Podcasts about sinica podcast

The Sinica Network proudly presents a new podcast: China Talking Points, featuring Kaiser Kuo (host of the Sinica Podcast), Eric Olander (host of the China-Global South Podcast and China In Africa Podcast) and Andrew Polk, co-founder of Trivium China and host of its podcast. We'll be joined regularly by Lizzi Lee, Fellow on Chinese Economy at the Asia Society Policy Institute's (ASPI) Center for China Analysis. Tune in live every other week for unscripted thoughts on the major China-related news of the week.This week, we focused on the truce in the trade war that Donald Trump launched with the so-called "Liberation Day" tariffs of April 9. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met with top Chinese trade negotiator He Lifeng and his team in Geneva over the weekend, and we look at what came out of those meetings and what we can expect to happen next. We also discussed the dogfight that took place between India and Pakistan last week, in which the Pakistani air force claims to have downed as many as five Indian planes, significant for China because the Pakistani planes were Chinese-made J10-C fighters. Eric, who wrote about the Chinese reaction to this and offered his take on the reasons for their success, managed to incur a lot of online Indian wrath — an occupational hazard — but presents a compelling case for why the fully integrated Chinese military systems gave Pakistan the edge.Watch us live on YouTube starting May 28th. Check out the new Sinica Network YouTube channel here!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on the Sinica Podcast, I chat with Yawei Liu, Senior Advisor for China at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia, and Yukon Huang, former China country head of the World Bank and now Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The show was taped live at the 2025 Columbia China Summit at Columbia University, put on by the Columbia University Greater China Society, on April 13,. Special thanks to them for inviting us to attend!3:53 – Columbia University's history with China 7:52 – How Beijing views the current trade war 11:32 – Yawei's idea of “the clash of misperceptions”18:18 – The actual origins of America's trade deficits and China's trade surpluses 23:14 – How the inevitable talk between Trump and Xi Jinping may play out32:04 – Sinophobia versus changing attitudes toward China 35:43 – How the current trade war is related to innovation in China 45:31 – How we can wage peace Paying It Forward: Nicholas Zeller and his Substack newsletter, The U.S.-China Perception MonitorRecommendations:Yawei: Americans in China: Encounters with the People's Republic ed. by Terry Lautz, and Chinese Encounters with America: Journeys That Shaped the Future of China ed. by Terry Lautz and Deborah DavisYukon: David Brooks' April 2022 article, “The End of Globalization: The Dominance of Global Cultural Wars” Kaiser: The Weimar Years: Rise and Fall 1918-1933 by Frank McDonough See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on the Sinica Podcast, I chat with Jeremy Garlick, Director of the Jan Masaryk Centre for International Studies, Prague University, and a scholar of China's international relations. Jeremy is the author of the book Advantage China: Agent of Change in an Era of Global Disruption, but the book we're talking about this week is his new Cambridge Element titled Evolution in International Relations. It's a fascinating attempt to apply ideas from evolutionary biology, evolutionary psychology, and archaeogenetics to further our understanding of how nations interact.6:13 – Why Jeremy decided to apply an evolutionary framework to IR 15:34 – Why evolutionary science hasn't really been integrated into IR19:32 – How Jeremy views his project as refining the IR field 22:43 – The risk of the misappropriation of Jeremy's work, and the evolutionary elements of cooperation and intergroup competition 28:54 – How to avoid the trap of viewing evolution as teleological 34:07 – The idea of self-domestication 39:55 – Morality and human rights 45:17 – How emotions affect decision-making and diplomacy 50:32 – Hierarchy and status-seeking in IR 56:56 – Applying an evolutionary framework to the IR phenomena of alliances, nuclear deterrence, and strategic balancing 1:01:31 – Altruism toward out-groups 1:05:57 – The inevitability of competition with China 1:08:19 – The intellectual challenges Jeremy faced while working on this project, and what he would develop further in the future1:12:51 – Jeremy's thoughts on what IR as a discipline should address, integrating evolutionary science Paying It Forward: Richard TurcsányiRecommendations:Jeremy: The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous by Joseph Henrich; and The Expanse novels by James S. A. CoreyKaiser: Playground by Richard Powers See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week as we enter the Year of the Snake, Sinica co-founder Jeremy Goldkorn makes a re-appearance on the show. It's been a year since his last, and much has changed — and indeed, if Jeremy is right, we may be at an inflection point in American attitudes toward China. With the "TikTok Refugees" on Xiaohongshu or "RedNote" taking in a view of China that contrasts starkly with the image presented by the U.S. Government and by many American media outlets, and with DeepSeek now having upended some ideas about American tech primacy, the "vibes" on China among young people seem to have changed for the better. Will it endure? Jeremy and I plunge into that question on this week's episode of the Sinica Podcast.2:55 – What Jeremy has been up to lately 4:19 – What has been driving the recent narrative/vibe shift in China discourse in the U.S., and why human rights rhetoric around Xinjiang has died down 14:11 – Whether the narrative/vibe shift will be long-lasting and the role of young people in driving it 23:06 – Predictions for future changes within China29:40 – The concern that the narrative/vibe shift could go too far, or that the copium will overwhelm the positive of the shift 33:24 – Previous narrative shifts around freedom of speech, the internet, and China, and technological innovation 43:57 – What recent developments reveal about Chinese soft power, and Jeremy's predictions for how everything will play out 49:34 – Whether the narrative/vibe shift will change how American politicians talk about China, and the Chinese government has reacted to the shift so farPaying It Forward: Savannah Billman's Career China email newsletter Recommendations:Jeremy: Paul Cooper's Fall of Civilizations podcast series; David Kidd's Peking Story: The Last Days of Old China; and The 404's podcast interview with a PornHub exec (which includes discussion of real-name registration requirements) Kaiser: The TV miniseries American Primeval (2025) on Netflix; and Paul Triolo's Substack See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're thrilled to re-broadcast an insightful episode from the Sinica Podcast, where host Kaiser Kuo sits down with Bryce Whitwam to delve into the ever-evolving world of Chinese livestream e-commerce. Bryce's latest research highlights a fascinating shift: Chinese consumers increasingly gravitate toward smaller, more personalized livestream shows that foster greater interaction with hosts. While large-scale shows with millions of viewers still exist, they're gradually being replaced by micro-targeted streams on platforms like Xiaohongshu and Douyin, which offer a more authentic and engaging experience. This evolution carries significant implications for brands looking to connect with highly targeted audiences in China. It could hint at the future of livestream shopping in the West, especially as TikTok explores similar trends. 1. How did you first engage with the livestream e-commerce trend in China? 2. What's the history of livestream commerce, and how has it evolved since its inception? 3. How does livestreaming contribute to consumer engagement compared to traditional retail? 4. What differentiates Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and Taobao as livestream platforms? 5. What role does authenticity play in driving consumer trust in livestreaming? 6. How do demographics like age, gender, and location influence livestream shopping behavior? 7. What are the key differences between China's livestream strategies and the U.S.'s early adoption of TikTok Shop? 8. How are niche and microtargeted livestreams reshaping consumer behavior? 9. What challenges or disruptions could affect livestream commerce's growth in China? 10. What does the rise of livestreaming tell us about broader changes in Chinese consumer culture? 11. Recommendations

This week on the Sinica Podcast, I chat with my dear friend David Moser, a longtime resident of Beijing, formerly an occasional co-host of Sinica and associate professor at Beijing Capital Normal University. We have a long history of exploring the underlying issues in our approach to China, and this week, we unpack some of those, focusing on the role of outsiders in Chinese society and their role in "changing China," drawing on David's response to an essay I recently published.3:46 —David's thoughts on Kaiser's essay (“Priority Pluralism: Rethinking Universal Values in U.S.-China Relations”)5:18 —How David thinks about going on state media and the reasons he does so10:37 —How David's engagement with state media has changed over time 15:04 —Conscience, moral intuition, drawing lines, and whataboutism 26:35 —The outsider urge to change China: the differences between the U.S. and Chinese governments and COVID as a test of the two systems; the role of American policy in working toward positive change and the importance of continuing engagement; and so-called Enlightenment values and priority pluralism 50:46 —The debate over cultural differences57:09 —China's notion of whole-process democracy versus American democracy 1:05:55 — “Give them time:” Anticipating when we will see big changes in China's political culture Recommendations:David: Richard Nisbett's The Geography of Thought; and his own article, “A Fearful Asymmetry: COVID-19 and America's Information Deficit with China”Kaiser: The “Open Database for China Studies Resource Guide” published by ACLS See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on the Sinica Podcast, Kaiser is joined by old friend Ed Lanfranco, who lived in Beijing from 1988 to 2009. An inveterate packrat, Ed managed to accumulate an incredible trove of documents, maps, photos, and ephemera from his years there and from the decades and even centuries before his arrival. Ed talks about his collection, and invites scholars interested in his material to get in touch!2:46 – Ed's time in China and saving ephemera 11:47 – Ed's favorite old Chinese brands 14:41 – Ed's map collection 19:34 – The Tiananmen incident of 1976, Ed's collection of unpublished photographs from the Panjiayuan Antique Market, and a leaflet from April 7th, 1976 30:40 – Ed's patriotic music record collection 33:28 – Ed's U.S.-China collection 38:00 – The story behind Ed's U.S.-China panda button from 2002 43:18 – Ed's Tiananmen '89 story and collection of leaflets and files 50:56 – The Underground City of Beijing tour 53:50 – Ed's SARS 2003 epidemic experience and artifactsRecommendations:Ed: Roger Garside's Coming Alive: China After Mao; Lin Yutang's works, especially My Country and My People and The Importance of LivingKaiser: The Rochester-based progressive metal trio Haishen's new album, Awaken the Endless Deep See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Mid-March the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill that would effectively ban Tik Tok in the United States. Tik Tok's parent company, Byte Dance, is Chinese. This bill would force Byte Dance to sell Tik Tok to an American buyer or else the app would no longer be available in the United States. President Biden has said he'd sign this bill into law, but at the moment the legislation is stalled in the Senate.    My guest today Kaiser Kuo argues that these anti-Tik Tok measures are emblematic of a "moral panic" around China that is increasingly taking hold among American policy makers. He is the host of the Sinica Podcast and after discussing our views on whether or not the US should ban Tik Tok, we discuss the broader geopolitical context in which a move like this is being contemplated. 

This week on the Sinica Podcast, a show taped in Salzburg, Austria, at the Salzburg Global Seminar with Kerry Brown of King's College, London, on the prolific author's latest book, China Incorporated: The Politics of a World Where China is Number One.05:22 – Chinese worldview and historical perceptions07:51 – The unease with China's rise10:42 – Chinese exceptionalism vs. Western universalism17:30 – Parallels between American domestic unease and perceptions of China22:27 – Discussion on China's competing belief system33:56 – China's raw form of capitalism40:36 – What the West wants from China46:10 – The internet as a reflection of Chinese power and limitations51:17 – China's syncretism and its impact today55:00 – The narrative of Chinese success and its PR challenges1:05:32 – Revising Western narratives on China's developmentA complete transcript of this podcast is available at sinica.substack.com. Join the community on Substack and get not only the transcript but lots of other writing and audio to boot!Recommendations: Kerry: Civilization and Capitalism by Fernand BraudelKaiser: Empire of Silver: A New Monetary History of China by Jin Xu; and re-reading Hilary Mantel's masterful Wolf Hall trilogy (Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies, and The Mirror and the Light)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The US House of Representatives has passed a landmark bill that could see TikTok effectively banned. It would give the social media giant's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, six months to sell its controlling stake or the app would face blocks in the US. Supporters of the bill say the app's links with China make it a national security risk. Opponents argue that tens of millions of Americans rely on the platform and that the real problem isn't with TikTok, but with a lack of regulation of social media and technology giants in general. So, what should the United States do about TikTok? Celia Hatton is joined by a panel of expert guests.Jeremy Goldkorn - Editorial Fellow at the Asia Society's ChinaFile website, founding editor-in-chief of The China Project and cofounder of the Sinica Podcast. Lindsay P. Gorman - Head of Technology and Geopolitics Team at the transatlantic, non-partisan Alliance for Securing Democracy. Louise Matsakis - A freelance journalist covering technology and China. She writes ‘You May Also Like', a newsletter about e-commerce and Chinese tech giants. Image: TikTok app logo. Reuters/Dado Ruvic

The escalating tensions between China, the Philippines, and the United States in the South China Sea highlight how Southeast Asia is now the most dangerous frontline in the burgeoning Great Power competition between Beijing and Washington. But as this week's ASEAN summit in Australia highlights, there is no consensus in the region over how the Southeast Asian bloc's 11 member states are responding to the rapidly changing geopolitical environment. This week, Eric spoke with Prashanth Parameswaran, a highly regarded analyst on Southeast Asian affairs and founder of the widely-read ASEAN Wonk newsletter, for some perspective on how different countries across the region are positioning themselves in this new era. Show Notes: Subscribe to the ASEAN Wonk newsletter on Substack: https://www.aseanwonk.com Subscribe to the Sinica Podcast newsletter on Substack: https://sinica.substack.com JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @aseanwonk Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

This week on the Sinica Podcast: a lecture by Robert Daly, director of the Wilson Center's Kissinger Institute, delivered last year to D.C.-based Faith & Law at their Friday Forum. The lecture, titled "Is Our Foreign Policy Good? American Moral Absolutism and the China Challenge," is a powerful and thought-provoking talk. Kaiser follows up with a long conversation with Robert about the themes raised in the talk, and then some. Enjoy.03:04 – A talk by Robert Daly from June 24th, 2022, given at Faith & Law's Friday Forum45:49 – What is lacking in the mainstream dialogue about American policies on China-related issues?49:37 – Over-willingness to turn towards a military approach in the U.S.-China relationship in recent years1:00:48 – The missionary aspect of the American approach in dealing with China1:05:02 – The differences and commonalities between Chinese and American exceptionalism1:17:42 – Are we in a state of Cold War with China?1:23:54 – The question of moral standing in light of whataboutism1:27:08 – Comparing American intentions with Chinese realities and the issue of moral absolutism1:44:50 – What a “Just Cold War” would involve?1:51:34 – Can the U.S. imagine a world in which it is not a hegemonic power?A complete transcript of this podcast is available at TheChinaProject.com.Recommendations: Robert: The House of Sixty Fathers (a Newbury Award-winning book) by Meindert DeJong with illustrations by the late Maurice SendakKaiser: Wolf Hall: A Novel by Hilary MantelAnda Union (Inner Mongolian band)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kaiser Kuo, the host of the Sinica Podcast, sat down with CEAS's David Fields during his visit to the UW campus. He discussed how he became interested in the political climate surrounding US & China relations, what drew him away from graduate school, and how his personal history influenced his desire to shed a light on information coming out of China. He asks that the listeners be cautious of anyone who calls themselves and "China expert" and that rather than the highly polarized viewpoints, consider things from multiple angles. Kaiser also recommends the best episodes from the Sinica backlog to get an newly interested party started.

Here, in the conclusion of our five-episode season on The Hall of the Monkey King, you'll hear about Journey to the West's capacity for reinvention across centuries—about, in other words, its openness to different circumstances, something like the Monkey King's own openness, his playfulness. Julia Lovell says, “Running through Monkey's actions and personality is a love of this thing called play. He's an incredibly playful character. And I don't think it's a coincidence that the Chinese word in the title of the novel that is translated as 'journey'—you—can also be translated as 'play.'" Kaiser Kuo describes the history of openness in China with regard to cosmopolitanism. He mentions the echoes between the Ming Dynasty (when Journey to the West was written) and the Tang Dynasty (when the novel is set). Both of those dynasties, he says, have "periods of outward-facing and inward-facing.” These are times of intensified tensions that Kaiser Kuo observes here across Chinese history. Journey to the West makes much of related dynamics between outward-facing and inward-facing, especially through its playful mood. In this novel, adventuring through traditions from China and from outside China, thinking in different keys, leaping from philosophy to philosophy, and seeking transcendence all depend upon a wild amount of play, of experiment, of fun. Guests this season include Julia Lovell, whose recent translation of Journey to the West is titled Monkey King; D. Max Moerman, scholar of religion at Columbia; Xiaofei Tian, scholar of Chinese literature at Harvard; Karen Fang, scholar of literature and cinema at the University of Houston—she's now working on a biography of Disney legend Tyrus Wong; and Kaiser Kuo, host of the Sinica Podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can encounter Journey to the West in film, on television, in comic books—it's a sixteenth-century novel that lives comfortably in an age of cinema and video games. This episode, then, follows a tangent away from the sixteenth century and into the movies. We're talking about heroic quests and martial arts in media centuries after Journey to the West's publication. Wuxia cinema, in particular, occupies our attention here. These are films of high drama and martial arts in pre-modern, legendary Chinese settings. Karen Fang, scholar of cinema and literature at the University of Houston, notes “threads of connection” between Journey to the West and wuxia, and connections include the similar presence of a spiritual quest and martial artistry in a mythical-historical world. Still, to be clear: in this installment, we're going for a walk away from the novel and into the movies. It's just that we find a few patterns that match those of the Monkey King's adventures.  Wuxia stories, like the Monkey King's, draw from dynamics between intense self-cultivation and power struggle. The result is a durable kind of kinetic drama—it's opened up cinematic possibilities for decades. Karen Fang explains the heart of it all: “The underlying idea in wuxia is this idea that somebody can reach a level of human transcendency—a transcendent power, a transcendent skill—through years of training and dedication, both to physical training, but also spiritual dedication.” Guests in this episode include Karen Fang, scholar of literature and cinema at the University of Houston—she's now working on a biography of Disney legend Tyrus Wong; Kaiser Kuo, host of the Sinica Podcast; and Julia Lovell, whose recent translation of Journey to the West is titled Monkey King. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Different belief systems—and just differences in general—collide and merge in Journey to the West, the classic Chinese novel at the center of this season. “In Dungeons & Dragons terminology, you've got this lawful good monk and then you have this chaotic good monkey,” says Kaiser Kuo (co-founder of China's first heavy metal band and host of the Sinica Podcast) in this episode. And their quest succeeds: the combination of the monk Tripitaka's lawfulness and the Monkey King's chaos works out. That intertwinement of differences shapes Journey to the West, on multiple levels. It's about a quest for Buddhist texts, but Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, makes his way through Daoist self-cultivation and Confucian thinking, too. The divine realm includes Daoist deities such as the Jade Emperor, but it's also a Buddhist realm, including the Buddha and Guanyin. There's a playful engagement with everything here, and the translator Julia Lovell explains the world behind that kind of expansive interaction with various traditions: The novel sprang from a much older set of legends about a real historical character who lived around 600–664 CE as a subject of the Tang empire in China. Now the Tang is one of the great eras of Chinese imperial expansion, when the empire extends from the edge of Persia in the northwest to the frontier with modern Korea in the northeast. Taizong, the emperor on the throne in Tripitaka's time—he's the character who in the novel dispatches Tripitaka off to India to fetch the sutras—Taizong is the vigorous, ruthless ruler who pushes the frontiers of his empire out so far.  And in the decades that follow this, the Tang empire is awash with cosmopolitan products and ideas. And still today in China, the Tang is celebrated as this period of phenomenal cosmopolitan flourishing of the empire and ideas throughout China. In this episode, we think about how a wild novel gave that cosmopolitan attitude a new narrative life. Guests in this episode include Kaiser Kuo, host of the Sinica Podcast; Julia Lovell, whose recent translation of Journey to the West is titled Monkey King; D. Max Moerman, scholar of religion at Columbia; and Xiaofei Tian, scholar of literature at Harvard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the Sinica Podcast, Kaiser is joined by The China Project's CEO Bob Guterma, who just so happens to have served at Chief Compliance Officer (and later Managing Director for Europe and the U.S.) for the expert network Capvision. Capvision, as listeners may well be aware, was the Shanghai-based company whose offices in China were raided by Chinese law enforcement, resulting in the detention of two experts for allegedly passing on military secrets to foreign companies. Does this signal a major crackdown on consultancies? And what are the implications for foreign businesses in China? Bob shares his insights — and things are more complicated than you might think.03:39 – Background information on Capvision10:29 – The national security concerns in the Capvision case.12:27 – Is there a connection between the case of Capvision with the previous cases of Bain and Mintz?20:13 – Is there changing optics for Western companies doing business in China?22:13 – The possible connection between the Capvision case and the Espionage Law32:22 – The context of bigger changes in the past three years in China in light of achieving government goals.34:34 – The inner workings of a compliance officer in expert networks36:44 – Media outlets' misconceptions and a lack of diligent research regarding the Capvision case A complete transcript of this podcast is available at TheChinaProject.com.Recommendations:Bob: Energy and Civilization: A History by Vaclav SmilKaiser: Mr. Bungle's debut album Mr. BungleSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on the Sinica Podcast, Jeremy and I chat with Mike Chinoy, the legendary award-winning TV newsman who helmed CNN in Beijing for many critical years. Mike talks about the video documentary series and accompanying book Assignment China: An Oral History of American Journalists in the People's Republic, for which he interviewed about 130 journalists whose careers spanned an 80-year period, from the 1940s to the present.04:08 – The genesis of the Assignment China project11:15 – Editorial decisions: What was included, and what wasn't16:13 – The big takeaways for Mike on finishing this project25:13 – The role of contingency and the observer effect32:52 – How Tiananmen really made CNN and changed the future of cable news36:30 – Tough ethical calls in the reporting of China 42:42 – Structural biases in American reporting on China…50:50 – …and what news consumers can do to adjust for those baked-in biases52:54 – Does where the reporters are actually determine what the story is?1:02:17 – What went wrong with TV news?A complete transcript of this podcast is available at TheChinaProject.com.Recommendations:Mike: Who by Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai by Matti FriedmanJeremy: From the Jewish Provinces: Selected Stories by Fradl Shtok, translated by Jordan Finkin and Allison SchachterKaiser: Father's Laszlo Ladany's "Ten Commandments" on China-watching, and playing around with ChatGPT 4See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode the boys speak with the legendary Kaiser Kuo of the China project. Check out the Sinica Podcast at thechinaproject.com/series/sinica/. You can follow Kaiser and everything he’s up to on Twitter @kaiserkuo. -Tyler wonders why he is even broadcasting.-The inception of the Sinica Podcast.-Jay’s Alienation.-When did the downfall of US-China relations happen?-Attraction vs Coercion.-Humor in... The post Episode 99: Kaiser Kuo first appeared on The Ouachita Podcasts.

Rare protests broke out across several cities in China in recent weeks. Demonstrators took to the streets to protest the government's extreme Zero Covid policy, which imposes harsh lockdowns in an effort to stamp out the virus. In some cases, the protests took aim at the government itself, calling for Xi Jinping to step down.  Protests of this kind are extremely rare, so this movement understandable caught the attention of the world. It also apparently caught the attention of the government which has since signaled an easing of its quarantine policies.  In this episode, we speak with Kaiser Kuo, host of The Sinica Podcast, from The China Project. We spoke just hours after it was announced that former president Jiang Zemin had passed away at the age of 96. We discuss Jiang Zemin's legacy on china today and how his death may serve as a catalyst for further protest in China. We then have an extended conversation about the rationale of Xi Jinpin's Zero Covid policy, and what may come next for this policy and the protest movement.

In Episode 279 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Kaiser Kuo. Kaiser is the host and co-founder of the Sinica Podcast, the editor-at-large of The China Project, and the former director of international communications for Baidu, China's leading search engine. How does China see the world? What do we get wrong when talking about China? What are the central diving forces in Chinese politics? And what “does China want?”  While concrete answers to such complex social and political questions are illusive, grappling with them is essential if we want to find a peaceful way through what is becoming an increasingly dangerous period in US-China relations. The goal of this conversation is to provide you with a more circumspect and culturally informed perspective on China. You will learn about the country's history, the lived experience of its people, their assumptions, values, and beliefs about the world and their place in it, and to learn to see ourselves and the world from China's eyes. You can access the full episode, transcript, and intelligence report to this week's conversation by going directly to the episode page at HiddenForces.io and clicking on "premium extras." All subscribers gain access to our premium feed, which can be easily added to your favorite podcast application. If you want access to our Hidden Forces genius community, which includes Q&A calls with guests, access to special research and analysis, in-person events, and dinners, you can learn more at HiddenForces.io/subscribe. feel free to send an email to info@hiddenforces.io and I or someone from our team will right back to you. If you have further questions, feel free to send an email to info@hiddenforces.io, and Demetri or someone else from our team will get right back to you. If you enjoyed listening to today's episode of Hidden Forces you can help support the show by doing the following: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | CastBox | RSS Feed Write us a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Subscribe to our mailing list at https://hiddenforces.io/newsletter/ Producer & Host: Demetri Kofinas Editor & Engineer: Stylianos Nicolaou Subscribe & Support the Podcast at https://hiddenforces.io Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @hiddenforcespod Follow Demetri on Twitter at @Kofinas Episode Recorded on 10/24/2022

Every week, The China-Global South Podcast will explore timely issues surrounding China's engagement in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and other developing regions. Hosted by China-Global South Editor in Chief Eric Olander in Vietnam and Managing Editor Cobus van Staden in South Africa, this new program will highlight insights and ideas from leading experts in the Global South.To help kick off the show, Eric & Cobus are joined by Kaiser Kuo, host of the venerable Sinica Podcast, to discuss what motivated the team to launch this new program and what they're hoping it will achieve.THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS:ERIC:Gyude Moore, Senior Policy Fellow at the Center for Global Development: @gyude_mooreHannah Ryder, CEO of Development Reimagined: @hmryderOvigue Eguegu, Policy Analyst at Development Reimagined: @ovigweegueguChristian-Geraud Neema, Francophone Editor at the China-Global South Project: @christiangeraudCOBUS:Amazon: The Specter of Global China: Politics, Labor, and Foreign Investment in Africa by Ching Kwan Lee: https://amzn.to/3RMTKu8JOIN THE DISCUSSION:Twitter: @ChinaGSProject| @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @kaiserkuoFacebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProjectFOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC:Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChineعربي: www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfrJOIN US ON PATREON!Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug!www.patreon.com/chinaafricaprojectSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Every week, The China-Global South Podcast will explore timely issues surrounding China's engagement in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and other developing regions. Hosted by China-Global South Editor in Chief Eric Olander in Vietnam and Managing Editor Cobus van Staden in South Africa, this new program will highlight insights and ideas from leading experts in the Global South.To help kick off the show, Eric & Cobus are joined by Kaiser Kuo, host of the venerable Sinica Podcast, to discuss what motivated the team to launch this new program and what they're hoping it will achieve.THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS:ERIC:Gyude Moore, Senior Policy Fellow at the Center for Global Development: @gyude_mooreHannah Ryder, CEO of Development Reimagined: @hmryderOvigue Eguegu, Policy Analyst at Development Reimagined: @ovigweegueguChristian-Geraud Neema, Francophone Editor at the China-Global South Project: @christiangeraudCOBUS:Amazon: The Specter of Global China: Politics, Labor, and Foreign Investment in Africa by Ching Kwan Lee: https://amzn.to/3RMTKu8JOIN THE DISCUSSION:Twitter: @ChinaGSProject| @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @kaiserkuoFacebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProjectFOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC:Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChineعربي: www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfrJOIN US ON PATREON!Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug!www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject

This week on the Sinica Podcast, Kaiser and Jeremy welcome back Tom Orlik, Bloomberg's chief economist and author of the book China: The Bubble that Never Pops. Ahead of the release of the new, updated edition of his book, we ask him about all that has changed in the two-and-a-half years since the publication of the first edition — and whether the real estate crisis, the Common Prosperity agenda, China's fraying foreign relations, or the COVID lockdowns are finally going to bring about the crash long predicted by the "China bears."4:40 – Tom offers a succinct summary of the chief arguments in the first edition of China: The Bubble that Never Pops8:05 – Is China looking quite as clever as it was four months ago?11:08 – The Chinese economy's great COVID shutdown stress test13:53 – China's stimulus response20:22 – The future of the Common Prosperity agenda25:49 – China's push for tech self-sufficiency33:00 – China's present real estate crisis38:15 – Xi Jinping's priorities: triage for the ailing Chinese economy44:00 – How bad will the damage be from China's 2022 lockdowns?A complete transcript of this podcast is available at TheChinaProject.com.Recommendations:Jeremy: The Parker series,: crime fiction by Richard Stark, pen name of Donald E. WestlakeTom: Surveillance State by Josh Chin and Liza Lin; and Coalitions of the Weak by Victor ShihKaiser: The TV drama from Hulu, The BearSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on the Sinica Podcast, Kaiser chats with Ali Wyne, senior analyst at the Eurasia Group's global macro geopolitics practice and author of the brand new book America's Great Power Opportunity: Revitalizing U.S. Foreign Policy to Meet the Challenges of Strategic Competition. Ali's book calls on American policymakers to craft a strategy that is guided by confidence and a clear vision of American renewal and emphasizes America's competitive advantages, rather than being determined by the behavior of our notional competitors, especially China.2:09 – The framework of great power competition and building a foreign policy that is not dictated by the actions of other great powers16:13 – The competitive challenges from China and Russia25:38 – America's psychological anxiety over China's rise39:30 – Eight principles for building a new foreign policy: Principle one – renew America's competitive advantages51:35 – Principle two: regard the power of America's domestic example, not as a supplement to external competitiveness, but as a precondition for it.56:22 – Principle three: do not use competitive anxiety as a crutch and principle four: frame internal renewal as an explicit objective of U.S. foreign policy, not as a desired byproduct1:01:19 – Principle five: enlisting allies and partners in affirmative undertakings1:08:26 – Principle six: appreciate the limits to American unilateral influence1:13:38 – Principle seven: pursue cooperative opportunities that can temper the destabilizing effects of great power competition1:17:29 – Principle eight: rebalance toward the Asia Pacific within economic focus1:20:12 – How Russia's invasion of Ukraine has affected the framework laid out in Ali's bookA complete transcript of this interview is available at SupChina.com.Recommendations:Ali: The Foreign Affairs essay "Beijing Is Still Playing the Long Game on Taiwan: Why China Isn't Poised to Invade" by Andrew NathanKaiser: The Swedish TV show Clark on NetflixSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on the Sinica Podcast, Kaiser chats with Silvia Lindtner of the University of Michigan about her book Prototype Nation. In a wide-ranging conversation, they discuss how China's maker movement inspired the Party leadership to encourage tech entrepreneurship, how Shenzhen rose to such prominence in technology production, the fetishization of the shanzhai movement, and much more.5:29 How narratives on Chinese tech innovation have shifted14:10 What made China's technological innovation possible?20:37 State support for the maker movement and mass innovation29:52 The technocratic and entrepreneurial mindset of the CCP38:45 Techno-optimism in China versus the West45:57 Shenzhen's "hacker paradise" as a transnational project50:02 Orientalism in the West's fascination with shanzhai, or copycat, cultureA complete transcript of this podcast is available at SupChina.com.RecommendationsSilvia: In This Moment, We Are Happy by Chen Qiufan and Surrogate Humanity: Race, Robots, and the Politics of Technological Futures by Kalindi Vora and Neda AtanasoskiKaiser: Sarmat Archery based in Kiev, UkraineSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on the Sinica Podcast, Shelley Rigger of Davidson College returns to the show to talk Taiwan. She's joined by Simona Grano, a sinologist and Taiwan specialist at the University of Zürich. They talk about President Joe Biden's recent "gaffes" that call into question the longstanding, unofficial U.S. policy of "strategic ambiguity," talk about how Taiwan has been impacted by the Ukraine War, and much more.4:59: – What did Joe Biden's latest "gaffe" on Taiwan actually signify?10:06 – Did "strategic ambiguity" serve its intended purpose?16:23 – The mood in Taiwan20:51 – The impact of the Ukraine War on thinking in Beijing and in Taipei34:12 – European countries navigating relationships with Taiwan43:54 – The "One China Principle" versus the "One China Policy"47:20 – Are bilateral trade agreements enough for Taiwan?50:27 – Ethnicity, nationality, and the Taiwan issue59:00 – Making sense of the PRC claim to TaiwanA complete transcript of this podcast is available at SupChina.com.Recommendations:Simona: Orphan of Asia, a novel by Wu Zhuoliu; and the show Orange is the New BlackShelley: Occupied, a Norwegian thriller series on NetflixKaiser: Meizhong.report, a Chinese-language resource from the Carter Center's U.S.-China Perception Monitor, covering official, media, and social media commentary on U.S.-China relationsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on the Sinica Podcast, Kaiser is joined by Manjari Chatterjee Miller, Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations and associate professor of political science at Boston University; and Manoj Kewalramani, chairperson of the Indo-Pacific Research Programme and a China studies fellow at the Takshashila Institution, a leading Indian public policy education center. They offer fascinating analysis and insight into the complex relationship between China and India in light of the Russo-Ukrainian War, as powerful and populous Asian nations caught between their commitments to Russia and their well-founded fear of alienating the West. Their predicaments, however, are about all they have in common: despite Chinese overtures, New Delhi and Beijing have too much historical baggage, too many open wounds, and visions for a post-war geopolitical map that are too divergent to allow them to make anything like common cause.3:31 – Indian media positions, political elite takes, and popular opinion on the Russo-Ukrainian War9:05 – Is there a partisan divide in India on the Ukraine War?12:44 – Manoj's amazing potted history of Soviet/Russian relations with India, from 1947 to the eve of the war29:38 – Manjari on how China figures into the Indo-Soviet/Indo-Russian relationship35:33 – China as a factor in Indo-U.S. relations43:17 – China's relative tone-deafness when it comes to India55:56 – Sources of tension in the Russia-India relationshipA full transcript of this podcast is available at SupChina.comRecommendations:Manjari: Bridgerton on NetflixManoj: The 1995 Bollywood film Dilwale Dulhania Le JayengeKaiser: The high school comedy Metal Lords on Netflix; and Matt Sheehan, "The Chinese Way Of Innovation: What Washington Can Learn From Beijing About Investing In Tech" in Foreign AffairsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on the Sinica Podcast, in a show taped on March 23, Chinese foreign policy expert Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, and former national intelligence officer for East Asia Paul Heer join Kaiser for a discussion of possible scenarios that China might face in the eventual aftermath of the Russo-Ukrainian War.5:03 – The uncertain outcome of the war10:06 – Russia as a pariah state14:43 – Which is the junior partner, Russia or China?17:17 – Can China impact the course of the war?22:32 – The three levels of Chinese support for Russia31:39 – What inducements could the U.S. offer China to move decisively away from Russia?36:35 – Scenarios beyond the war: Pax Americana, the Extended Director's Cut; and the Law of the Jungle40:43 – The West Divided, the Pivot Delayed44:19 – Bandung II51:01 – What about India?A transcript of this podcast is available at SupChina.com.Recommendations:Yun: The Great Game In The Eurasia Continent by Fang JinyingPaul: Not One Inch: America, Russia, and the Making of Post-Cold War Stalemate by Mary Sarotte; and Nazis of Copley Square by Charles GallagherKaiser: The Avoidable War: The Dangers of a Catastrophic Conflict between the US and Xi Jinping's China by Kevin RuddSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, one major diplomatic variable has been the stance of China. So far, China has played its cards sort of close to its chest, neither firmly denouncing Russia's aggression, nor providing Russia with meaningful support. My guest Kaiser Kuo calls China's stance thus far a kind of "pro-Russian neutrality." He is host of the Sinica Podcast in the SUP China Network and we have a long conversation about what is informing China's approach to this international crisis. We kick off discussing the history of China-Russia relations and then dive deep into China's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.  Sinica Podcast https://supchina.com/series/sinica/ 

This week on the Sinica Podcast, Kaiser chats with Evan Feigenbaum, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, former vice-chairman of the Paulson Institute, and (during the second George W. Bush administration), Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs under Condoleeza Rice. Evan offers a very compelling analysis of the difficult position that Beijing now finds itself in after Putin's invasion of Ukraine — caught on the horns of a dilemma and unable to resolve conflicting commitments to, on the one hand, territorial sovereignty and, on the other, opposition to American unipolar hegemony. Meanwhile, Beijing is fearful of the repercussions of siding with Russia, fearing that sanctions may have a real bite. Evan also shares his thoughts on how China and Russia differ significantly in their posture toward the “rules-based international order,” on misguided thinking about Taiwan and the “strategic triangle,” and on the reshaping of the geopolitical and geoeconomic order that the Russian invasion of Ukraine will usher in.4:48 – The basic contradictions in China's competing objectives25:58 – Did Xi know about Putin's intention to invade?31:34 – Are the U.S. and NATO pushing China into the Russian embrace?35:15 – The economic impact of the war: China and sanctions40:30 – Taiwan takes and why straight-line thinking doesn't cut it48:53 – Does Beijing have an accurate sense of its ability to affect outcomes here?50:26 – China and Russia: the differences in their international behavior57:44 – The geopolitical and geoeconomic impact of Russia's invasion of UkraineA transcript of this interview is available at SupChina.com.Recommendations:Evan: Summer Kitchens, a Ukrainian cookbook by Olia HerculesKaiser: Fareed Zakaria on the Ezra Klein Show from March 4, 2022; and the new Steven Spielberg remake of West Side StorySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on the Sinica Podcast, Kaiser chats with Megan Walsh, journalist, literary critic, and author of the brand-new book The Subplot: What China Is Reading and Why It Matters. The book offers an accessible overview of China's literary scene, from better-known writers like Mò Yán 莫言 and Yán Liánkē 阎连科 to writers working in fiction genres like crime and sci-fi, and from migrant worker poets to the largely anonymous legions of writers churning out vast amounts of internet fiction. Megan talks about the burden of politics in the life of writers, the wild popularity of dānměi 耽美 (gay-male-themed web fiction), and the surprising streak of techno-optimism in Chinese science fiction.7:09 – The long shadow of the May Fourth Movement12:09 – Politics and the western gaze17:51 – Why Yan Lianke is Megan's favorite Chinese writer26:51 – The literary scene in Beijing in the 2000s29:05 – China's ginormous and mostly terrible internet fiction industry39:19 – What makes Chinese science fiction Chinese?A transcript of this interview is available on SupChina.com.Recommendations:Megan: Yiyun Li's memoir, Dear Friend, from my Life I Write to You in Your Life; and the New Zealand singer-songwriter Aldous HardingKaiser: The Audible Original epistolary audio drama When You Finish Saving the World by Jesse EisenbergSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on the Sinica Podcast, Kaiser chats with Indiana University political scientist Jason Wu about his work on China's ideological landscape. With so many now framing the contest between the U.S. (or, more broadly, "the West") and China in terms of ideology, it makes sense to examine what "ideology" means to each party, to get a sense of what China's actual ideology consists of, and how Chinese people understand their own ideological positioning relative to concepts like "left" and "right" that are familiar in the West. Wu's research yields some very surprising results: In most countries that have been studied, the degree of ideological constraint — coherence or consistency among different issue positions — tends to be higher among people with greater knowledge of politics. But in China, as with so many other things, just the opposite appears to be true.4:23 – What is the meaning of "ideology"?15:37 – What is China's ideology?20:17 – On "The Nature of Ideology in Urban China" and the odd inverse correlation between political knowledge and ideological consistency in China40:18 – On "Categorical Confusion: Ideological Labels in China" and the meaning of "left" and "right" in ChinaA transcript of this podcast is available on SupChina.com.Recommendations:Jason: The campus novels Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis and Straight Man by Richard Russo; and the two-person board game Twilight StruggleKaiser: The Magic Mountain by Thomas MannSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on the Sinica Podcast, Kaiser welcomes back Rory Truex, who teaches politics and international affairs at Princeton. In a fascinating as-yet-unpublished paper, Rory draws on extensive survey research that examines both political attitudes and personalities among Chinese participants and finds a strong correlation between political discontent and "isolating personality traits," like introversion, disagreeableness, and lack of close personal ties with others. Rory and Kaiser discuss the paper, the fascination with authoritarian resilience among Rory's cohort of China scholars, and the fertile intersection of psychology and politics.4:03 – What's with the obsession among young China-focused political scientists with authoritarian resilience?10:02 – The problem of "preference falsification" in social science research in China — and the solution!16:29 – Rory describes the dataset and the approach behind his paper on personality and political discontent33:14 – What do the personalities of Party members look like?42:15 – Personality and politics in Russia vs. ChinaA transcript of this podcast is available at SupChina.com.Recommendations: Rory: The work of the Center for Security in Emerging Technology (CSET); and the Fan Brothers' oeuvre of children's books, including The Night Gardner and The Barnabus ProjectKaiser: The immensely popular daily word game WordleSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on the Sinica Podcast, Kaiser welcomes back Dan Wang, technology analyst at Gavekal Dragonomics, to talk about this year's annual letter. Dan's letters have become something of an institution: wide-ranging, insightful, and always contentious, his missives are read by a great many observers of contemporary China and spark some lively conversations. This year's letter contrasts the major megacities that Dan has lived in (Beijing, Shanghai, and the "Greater Bay Area" of the Pearl River Delta), examines Xi Jinping's efforts to shift the energies of China's technologists and entrepreneurs away from the consumer internet and toward deep tech, ponders the causes of China's "cultural stunting" and the challenges that China faces, and has not yet overcome, in creating cultural products that the rest of the world wants, and warns of the dangers of focusing only on China's weaknesses and problems and ignoring its prodigious capabilities. Tune in for a fascinating conversation with one of the Sinosphere's more original thinkers.4:15 – Dan appraises Beijing, Shanghai, and the PRD Greater Bay Area20:48 – How to think about the "common prosperity" agenda (a.k.a. the Red New Deal)39:21 – The tradeoff between efficiency and resilience: China as an inefficient but anti-fragile economy45:34 – Should the United States be learning from China? The case for reform of American institutions50:38 – A technocratic resurgence in China? The rise of a "Beihang Clique"58:17 – The causes of "cultural stunting" in ChinaA transcript of this podcast is available on SupChina.com.Recommendations:Dan: Charles Dickens, Bleak House, and Jurgen Osterhammel, Unfabling the East: The Enlightenment's Encounter with AsiaKaiser: Ritchie Robertson, The Enlightenment: The Pursuit of Happiness, 1680 to 1790See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What we think about China depends in large measure on how we think about China. As a nation of 1.4 billion people in the throes of world-historic change, it's more important than ever to examine our own mental models when it comes to our understanding of China. This week on the Sinica Podcast, Kaiser kicks off an informal series on "thinking about thinking about China" with a conversation with Anthea Roberts and Nicolas Lamp, co-authors of the book Six Faces of Globalization: Who Wins, Who Loses, and Why it Matters. While the book focuses on globalization, in which China has been a central actor, it's really a book about ways to approach all complex issues — and will equip you with immensely useful ways to conceptualize any number of problems related to China. Kaiser calls the book "an upgrade to [his] mental operating system." Please enjoy this fascinating discussion with two brilliant scholars.5:36 – What are the building blocks of a "narrative?"8:08 – The six main narratives on globalization laid out26:23 – The challenge of articulating problematic or objectionable narratives in good faith53:54 – How China fits into the six "Western" narratives on globalization56:55 – Chinese perspectives on globalization1:11:58 – Different metaphors for integrative complexity1:21:01 – Disciplines and training that prepare or predispose people toward complexity1:24:33 – Name-checking the influencesA transcript of this conversation is available on SupChina.com.Recommendations:Anthea: The Master and His Emissary, by Ian McGilchristNicolas: The Once and Future Worker, by Oren Cass; and the China Trade Monitor website, run by Simon Lester and Huan Zhu.Kaiser: "China's Reform Generation Adapts to Life in the Middle Class," by Peter HesslerOther Links: This episode mentions a great many books and authors. Here's a partial list!Isaiah Berlin, The Hedgehog and the FoxDaniel Kahneman, Thinking, Slow and FastHoward Gardner, Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons in Theory and Practice; and his memoir, A Synthesizing MindPhilip Tetlock and Dan Gardner, Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction Jonathan Haidt, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and ReligionPaul Blustein, Schism: China, America, and the Fracturing of the Global Trading SystemJulia Galef, The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don'tDavid Epstein, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized WorldC.P. Snow, The Two Cultures and the Scientific RevolutionEdward O. Wilson, Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge George Lakoff, Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives ThinkGareth Morgan, Images of OrganizationSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on the Sinica Podcast, Kaiser chats with Eileen Guo and Jess Aloe, two members of the three-person team of reporters at the MIT Technology Review who took a data-centered look at the U.S. Department of Justice's China Initiative and uncovered serious problems: an ill-defined mission, low conviction rates, post hoc efforts to remove cases previously described as falling under the China Initiative, and strong evidence of racial profiling.3:03 – The genesis of the report9:15 – How the Department of Justice defines — or doesn't define — the China Initiative19:00 – The deletion of China Initiative cases from the DoJ's website22:34 – Was the Anming Hu case a watershed?30:57 – The evidence for racial profiling38:26 – Biden's conundrumA transcript of this podcast is available on SupChina.com.Recommendations:Eileen: America for Beginners, a novel by Leah FranquiJess: The Expanse, a science fiction series on Amazon PrimeKaiser: Cloud Cuckoo Land, a novel by Anthony DoerrSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on the Sinica Podcast, we bring you Part 2 of a conversation with Lizzi Lee, an economist turned China analyst, and Jude Blanchette, the Freeman Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). In September, Lizzi and Jude joined Kaiser and Jeremy to discuss the wide-ranging set of regulatory moves by Beijing, touching on many disparate realms of Chinese life — from real estate to renewable energy, and from entertainment to education. But much has happened since then, and as we promised at the end of that episode, we reconvened to discuss the same topic at our NEXTChina 2021 conference on November 10-11. Don't miss this one!3:53 – A reappraisal and clarification of the Red New Deal9:02 – Kaiser's hypothesis about why Xi Jinping is pushing such far-reaching changes now10:29 – Lizzi Lee offers her take on the timing14:41 – Jude on why "Red New Deal" doesn't quite go far enough in describing the changes afoot18:50 – Lizzi on the dangers of bursting the real estate bubble27:26 – Has Xi Jinping left any off-ramps?A transcript of this episode is available at SupChina.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Questa settimana Xi Jinping e Joe Biden hanno avuto un incontro virtuale per parlare dei rapporti tra Cina e Stati Uniti. Mentre da un lato c'è sollievo perché pare che si sia messo un freno a nuovi peggioramenti dei rapporti tra i due Paesi, dall'altra è evidente quanto sia difficile per gli occidentali comprendere la trasformazione in corso a Pechino e dintorni.Nella terza puntata stagionale del nostro podcast, Marco e Gabriele incontrano Kaiser Kuo, conduttore e cofondatore di The Sinica Podcast e collaboratore della newsletter SupChina (che vi invitiamo caldamente a seguire).Ripartiamo da un suo recente articolo, "Capire le trasformazioni storiche della Cina attraverso l'empatia informata" (https://supchina.com/2021/10/28/understanding-chinas-historic-changes-through-informed-empathy/) per provare a cambiare la lente con cui guardiamo alla Cina, tra (molte) sfide e (poco) soft power.

This week on the Sinica Podcast, Kaiser welcomes former Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Susan Thornton to discuss a recently published audit of the Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED), the annual set of high-level meetings with Chinese officials that were convened during the Obama administration by the U.S. Departments of State and the Treasury. The audit's two lead authors, representing the two organizations behind the audit, the National Committee on U.S. Foreign Policy and the American Friends Service Committee, also join the conversation. Rorry Daniels is the Deputy Project Director at the National Committee on American Foreign Policy's Forum on Asia-Pacific Security, where she organizes research and Track II discussions on security issues and conflict mediation in the Asia-Pacific. Daniel Jasper is the Public Education and Advocacy Coordinator, Asia, for the American Friends Service Committee, where his work focuses on China and North Korea. Susan, Rorry, and Dan make a strong case that, contrary to an emerging bipartisan consensus in Washington that engagement with China was a failure, the policy of engagement actually bore substantial fruit.6:12 – The SED and the S&ED — why the ampersand matters10:37 – The rationale behind the S&ED16:15 – In the room at the S&ED meetings30:12 – Critiques of the S&ED process36:47 – The mechanics of the S&ED audit44:13 – Five major accomplishments of the S&ED1:01:38 – Other surprising U.S. gains from the S&ED1:10:51 – How could the process be improved?A transcript of this interview is available on SupChina.com. Recommendations:Rorry: The Good Place (a TV show by Michael Schur) and the eponymous podcast hosted by Tara Brach.Dan: Silence: The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise, by Thich Nhat Hanh, and The China Hustle, a documentary on China-focused short sellers, by Jed Rothstein.Susan: The Incredible Dr. Pol, a reality show about a veterinarian on National Geographic; Hidden Forces, a podcast hosted by Demetri Kofinas; and China and Japan: Facing History, the last book by the great scholar Ezra Vogel.Kaiser: Wildland: The Making of America's Fury, by Evan Osnos, especially in audiobook form, read by the author, and Grand Tamasha, a podcast about current affairs in India, hosted by Milan Vaishnav.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Xi Jinping's China has embarked on a campaign that could transform the country's technology, entertainment and media industries. Contributors: Chris Buckley - China correspondent, The New York Times Kaiser Kuo - Host, The Sinica Podcast and editor-at-large, SupChina Bingchun Meng - Associate professor, Department of Media and Communications, LSE Rui Zhong - Program associate, Wilson Center, Kissinger Institute on China and the United States On our radar A month of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, Meenakshi Ravi and producer Johanna Hoes discuss how the Taliban is already leaving its mark on the country's news industry despite initial promises to the contrary. Structures of oppression? Colombia's falling statues Indigenous Colombians have been toppling statues of European colonisers - challenging how the country's history is remembered. Contributors: Didier Chirimuscay - Misak community leader Rodolfo Segovia - President, Colombian Academy of History Amada Carolina Perez - Historian, Javeriana University

My guest today is Kaiser Kuo. Kaiser is one of my favorite broadcasters as the co-host of the Sinica Podcast on SupChina News. It was through that prismed window that I virtually met him as an international policy guy, the model intellectual expat, a Silicon Valley-meets-Beijing rock star, a sword-enthusiast and moreover, the guy you wanted to be when you grew up but never knew it. To put icing on this particular cake, Kaiser has divided his life between the US and China, and to my calculations, there is no better way to optimize one's culinary self. Indeed, I have been a guest on The Sinica Podcast talking about this very thing. Here's our chat.

Note: this is a full but edited version of this episode. The full unedited conversation, with 1hr of omitted content, is available to Patrons. Consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/planamag Kaiser Kuo (host of the Sinica Podcast) returns to continue a discussion with Jess and Teen from almost exactly one year ago about the connection between anti-Asian racism in the US, and America policy towards China. In that year, facts on the ground have changed significantly. To what extent does Biden represent a shift away from the aggressive Sinophobic policies of Trump? And does combatting anti-Asian racism act as a brake on the most aggressive and dangerous approaches to US-China policy? LINKS: Sinica Podcast ft. Ryan Hass (https://supchina.com/podcast/ryan-hass-on-his-new-book-stronger/) Fareed Zakaria op-ed (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-pentagon-is-using-china-as-an-excuse-for-huge-new-budgets/2021/03/18/848c8296-8824-11eb-8a8b-5cf82c3dffe4_story.html) Peter Daszak's response to Biden (https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/10/world/coronavirus-newsletter-02-10-21-intl/index.html) Viet Thanh Nguyen on Bipartisan Anti-China Rhetoric and anti-Asian violence (https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/atlanta-shooting-political-rhetoric-violence/2021/03/19/f882f8e8-88b9-11eb-8a8b-5cf82c3dffe4_story.html) TWITTER: Kaiser Kuo (@KaiserKuo) Jess (@cogitatotomato) Teen (@mont_jiang) SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS: editor.planamag@gmail.com EFPA Opening Theme: "Fuck Out My Face" by Ayekay (open.spotify.com/artist/16zQKaDN5XgHAhfOJHTigJ)

The growth of Chinese technology in Africa has sounded alarm bells in Washington and other foreign capitals. Beyond security and surveillance risks, what, if any, benefits exist for Africans? Judd Devermont is joined by Chairman Carolyn Bartholomew (U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission), Bulelani Jili (Harvard University), and Jeremy Goldkorn (SupChina and Sinica Podcast) to unpack the concerns surrounding Chinese involvement in the region’s tech sector, sharing recommendations for the Biden administration. Other topics include the fight for Covid-19 vaccines and ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule’s corruption charges. Background Readings:  The Spread of Surveillance Technology in Africa Stirs Security Concerns - Bulelani Jili  No immediate changes to U.S. China policy under Biden, including tariffs – Jeremy Goldkorn 

He is a former member of the rock band Tang Dynasty, and has further enlivened contemporary Chinese music culture with the formation of another ethnically oriented heavy metal rock group, Spring and Autumn. But that's just one chapter in the life and times of Kaiser Kuo, who has become a leading voice of common ground between East and West with his podcasting and op-ed pieces. This episode was the idea of our guy Chris, who is the tech guru for "The Bridge" in Washington D.C. and is a heavy metal fan. Chris talks metal with Kaiser, John & Heyang talk with Kuo about how he's used his status as a legendary artist to bring about positive change between the USA and China.

Kaiser Kuo hosts The Sinica Podcast, a weekly discussion of current affairs in China. I sat down with Kaiser to discuss China's relationship with the liberal international order, the often adversarial American media coverage of Chinese foreign policy, and its most recent management of the coronavirus outbreak. We also talked about his experience starting Tang Dynasty, the first heavy metal rock band in China. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/williamyuenyee/support

In episode 44 of TechBuzz China, co-hosts Ying-Ying Lu and Rui Ma talk about So-Young, an internet company that markets and facilitates plastic surgery and other medical cosmetic procedures to Chinese customers. The six-year-old company has a stated mission of bringing “health and beauty” to everyone, and its stock priced at $13.80 per American depositary share (ADS) last week but is now trading at about $20. Prior to listing, So-Young had raised over $250 million in venture capital funding, including some from Tencent. Last year, it claimed to have made $8 million in net income, plus a market share of 82 percent based on user time spent on similar apps. Rui and Ying-Ying begin by giving an overview of the scale of the plastic surgery market in China. In China, the industry is broadly known as “医疗美容” (yīliáo měiróng) or “医美” (yī měi), roughly translated as “medical cosmetology,” which includes procedures such as hair removal, hair transplants, and various kinds of laser- and ultrasound-enabled operations — thus enabling So-Young to argue that it is going after a larger market size. Indeed, by this broad definition, China is the second-largest market in the world, and it is poised to become the largest by 2021. Listen to find out: Who is the founder of So-Young, a former developer and lifelong tech geek who has himself undergone many reconstructive and plastic surgeries? What does he think is the real problem with the plastic surgery industry? As a platform, what are some notable aspects of So-Young's revenue and business model? What types of controversies has the company been involved with, and what are some of its risks and legal issues? Regarding the industry, what are some of the societal and deep-seated belief factors — including some that may be surprising to our listeners outside of China — that help fuel its growth, and how do these affect the demographic breakdown of those who opt for procedures? Ultimately, do our co-hosts believe that platforms such as So-Young are a part of the “problem” or the “solution”? As always, you can find these stories and more at pandaily.com. Do let us know what you think of the show by leaving us an iTunes review, liking our Facebook page, and tweeting at us at @techbuzzchina! Thank you also to our listeners over at our partner, dealstreetasia.com. We are grateful for our rock-star producers, Shaw Wan and Kaiser Kuo, and our interns, Wang Menglu and Mindy Xu. Co-host Rui Ma will be in New York City on Monday, May 20, for SupChina's third annual SupChina Women's Conference. Come join her! And, listen to top leaders discuss how women are impacting China's tech, business, financial, and consumer trends. Jeremy Goldkorn and our producer Kaiser Kuo will also be hosting an on-site live recording of their excellent Sinica Podcast. Our sponsor for this episode is the University of San Francisco. USF's new master's degree in applied economics is a STEM-designated program that combines economics training with the practical skills in data analytics needed to understand today's new digital economy. To learn more, visit usfca.edu/techbuzz.

Welcome to the 8th podcast episode of this side series, the Podcast Spotlight. In this episode, we talk with Bill Poorman and Nikolaj Groeneweg, co-hosts of the Singapore-based podcast We don't mean to dwell but...as they introduce the following 2 podcasts: Podcast 1: The Sinica Podcast The Sinica Podcast is part of the SupChina network, a platform for on-the-ground perspectives on politics, economics, technology, and culture. It is hosted by the enigmatic Kaiser Kuo, a freelance writer and musician, formerly of various rock outfits such as Tang Dynasty and Spring and Autumn.  Generally, episodes are presented in a discussion format, and feature guests from media and academia to talk on all sorts of topics including US-China relations, Chinese foreign policy, Hacking, and much more. In the first episode of the wonderfully-titled Nu Voices podcast, hosts Joanna Chiu and Alice Xin Lui lament on how the narrative on China is always presented with a western tinge. The Sinica Podcast, in this vein, can be seen as a defiant response. Stories and perspectives told by native Chinese, or by individuals who have studied and lived in China. In this sense, if your media diet is dominated by western outlets - your New York Times, your Wall Street Journals - then this podcast might a little jarring. But, if you are the kind of person who appreciates authenticity and is genuinely curious about China, then this is definitely a podcast for you. Podcast 2: Mindscape by Sean Carroll By day, Sean Carroll is a Research Professor of theoretical physics at the California Institute of Technology. By night, he is host of Mindscape, a straightforward conversation-style podcast with intellectuals in fields spanning science, society, philosophy, culture, and so on. Aside from this, Carroll is also the author of various titles such as The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself, The Particle at the End of the Universe: How the Hunt for the Higgs Boson Leads Us to the Edge of a New World, From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time, and Spacetime and Geometry: An Introduction to General Relativity. Fair warning here, albeit the informal style of the show, the topics discussed are not for the casual listener. Unless you were steeped in these topics as well, you might be better off finding other podcasts to fill your gym workout or your commute to work. However, if you take these topics seriously, and are patient enough to invest your attention well, then this podcast can be richly rewarding. Where traditional conversational podcasts engage listeners in personal stories and relatable anecdotes, Carroll's Mindscape tries to break down incredibly technical subjects in an almost nonchalant manner. It's still not an easy listen, but there is incredible insight and perspective that can be learned through each episode. Music by Pandrezz: Takin' you for a ride Once again special thanks to Bill Poorman and Nikolaj Groeneweg for being such amazing guests on this episode. Special thanks to Bill for graciously inviting me to his home and allowing me to record with his equipment, it truly was an absolute pleasure, and I am incredibly grateful for the gesture. Also, on a personal note, I would never have thought that out of all places, podcasting would be where I could meet people who share my concerns on moving and living abroad. Just goes to show you how powerful the medium really is. If you liked this episode, please do a big favor by sharing it amongst your friends or by subscribing to the Economical Rice Podcast on iTunes, Soundcloud, or Spotify. All the links and details to the shows discussed in this episode will be available in the show notes on the website www.economicalricepodcast.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/economicalricepodcast/message

In the first joint live session of GGV Capital's 996 Podcast and the Sinica Podcast, we interviewed Yasheng Huang, a renowned economist and professor of global economics and management at the MIT Sloan School of Management. GGV Capital's Hans Tung and Zara Zhang were joined by Kaiser Kuo, host of the Sinica Podcast and producer of the 996 Podcast. Huang founded and runs the China Lab and the India Lab, which aim to help entrepreneurs in those countries improve their management skills. He is an expert source on international business, political economy, and international management. In collaboration with other scholars, Huang conducts research on human capital formation in China and India, entrepreneurship, and ethnic and labor-intensive foreign direct investment. In this episode, we discussed the recent trade tensions between the U.S. and China, how geopolitical factors are affecting the global tech industry, and how China's growth story compares with that of India and other developing countries. Join our listeners' community via WeChat/Slack at 996.ggvc.com/community. GGV Capital also produces a biweekly email newsletter in English, also called "996," which has a roundup of the week's most important happenings in tech in China. Subscribe at 996.ggvc.com. The 996 Podcast is brought to you by GGV Capital, a multi-stage venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley, Shanghai, and Beijing. We have been partnering with leading technology entrepreneurs for the past 18 years from seed to pre-IPO. With $3.8 billion in capital under management across eight funds, GGV invests in globally minded entrepreneurs in consumer internet, e-commerce, frontier tech, and enterprise. GGV has invested in over 280 companies, with 30 companies valued at over $1 billion. Portfolio companies include Airbnb, Alibaba, Bytedance (Toutiao), Ctrip, Didi Chuxing, DOMO, Hashicorp, Hellobike, Houzz, Keep, Musical.ly, Slack, Square, Wish, Xiaohongshu, YY, and others. Find out more at ggvc.com.

David Moser (Beijing Capital Normal University, Sinica Podcast) and Brendan O'Kane (Paper Republic, University of Pennsylvania) join Jeremiah to discuss David's new book, A Billion Voices, the history of language reform and national unity in China, the best way to learn Chinese, and the debate over whether it's okay to hate on Chinese characters.