Pekingology

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China has emerged as one of the 21st century’s most consequential nations, making it more important than ever to understand how the country is governed. True to the name Pekingology, or the study of the political behavior of the People’s Republic of China, this podcast aims to unpack the behavior of the Chinese Communist Party and implications these actions have within China and for U.S.-China relations. Jude Blanchette, the Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS, is joined by various experts to analyze the activities of the Chinese governing system and how these impact the complex relationships relating to China.

Center for Strategic and International Studies


    • May 29, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 38m AVG DURATION
    • 113 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Pekingology

    China Across CSIS: Lessons and Next Steps from Deals with China and the UK

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2025 29:05


    On this episode from the Trade Guys, Bill Reinsch, Scott Miller, and Andrew Schwartz unpack the Geneva agreement between the U.S. and China to deescalate their trade war. They also look at the US-UK framework agreement and what lessons it offers for other countries looking to negotiate with the Trump administration. Originally aired on May 15, 2025.

    China Across CSIS: PRC Leadership Decisionmaking with Mr. Jon Czin

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2025 47:17


    In this special episode from the ChinaPower podcast, Mr. Jon Czin joins host Bonny Lin to discuss domestic dynamics and leadership decisionmaking within the People's Republic of China's (PRC), including what is currently missing in the conversation within the United States on Chinese politics. Mr. Jonathan A. Czin is the Michael H. Armacost Chair in Foreign Policy Studies at Brookings Institution and a fellow in the John L. Thornton China Center. He is a former member of the Senior Analytic Service at CIA, where he was one of the intelligence community's top China experts. From 2021 till 2023, he was director for China at the National Security Council, where he advised on, staffed, and coordinated White House and inter-agency diplomacy with the People's Republic of China, including all of President Biden's interactions with President Xi, and played a leading role in addressing a wide range of global China issues. He also served as advisor for Asia-Pacific security affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and overseas at a CIA field station in Southeast Asia. Original interview published on October 31, 2024.

    China Across CSIS: Communication Amid Competition with Chen Dongxiao

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2025 44:13


    In this special episode from China Field Notes from CSIS, host Scott Kennedy speaks with Chen Dongxiao, the President of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS). He discusses how China's shifting role to the center of global politics and economics has shaped his career, and he offers a frank assessment of the U.S.-China bilateral relationship during the late-Biden and early Trump administrations. The discussion concludes with a strong defense of the value of U.S.-China track-2 dialogue for thinking creatively about the world's most important challenges and offering reforms to global institutions.

    China Across CSIS: China Weathers the Storm of U.S. Tariffs

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2025 19:58


    In this special episode from The Truth of the Matter from CSIS, host Andrew Schwartz speaks with Scott Kennedy, CSIS senior adviser and Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics, to discuss the latest in the U.S.-China trade war, including China's technological capabilities, new export controls, and the possibility of future decoupling. Original interview published on April 17, 2025.

    Dictatorship and Information

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2025 36:14


    In this episode of Pekingology from January 2023, Freeman Chair Jude Blanchette is joined by Martin K. Dimitrov,  a professor of political science at Tulane University, to discuss his recent book, ‘Dictatorship and Information': Authoritarian Regime Resilience in Communist Europe and China.

    Why Does the CCP Need a Core?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2025 35:36


    In this episode of Pekingology which aired in February 2022, Jude Blanchette is joined by Xuezhi Guo, the Lincoln Financial Professor of Political Science at Gilford College, to discuss his book, The Politics of the Core Leader in China: Culture, Institution, Legitimacy, and Power.

    Coalitions of the Weak

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2025 50:14


    In this episode of Pekingology from June 2022, Jude Blanchette is joined by Victor Shih, associate professor and Ho Miu Lam Chair in China and Pacific Relations at the School of Global Policy and Strategy, UC San Diego. They discuss his book, Coalitions of the Weak: Elite Politics in China from Mao's Stratagem to the Rise of Xi.

    How the CCP Finances its Global Ambitions

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2025 39:35


    In this episode of Pekingology which aired on July 6, 2023, Freeman Chair Jude Blanchette is joined by Zongyuan Zoe Liu, a fellow for international political economy at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of the book Sovereign Funds: How the Communist Party of China Finances Its Global Ambitions. 

    Outsourcing Repression

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2025 32:47


    In this episode of Pekingology from March 2023, Freeman Chair Jude Blanchette is joined by Dr. Lynette H. Ong, Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto, jointly appointed to the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy's Asian Institute and also a Faculty Fellow at the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society. They discuss her recent book Outsourcing Repression: Everyday State Power in Contemporary China.  

    What Happens if Xi Jinping Dies in Office?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2025 31:32


    With the removal of the only term limit on office in March 2018, Xi Jinping stands to rule indefinitely. But what happens if he suddenly dies in office? How will China's political and economic system respond? In this episode from September 2020, Jude Blanchette is joined by Michigan State University's Erica Frantz to discuss her co-authored paper, "When Dictators Die." 

    Overcoming the Emperor's Dilemma

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 3, 2025 37:56


    In this episode of Pekingology which originally aired on June 17, 2021, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Wang Yuhua, the Frederick S. Danziger Associate Professor of Government at Harvard University, to discuss how rulers in Imperial China maintained -- and lost -- political power. 

    Fragmented Authoritarianism in Xi's China

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2024 44:21


    In this episode of Pekingology, originally released on April 8, 2021, Freeman Chair Jude Blanchette is joined by Jessica Teets, then an Associate Professor in the Political Science Department at Middlebury College (now Professor at Middlebury College and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Chinese Political Science), to discuss her work on China's evolving governance system. 

    The Rise of Data Politics

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2024 36:47


    In this episode of Pekingology, originally released on April 21, 2022, Freeman Chair Jude Blanchette is joined by Lizhi Liu, Assistant Professor in the McDonough School of Business and a faculty affiliate of the Department of Government at Georgetown University, to discuss her paper, The Rise of Data Politics: Digital China and the World.

    The State Advances, The Private Sector Retreats

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2024 31:34


    In this episode of Pekingology which aired on Dec. 10, 2020, Jude Blanchette talks to Jörg Wuttke, the president of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, to discuss the expanding power and influence of state-owned enterprises in China's economy.

    The Latecomer's Rise

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2024 36:05


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Muyang Chen, Assistant Professor of International Development at Peking University's School of International Studies. They discuss her new book The Latecomer's Rise: Policy Banks and the Globalization of China's Development Finance (Cornell University Press, 2024).   Enroll in the Flashpoints and Future of the U.S.-China Relationship course at cs.is/uschinacourse.

    The Idea of China

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2024 46:50


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Mark Leonard, co-founder and director of the European Council on Foreign Relations. He is also the Henry A Kissinger chair in foreign policy and international relations at the US Library of Congress, Washington DC. They discuss his recently co-authored book The Idea of China: Chinese Thinkers on Power, Progress, and People. (European Council on Foreign Relations, 2024)

    The Sentinel State

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2024 36:29


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Minxin Pei, Tom and Margot Pritzker '72 Professor of Government and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College. He is also editor of the China Leadership Monitor. They discuss his recent book The Sentinel State: Surveillance and the Survival of Dictatorship in China. (Harvard University Press, 2024)

    Xi Jinping's Plan for Taiwan

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2024 50:37


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Kharis Templeman, Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution and the manager of the Project on Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Region. He is also a Lecturer at the Center for East Asian Studies at Stanford University. They discuss Taiwan's Lai Ching-te administration, and the strategy Beijing may adopt to govern its relations with the Taipei.

    China's Bird Cage Economy

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2024 38:32


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by David Hoffman, Senior Advisor with the China Center for Economics & Business at The Conference Board The Conference Board, and non-resident Senior Associate with the Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS. They discuss China's economy, political economy, and evolving business environment.

    China's Role in UN Peacekeeping Operations

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2024 37:34


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Courtney Fung, Associate Professor in the Department of Security Studies & Criminology at Macquarie University. She is also a Non-Resident Fellow at the Asia Society Australia and at the Lowy Institute. They discuss her article “Peace by piece: China's policy leadership on peacekeeping fatalities” (Contemporary Security Policy, July 2022), China's role in the United Nations, and its involvement with international peacekeeping efforts.

    Sino-India Relations

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2024 42:57


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Manoj Kewalramani, Fellow for China Studies and the Chairperson of the Indo-Pacific Studies Programme at the Takshashila Institution. He is also a non-resident Senior Associate with the Freeman Chair in China Studies, at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. They discuss interpreting Beijing's actions and Sino-India relations. 

    Ambassador Nicholas Burns on the U.S.-China Relationship

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2024 36:35


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns. They discuss his time spent in China and his perception of current and future U.S.-China relations.   

    Preference Falsification and Regime Stability

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 11, 2024 34:27


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Rory Truex, Associate Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University. They discuss Timur Kuran's seminal 1991 paper Now Out of Never: The Element of Surprise in the East European Revolution of 1989. (World Politics, October 1991)

    Authoritarian Deliberation

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2024 36:48


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Jessica Teets, Professor at Middlebury College and Associate Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Chinese Political Science. They discuss her work on resilient authoritarianism and information flows in contemporary China.

    Does China's Foreign Ministry Matter?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2024 37:07


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Dylan Loh Ming Hui, Assistant Professor at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. They discuss his book “China's Rising Foreign Ministry: Practices and Representations of Assertive Diplomacy” (Stanford University Press, April 2024.)

    Disaggregating China Inc

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2024 57:59


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Yeling Tan, Professor of Public Policy in the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University. She is also a non-resident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. They discuss her book Disaggregating China, Inc.: State Strategies in the Liberal Economic Order. (Cornell University Press, 2021)

    Beyond China's Black Box

    Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2024 44:39


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Jacob Stokes, Senior Fellow with the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. They discuss China's foreign policy decision making and his new report “Beyond China's Black Box: Five Trends Shaping Beijing's Foreign and Security Policy Decision-Making Under Xi Jinping.” (April, 2024)

    Mobilizing Patriotic Consumers

    Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2024 30:46


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Audrye Wong, Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Southern California, and Jeane Kirkpatrick Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. They discuss her recent article: “Mobilizing patriotic consumers: China's new strategy of economic coercion,” published in the Journal of Strategic Studies (May 2023).

    China's Extreme Inequality

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2024 39:40


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by the Andrew Walder, Denise O'Leary & Kent Thiry Professor at Stanford University, and Senior Fellow at the Freeman-Spogli Institute for International Studies. Today they discuss his article “China's Extreme Inequality: The Structural Legacies of State Socialism.” (The China Journal, July 2023)

    Understanding China's Regionally Administered Totalitarianism

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2024 61:24


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Chenggang Xu, Senior Research Scholar at the Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institutions and Visiting Fellow at Hoover Institution of Stanford University to discuss the institutional underpinnings of China's political economy. What explains the Communist Party's ongoing resilience? Why did China pivot away from the economic reforms that had generated so much wealth for the country and the government? Xu advances the framework of “Regionally Administered Totalitarianism” (RADT) to describe China's political economic transition during the reform period. He is also author of the forthcoming book Institutional Genes: The Origins of China's Institutions and Totalitarianism (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming) exploring these questions.

    Overcapacity

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 29, 2024 33:31


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette,is joined by Yanmei Xie, Geopolitics Analyst with Gavekal Research, who has recently been publishing articles at Gavekal and the Financial Times. Today, Jude and Yanmei discuss her recent client notes on Chinese overcapacity and its EV sector.

    China's New Domestic Politics

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2024 36:56


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Evan Medeiros, The Penner Family Chair in Asia Studies at Georgetown University. During the Obama Administration, Evan was on the staff of the National Security Council as Director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia and special assistant to the president and Senior Director for Asia. They discuss his recent report “The New Domestic Politics of U.S.-China Relations” published by the Asia Society Center for Public Analysis. 

    Xi's New Growth Synthesis

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2024 43:50


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Andrew Batson, China Research Director at Gavekal Dragonomics to discuss his recent blog post entitled “Xi's New Growth Synthesis.” He also publishes The Tangled Woof blog, and wrote the enlightening post “Some Cadres Cannot Keep Up.”  

    Will Sanctions Deter China?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2024 35:40


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Emily Kilcrease, Senior Fellow and Director of the Energy, Economics, and Security Program at the Center for a New American Security to discuss her recent report entitled “No Winners in This Game: Assessing the U.S. Playbook for Sanctioning China.”  

    The Gilded Cage

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2023 39:56


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Ya-Wen Lei, Professor of Sociology at Harvard University to discuss her recent report entitled “The Gilded Cage: Technology, Development and State Capitalism in China.”   

    The Party Knows Best: Aligning Economic Actors with China's Strategic Goals

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2023 34:03


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Max Zenglein, Chief Economist at the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) to discuss his recent report, co-authored with MERICS Lead Analyst Jacob Gunter, entitled “The Party Knows Best: Aligning Economic Actors with China's Strategic Goals.” 

    What's Next for US-China Relations? The View from Congress

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2023 47:04


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to discuss U.S.-China policy and the Select Committee's work to address the strategic competition with the People's Republic of China (PRC). 

    The Administrative Foundations of the Chinese Fiscal State

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2023 33:15


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Wei Cui, professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Colombia to discuss his recent book The Administrative Foundations of the Chinese Fiscal State.

    China's New Navy

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2023 36:14


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Xiaobing Li, professor of history and Don Betz Endowed Chair in International Studies at the University of Central Oklahoma to discuss his new book China's New Navy: The Evolution of PLAN from the People's Revolution to a 21st Century Cold War.  

    Party of One

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2023 45:13


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Chun Han Wong, a China reporter for the Wall Street Journal, to discuss his new book Party of One: The Rise of Xi Jinping and China's Superpower Future. 

    Reshaping Corporate China

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2023 54:27


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Thomas Gatley, China Strategist at Gavekal Dragonomics, to discuss his recent report “Reshaping Corporate China.” 

    How Loyal is the PLA?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2023 34:14


    In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Eric Hundman, senior research analyst at BluePath Labs, to discuss his article “Fearing Hardships and Fatigue? Refusals to Serve in China's Military, 2009-2018,” which was recently published in the Journal of Contemporary China.

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