Anthony Fauci stated that the United States is exiting the “full-blown pandemic phase” of COVID-19. While this is welcome news, many questions remain about how countries can better handle future pandemics and other global public health crises. COVID-19 demonstrated that even pandemics aren't always enough to bring nations together with a sense of common cause; for example, COVID-19 became a wedge issue in the relationship between the United States and China and continues to generate friction even now, as we enter the third year of the pandemic in the United States. What does the future hold for COVID-19 collaboration and global public health collaboration more generally?Host David Firestein is joined by Dr. Jennifer Huang Bouey, Tang Chair for China Policy Studies and a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, to explore these questions.In addition to her position at RAND, Dr. Bouey also serves as the chair of the International Health Department at Georgetown University and is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Bush China Foundation. She leads wide-ranging collaborative research initiatives on global health security and related topics. Currently, she is working on projects to assess health diplomacy in the post COVID-19 era and gender equity and health in Asia, among others. She is also actively involved in U.S.-China track 2 diplomacy in these and other areas.

A year into the Biden Administration's tenure in office, seemingly little has changed in U.S.-China trade dynamics. The Trump-era tariffs remain, the Phase One Trade Agreement remains largely unrealized, the United States continues to embrace an increasingly restrictive approach to its trade and investment relationship with China, and virtually all of the core issues apparently remain “stuck” and largely unresolved. With the Biden Administration's trade policy still under view more than a year into this term, some have characterized the Biden Administration's approach to trade with China as, in essence, a fifth year of Trump Administration policies. As we enter the second year of President Biden's term, where does the U.S.-China relationship appear to be going?Host David Firestein, President and CEO of the Bush China Foundation, is joined by guest Tim Stratford to explore these questions.Tim Stratford is managing partner in Covington & Burling LLP's Beijing office. His practice is focused on advising international clients doing business in China and assisting Chinese companies seeking to expand their businesses globally. As a former Assistant United States Trade Representative (USTR) responsible for trade negotiations between the U.S. and China, Mr. Stratford is the most senior former U.S. official working as a member of the U.S. business community in China.  Except for the five years he spent in Washington at USTR, Mr. Stratford has lived and worked continuously in the greater China region since 1982, including as minister-counselor for Commercial Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and as general counsel for General Motors China operations.

Sitting on important historical crossroads, Afghanistan has a vast cultural heritage, but its future is uncertain as instability and chaos persist in the country, following the recent takeover of the Taliban. The international community can do little to secure the sites and artifacts especially without working directly with the Taliban. Although Afghanistan has long been considered a bright spot for U.S.-China cooperation, great power competition has complicated efforts to coordinate in response to the ever-changing security situation on the ground.In this episode, Laura Tedesco joins host Zoe Leung to explore how cultural diplomacy plays a role in the security of Afghanistan and the region and what major powers like the United States and China should do to help preserve cultural resources in Afghanistan.Dr. Laura Tedesco is the Cultural Heritage program manager for the State Department's Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. Her work is centered on helping U.S. embassies across the region identify and guide cultural preservation projects supported by the State Department and she has spent over a decade working to save Afghanistan's cultural treasures from a host of various threats. She previously worked at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan, developing and overseeing initiatives to support the preservation of Afghanistan's cultural patrimony, including numerous archaeological sites, monuments and the National Museum of Afghanistan.

In this episode, host David Firestein converses with three contributors to, including the editor of, a new book entitled, From Trump to Biden and Beyond: Reimagining U.S.-China Relations, who tackle energy and climate issues in their respective chapters. The interconnected fields of climate and energy are generally viewed by both countries as potentially fruitful and mutually beneficial areas of collaboration, but how can progress be made in the current strained relationship?Earl Carr is the Chief Global Strategist at Pivotal Advisors based in New York City, as well as an adjunct instructor at New York University's Center for Global Affairs; he is the editor of From Trump to Biden and Beyond. Dr. Carolyn Kissane serves as the Academic Director of the graduate programs in Global Affairs and Global Security, Conflict and Cybercrime at NYU's Center for Global Affairs; she is a Clinical Professor, Director of the SPS Energy, Climate Justice and Sustainability Lab, and Coordinator of the Energy and Environment concentration at the Center. Dr. Jackson Ewing is a Senior Fellow at Duke University's Nicholas Institute of Environmental Policy Solutions, Adjunct Associate Professor at the Sanford School of Public Policy, Faculty Lead for the Duke Kunshan University Environment Program, and senior adviser to the Asia Society Policy Institute.

Educational exchange and technological advancements are paving the way for a new generation of global interconnectedness, with young people leading the charge. In the context of U.S.-China relations, this seemingly presents new opportunities to promote better mutual understanding. And yet, the overall relationship between the two countries is as tense and strained as ever.In this episode, Dr. William Kirby joins host David Firestein to explore what history can teach us about how to approach the challenging issues in the U.S.-China relationship today and how rising generations view these issues. Dr. Kirby is Spangler Family Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and T. M. Chang Professor of China Studies at Harvard University. He is also a University Distinguished Service Professor. Dr. Kirby serves as Chairman of the Harvard China Fund, the University's academic venture fund for China, and Faculty Chair of the Harvard Center Shanghai, Harvard's first University-wide center located outside the United States.

Dr. Da Wei, professor in the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University and a senior research fellow at Tsinghua's Center for International Strategy and Security, joins host David Firestein to discuss how Chinese experts assess the current state of the U.S.-China relationship.The discussion, situated at the 100-day mark of the Biden presidency, analyzes why the relationship between the United States and China remains about as tense and contentious as it was during the final months of the Trump Administration. The United States and China have engaged each other at high levels, but fundamental and seemingly irreconcilable differences around a host of issues – including trade, technology, human rights, Taiwan and the South China Sea, among others – remain evident.Dr. Da speaks to the fundamental question: from a Chinese vantage point, where is the United States correctly assessing what might be termed “the China challenge” and where is the United States gauging China's intentions incorrectly?

Dr. Kenneth Dekleva, McKenzie Foundation Chair in Psychiatry at The University of Texas Southwestern (UTSW) Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, where he is an associate professor of Psychiatry and director of Psychiatry-Medicine Integration, joins host Zoe Leung to discuss leadership analysis and Dr. Dekleva's assessment of current leaders in key countries.As a psychiatrist and former State Department official, Dr. Dekleva offers insight into the rise of strongmen leaders and how their worldviews shape their relationships with other countries is of critical importance. It is here that leadership analysis becomes helpful, allowing us to understand the leaders' intentions and hopefully predict actions they may take in diplomatic negotiations.

Mr. Fei Guo, history Ph.D. student and Brumley Next Generation Graduate Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin's Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law, joins host Leslie Tisdale Reagan to discuss why the U.S.-China relationship matters to young people and issues facing rising generations-- from technology and digital media to the new economy. 

Mr. Winston Ma, investor, attorney, author and New York University adjunct professor in the global digital economy, joins Bush China Foundation President and CEO David Firestein to discuss technological competition between the United States and China.

Dr. Fred Beach, researcher and lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin, offers his perspective on the role energy plays in the relationship between the United States and China.

Dr. Stephen Roach, Senior Fellow at Yale University's Jackson Institute of Global Affairs and Senior Lecturer at Yale's School of Management, joins David Firestein to examine the evolving challenges and prospects in the economic relationship between the U.S. and China.

Former United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Ron Kirk, shares his views onthe Biden Administration's approach to relations with China and what direction the U.S.-China trade relationship may take in the months ahead.

Former United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Carla Hills, shares her perspectives on why a healthy U.S.-China trade relationship is critical and how the incoming Biden Administration may address this issue.

Dr. Thomas Frieden, President & CEO of “Resolve to Save Lives” and former Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), assesses the impact of COVID-19 on the public health agenda and its significance on U.S.–China relations.

Susan Thornton, retired senior U.S. diplomat and visiting lecturer in law at Yale Law School, joins David Firestein in a discussion on how the incoming Biden Administration may approach relations with China and re-engage allies in Asia.Visit: bushchinafoundation.org