Podcasts about Tsinghua University

Send us a textShould the world fear China? It's a question on the lips of many in a world where a global trade war seems to be looming. It's also the title of a new book by senior fellow at Tsinghua University's Center for International Security and Strategy and retired Senior Colonel in China's People's Liberation Army, Zhou Bo.In this Agenda special, Jamie Owen talks to Zhou Bo about his book and gets the author's reaction to tariffs, Donald Trump, tensions in the South China Sea, relations with Russia and much, much more.

The National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, and the Beijing Green Finance Association, under the guidance of the Institute of Energy, Environment, and Economy at Tsinghua University, convened the fourth Track II Dialogue on Climate Finance and Trade in September 2024. The teams discussed foreign direct investment in climate-related projects, carbon markets, COP29 climate finance issues, and climate-related financial disclosures. Since the dialogue, the atmosphere for climate collaboration has vastly shifted. In this conversation, recorded on March 21, 2025, Track II delegation leaders David Sandalow and Ma Jun, discussed the main takeaways from the dialogue and the future of global climate collaboration. About the speakers

Send us a textHe hasn't yet spent 100 days back in the White House, but Donald Trump has already upset the world with his extraordinary approach to trade and tariffs.So where exactly are we headed, and can we expect more of what China has called Trump's "economic bullying"?On this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to Marco Simoni, Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Political Science at Rome's LUISS University, German Economist Mark Falkenberg, Professor Ju Jiandong, from the PBC School of Finance at Tsinghua University and Chair of the China Trade Research Group and Douglas Barry, Adjunct Professor at George Washington University and author of "Smart Rabbits - American Small Businesspeople, Trade Wars, and the Future of U.S.-China Relations".

On April 7th, 2025, the AI landscape saw significant advancements and strategic shifts, evidenced by Meta's launch of its powerful Llama 4 AI models, poised to compete with industry leaders. Simultaneously, DeepSeek and Tsinghua University unveiled a novel self-improving AI approach, highlighting China's growing AI prowess, while OpenAI considered a hardware expansion through the potential acquisition of Jony Ive's startup. Microsoft enhanced its Copilot AI assistant with personalisation features and broader application integration, aiming for a more intuitive user experience. Furthermore, a report projected potential existential risks from Artificial Superintelligence by 2027, prompting discussions on AI safety, as Midjourney released its advanced version 7 image generator and NVIDIA optimised performance for Meta's new models.

What is Beijing thinking as it watches Western governments grapple with the chaos created by the US?Does China view the fracturing of long-standing US alliances and trading relationships as an opportunity, or do they share the concerns about what is coming?Guest: Zhou Bo, Senior Colonel (Retired) in the People's Liberation Army, author of Should the World Fear China? Senior fellow at Tsinghua University's Center for International Security and StrategyRecommendations:Geraldine: 'China rethinking its role', Engelsberg IdeasHamish: 'Why a weight-loss drug could become a geopolitical bargaining chip', FTGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Dr. Jia "Leo" Li is an Associate Professor of Physics at Brown University. He is a condensed matter experimental physicist, and his research involves stacking different layers of two-dimensional (2D) material together to discover new electronic properties that could revolutionize future technology, including the next generation of computers and electronics. In his free time, Leo enjoys rock climbing and trail running. Running is a great way to clear his mind when he is frustrated from a failed experiment or stuck on a particular equation. He finds parallels between finding solutions to physics problems and identifying the perfect running or climbing routes. Leo completed his undergraduate studies at Tsinghua University in China, and he received his MS and PhD degrees in Physics from Northwestern University. Afterwards, Leo worked as a postdoctoral researcher in physics at Columbia University before joining the faculty at Brown University where he is today. He has been the recipient of a Sloan Research Fellowship, a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, and Brown University's Salamon Faculty Award for excellence in scholarly work. In our interview, Leo shares more about his life and science.

Breakthroughs in AI and Quantum Computing: Baidu's Ernie, Tesla's Self-Driving Tests, and D-Wave's Quantum Supremacy This episode of Hashtag Trending, hosted by Jim Love, delves into recent developments in AI and quantum computing. Baidu introduces cost-effective AI models, Ernie X1 and Ernie 4.5, challenging existing players like OpenAI and DeepSeek. China's Tsinghua University unveils Chitu, an AI framework to reduce reliance on NVIDIA's GPUs. Tesla's self-driving technology comes under scrutiny after a YouTuber's comparison with LiDAR-equipped vehicles showcases significant performance differences. Apple faces internal strife over AI project delays, particularly with Siri enhancements. D-Wave Quantum Inc. claims a significant milestone in quantum computing by solving a real-world problem faster than traditional supercomputers, potentially marking a new era in the field. 00:00 Introduction and Headlines 00:36 Baidu's AI Innovations: Ernie X1 and Ernie 4.5 03:18 China's Challenge to NVIDIA: The Chitu Framework 04:20 Tesla's Self-Driving Controversy 08:39 Apple's AI Struggles and Employee Frustrations 10:45 D-Wave's Quantum Computing Breakthrough 13:45 Conclusion and Sign-Off

In this episode Hamish and Geraldine examine the strategic thinking behind AUKUS. If China has undertaken the most rapid military expansion of any country since WWII, how does the AUKUS pact factor into Beijing's thinking? And does a plan that ties us more closely to the United States make us more or less safe?NOTE: This podcast was first released on 20 December 2024.GUESTS:Zhou Bo – Senior Colonel (Ret.) of China's People's Liberation Army, is Senior Fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University. Vice Admiral Mark Hammond - Chief of the Royal Australian Navy.Hugh Jeffrey - Deputy Secretary Strategy, Policy, and Industry, Department of DefenceGET IN TOUCH: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Chinese universities are accelerating efforts to integrate education with artificial intelligence, with more AI colleges opening to cultivate interdisciplinary talent and more general AI courses and textbooks introduced.中国高校正加速推进教育与人工智能融合，通过成立更多的人工智能学院来培养复合型人才，并引入更多的人工智能通识课程和教材。Tsinghua University, one of China's top schools, recently announced it will increase its undergraduate admissions by about 150 students this year and establish a new undergraduate college for general AI education. The students will enroll in the new program, which aims to integrate AI across multiple disciplines.近日，清华大学作为中国顶尖学府之一，宣布2025年将增加约150名本科生招生名额，并成立新的本科书院发展人工智能通识教育。新增本科生将进入新成立的书院学习。该项目旨在将人工智能与多学科交叉融合。The initiative pools academic resources from various fields, seeking to develop students with a solid foundation in AI, high proficiency in AI technologies and strong innovative capabilities, the university said. The move is part of Tsinghua's efforts to advance AI-related professional training and support China's push for high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening, according to Xinhua News Agency.清华大学表示，这一项目汇聚各领域的学术资源，将培养具有深厚人工智能素养、熟练掌握人工智能技术、具备突出创新能力的学生。据新华社报道，清华正深入推进人工智能相关专业人才培养，以期为中国高水平科技自立自强提供有力支撑，该项目就是其中的一部分。As AI rapidly evolves, reshaping education and driving socioeconomic development, the need for individuals with comprehensive AI knowledge and skills is becoming increasingly urgent.人工智能的快速发展正在重塑教育、推动社会经济发展，对具备综合人工智能知识技能的人才的需求越来越迫切。Wang Xuenan, deputy director at the Digital Education Research Institute of the China National Academy of Educational Sciences, told China Central Television the number of students majoring in AI was estimated at more than 40,000 last year, yet "the number still falls far short of the needs of the industry."中国教育科学研究院数字教育研究所副所长王学男在接受中央电视台采访时表示，2024年人工智能专业的学生大概是4万多人，但“这一数字仍远远不能满足行业的需求”。Market consultancy McKinsey& Company estimates that China will need 6 million professionals with proficient AI knowledge by 2030.市场咨询公司麦肯锡估计，到2030年，中国对人工智能专业人才的需求预计将达到600万。In November 2023, a talent training initiative on collaborative research in general AI was jointly launched by the Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence, Peking University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and 13 other leading universities. Zhu Songchun, director of the Beijing institute and dean of the School of Intelligent Science and Technology at Peking University, told Guangming Daily that the plan will leverage the resources of these universities to create a training system that seamlessly connects undergraduate and doctoral education.2023年11月，北京通用人工智能研究院、北京大学、上海交通大学及其他13所顶尖高校共同启动“通用人工智能协同攻关合作体人才培养计划”。北京通用人工智能研究院、北京大学智能学院院长朱松纯告诉《光明日报》，该计划将利用这些高校的资源，打造通用人工智能本博贯通的培养体系。In September last year, Nankai University and Tianjin University introduced a general AI course through a massive open online course, or MOOC, targeting more than 100,000 undergraduates in Tianjin. The course covers AI's basic principles and history while exploring cutting-edge generative AI models and their applications in healthcare, intelligent manufacturing and autonomous driving, according to Xu Zhen, director of the department of higher education at the Tianjin Municipal Education Commission.2024年9月，南开大学和天津大学通过大型开放在线课程平台慕课，推出了一门人工智能通识课程，面向天津10万余名本科生。天津市教育委员会高等教育处处长徐震表示，该课程涵盖人工智能的基本原理和发展历程，同时探讨生成式人工智能模型等前沿技术及其在医疗、智能制造、自动驾驶等领域的应用。Zhejiang University announced in March that it will lead an upgrade of the "AI plus X" micro program in collaboration with Fudan University, Nanjing University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the University of Science and Technology of China. The country's first micro program integrating AI with other disciplines, it aims to bridge technology with fields such as humanities, social sciences, agriculture, medicine and engineering.3月，浙江大学宣布将联合复旦大学、南京大学、上海交通大学、中国科学技术大学，牵头升级“AI+X”微专业。这是全国首个将人工智能与其他学科相结合的微专业，旨在搭建技术与人文、社科、农业、医学、工程等领域的桥梁。interdisciplinaryadj.学科间的，跨学科的enrollv.（使）加入；招（生）seamlesslyadv.顺利地；连续地collaborationn.合作；协作

Join an insightful discussion on the #two sessions with professor Tian Xuan from Tsinghua University's PBC School of Finance. We explore China's impressive economic achievements and delve into how the country plans to tackle emerging challenges and seize new opportunities. Watch the video for an exclusive glimpse into China's economic future! #PotsideChats

Chinese policymakers will likely adopt a more pro-growth stance and strengthen "extraordinary countercyclical measures" to spur the economy amid pressing challenges from sluggish domestic demand and external uncertainties, economists said.经济学家表示，面对国内需求疲软、外部不确定性等紧迫挑战，中国政策制定者可能会采取更加倾向于经济增长的立场，并加强“超常规逆周期调节”以刺激经济。They anticipate a new round of stimulus packages focusing on driving domestic demand and boosting consumption to address domestic structural issues, offset the rising headwinds from a grimmer global environment and foster sustainable, high-quality growth in the long run.他们预计，新一轮刺激计划将侧重于拉动内需、促进消费，解决国内结构性问题，抵消全球环境恶化带来的日益加剧的逆风，促进长期的、可持续的高质量增长。The economists also said they believe that measures in the pipeline may include more public borrowing and spending, with a growing shift of policy emphasis to consumption, enhanced financial support for low-income households, and increased spending on the property sector through the buying back of land or by helping developers finish presold homes.经济学家还表示，他们认为即将出台的措施可能包括增加财政支出、政策重点逐渐转向消费、加强对低收入家庭的财政支持、通过回购土地或帮助开发商完成预售房屋来增加房地产行业支出。Their comments came as the market is closely watching how China will draw up growth targets and policies to revive the world's second-largest economy when China's top legislative and political advisory bodies meet for the annual two sessions in early March.这些评论发表之际，中国即将在3月初召开全国两会，而市场正密切关注中国会如何制定增长目标和政策，重振世界第二大经济体。Noting that the broader economy is still facing pressures from a harsher external environment and still-weak domestic demand, Sun Xuegong, director of the department of policy study and consultation at the Chinese Academy of Macroeconomic Research, said that policymakers will likely introduce a package of stimulus measures aimed at boosting market confidence and stabilizing expectations. The academy is part of the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic regulator.中国宏观经济研究院决策咨询部主任孙学工指出，当前经济仍面临外部环境恶化、内需持续疲软的压力，政策制定者可能会推出一系列刺激措施，提振市场信心、稳定市场预期。中国宏观经济研究院是中国最高经济管理部门国家发展和改革委员会的直属研究机构。As authorities pledged to implement extraordinary countercyclical policies this year, Sun highlighted the need to expand fiscal expenditure, with policy focus shifting to spurring consumption.孙学工强调，由于政府已承诺今年实施超常规逆周期政策，有必要扩大财政支出，将政策重点转向刺激消费。"We need a comprehensive policy mix to boost consumption," Sun said in an interview with China Daily. "The government has already announced raising the pension level and providing subsidies to the low-income group. And this year, the country will extend the program of trade-in deals for consumer goods and expand the scope to more fields of consumption."孙学工在接受《中国日报》采访时表示：“我们需要一套综合政策来提振消费。政府已经宣布提高养老金水平，为低收入群体提供补贴。今年，中国还将延长消费品以旧换新计划，并将范围扩大到更多消费领域。”With a series of existing policies taking effect gradually and more supportive measures in the pipeline, Sun said he expects to see a pickup in consumption.孙学工表示，随着一系列现有政策逐步生效，更多支持性措施即将出台，预计消费将有所回升。At a study session held last week by the State Council, China's Cabinet, Premier Li Qiang emphasized boosting consumption and improving people's livelihoods through stronger and more targeted measures, in a bid to strengthen the fundamental role of consumption in driving economic development.2月21日，国务院常务会议召开。会议上，国务院总理李强强调，要通过更有力、更有针对性的措施提振消费、改善民生，增强消费在推动经济发展中的基础性作用。Wang Tao, chief China economist at UBS Investment Bank, said her team expects the government to ramp up fiscal spending to support consumption and the household sector, including more than doubling the size of the trade-in program to over 300 billion yuan ($41.3 billion), creating a subsidy program for families with young children, and increasing the payout level of residents' basic pension and the government contribution to basic social insurance.瑞银证券中国首席经济学家汪涛表示，我们团队预计政府将加大对消费及居民部门的财政支出，包括将消费品以旧换新规模扩大一倍以上至3000亿元人民币（413亿美元）、设立生育和育儿补贴计划、提高城乡居民基础养老金支付水平及政府对基本社保的财政补助水平。"These much-anticipated measures could gradually help underpin household confidence and unleash consumption potential in the long run," Wang said.汪涛表示：“这些市场期待已久的措施有助于逐步提振居民信心、释放长期消费增长潜力。”On the monetary front, Wang said she anticipates that the two sessions will follow the "moderately loose" monetary policy tone set during the Central Economic Work Conference in December, with an explicit call for lowering the funding cost of corporate financing and household credit, cutting reserve requirement ratios and policy rates and enhancing counter cyclical adjustments.汪涛表示，在货币政策方面，她预计两会或将维持2024年12月中央经济工作会议所提出的“适度宽松”的货币政策基调，包括明确要求降低企业融资及居民信贷成本、下调存款准备金率及政策利率、加强逆周期调节。Tian Xuan, associate dean of Tsinghua University's PBC School of Finance, said this year's economic growth target will likely remain at "around 5 percent", the same as last year, reflecting the continuity and consistency of policies and aligning with the country's aspiration that its per capita GDP would reach the level of a moderately developed economy by 2035.清华大学五道口金融学院副院长田轩表示，今年的经济增长目标可能仍保持与去年持平的“5%左右”，体现政策的连续性和一致性，符合中国到2035年人均国内生产总值达到中等发达国家水平的愿望。The expectation of an unchanged growth target comes as China's major economic hubs, such as Beijing and Shanghai as well as Guangdong province, have announced GDP growth goals of around 5 percent for the year.北京、上海、广东等中国主要经济中心已宣布今年GDP增长目标为5%左右，因此预期今年经济增长目标不变。"It would be a goal that we need to strive for and reach with extra effort, which can effectively inspire all the people across the country to work hard together," said Tian, who expects this year's budget deficit-to-GDP ratio to increase to 4 percent or higher.田轩预计今年财政赤字率将提高至4%或以上，他表示：“这将是一个我们需要争取并付出额外努力才能实现的目标，可以有效激励全国人民共同努力。”Lu Ting, chief China economist at Nomura, said a higher fiscal deficit ratio would allow the central government to issue more bonds, ramp up transfers to local governments and alleviate fiscal pressures.野村证券中国区首席经济学家陆挺表示，增加财政赤字率可以让中央政府发行更多债券，增加给地方政府的转移支付，缓解财政压力。Lu said the fiscal stimulus package will likely focus on areas including funding for a trade-in program for equipment upgrades and consumer goods, spending on the property sector through the buying back of land or by helping developers finish presold homes, and financial support for low-income households as well as funding to encourage childbirth.陆挺表示，财政刺激计划可能重点关注以下几个领域：为设备升级和消费品以旧换新计划提供资金；通过回购土地或帮助开发商完成预售房屋来增加房地产行业的支出；为低收入家庭提供财政支持；为鼓励生育提供资金。"The Chinese economy may get off to a relatively good start.…We expect year-on-year real GDP growth to stay at 5 percent in the first quarter," he said.他表示：“中国经济可能迎来一个相对良好的开局……我们预计第一季度实际GDP同比增长率将保持在5%。”The breakthrough of China's homegrown artificial intelligence model DeepSeek has triggered a stock rally that may boost investment and consumption, while the expansion of the trade-in program is stimulating sales of digital goods, he added.他补充说，中国自主研发的人工智能模型DeepSeek的突破性成果引发股市上涨，这可能会促进投资和消费，而扩大以旧换新范围也在刺激数码产品的销售。explicitadj.清楚明白的；明确的

Global attention will turn to Beijing next week with the start of the two sessions, China's biggest annual political event, through which the people's voices will be heard by policymakers, while the country's development priorities will be discussed.With the people's well-being in mind, President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has since 2013 leveraged the two sessions to hold discussions with grassroots-level lawmakers and political advisers from across the country, listening to their suggestions on the country's development.Two sessions refer to the annual gatherings in Beijing of the deputies to the National People's Congress, the nation's top legislature, and the members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the nation's top political advisory body.As an embodiment of whole-process people's democracy, the two sessions have become a strong bond linking the Chinese leader and people at the grassroots level.At discussions during the two sessions about the country's development priorities, Xi has touched upon a variety of topics, including efforts to promote high-quality growth, foster new quality productive forces, enhance innovation in science and technology, and strengthen ecological conservation.He has always highlighted the need to make every effort to enable China's 1.4 billion people to lead a better life on the path to Chinese modernization.When he took part in deliberations with NPC deputies from the delegation of Jiangsu province last year, Xi emphasized the need to adhere to the people-centered development philosophy. "We must steadily enhance the level of livelihood security through development, and guide and motivate our people to create a happy life with their own hands," he said.People-centered development has been at the core of Xi's governance philosophy. When he has conducted inspections nationwide, he has always visited rural areas and urban communities to see how people are faring in their lives.Last year, he spent a total of more than 30 days on inspection tours, visiting 12 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions as well as the Macao Special Administrative Region. He visited farmers' homes, orchards and farm fields, as well as urban communities, seaports and high-tech industrial parks."As far as Chinese modernization is concerned, the people's well-being is prioritized," Xi told local residents when visiting a rural community during his inspection tour of Chongqing in April. "All the work of the Party and the government is aimed at ensuring a happier life for the ordinary people," he added.On Jan 22, ahead of Chinese New Year, Xi braved the cold to visit people who had been affected by floods in the village of Zhujiagou in Huludao, Liaoning province. He visited villagers who had moved into their new houses and inquired about the quality of the reconstructed homes and whether their daily necessities were adequate.Wang Lili, Party chief of the village, said that what Xi cares about most is whether the villagers affected by the floods live a good life."President Xi's care brings warmth and happiness to our hearts," she said.According to the Ministry of Finance, 70 percent of government expenditures in 2024 went toward ensuring the people's well-being.In his 2025 New Year message, Xi said: "Of all the jobs in front of us, the most important is to ensure a happy life for our people. ... We should work together to steadily improve social undertakings and governance, build a harmonious and inclusive atmosphere, and settle real issues, big or small, for our people. We must bring more smiles to our people and greater warmth to their hearts."Regarding the Chinese president's visit in 2018 to Liangjiahe, a village in Shaanxi province, where Xi had stayed for seven years as an "educated youth" in his teens, Faustin-Archange Touadera, president of the Central African Republic, said that he was impressed by Xi's strong connections with the people."Xi is deeply rooted in the people, always standing with the people and serving the people," Touadera said in an interview with China Global Television Network.Under Xi's leadership, the Party has made it a major task of Chinese modernization to ensure and improve people's livelihood through development.The third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, which was held in July, adopted a resolution on further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization, with a focus on enhancing people's quality of life, improving the income distribution system, promoting an employment-first policy, strengthening the social security system and deepening reform of the healthcare system.Guo Jianning, a professor at Tsinghua University's School of Marxism, said that putting people first underpins the governance philosophy and core values of the Party.Ensuring that the people lead better lives serves as both the starting point and the ultimate goal of the Party to further deepen reform on all fronts, Guo said in an article published by China Education News.While striving to improve the well-being of its own people, China, led by Xi, has also been committed to promoting the world's common development to ensure a better life for people in all countries."On the path toward modernization, no one and no country should be left behind," Xi said at the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in September, calling on China and Africa to join hands to boost the modernization of the Global South to contribute to peace, security, prosperity and progress around the world.

In this episode of The afikra Podcast, host Mikey Muhanna speaks with Professor Adam Hanieh, author of "Crude Capitalism: Oil, Corporate Power, and the Making of the World Market," to discuss the transformative role of oil in shaping global economics and politics. The conversation delves into the historical context of oil production, including the rise of Standard Oil and the dominance of the Seven Sisters, the emergence of the term "petrodollars," OPEC's influence, and the strategic movements of oil in the global market. The discussion also addresses the implications of oil on geopolitical relations, particularly in the Middle East, the US, and the emerging role of China. Prof Hanieh examines the flawed solutions proposed to address the climate crisis and the ongoing pervasiveness of fossil fuel reliance.00:00 Introduction01:05 Understanding Petrodollars02:52 The Genesis of "Crude Capitalism"05:30 Historical Context: Oil as a Commodity08:22 Oil and War: a Strategic Resource16:58 The Rise of the Seven Sisters23:51 US Hegemony and Petrodollars29:44 The Formation and Role of OPEC37:33 Oil and Financial Markets48:13 China's Role in the Global Oil Market56:39 The Stakes of Energy Politics01:00:44 Final ThoughtsAdam Hanieh is a professor of Political Economy and Global Development at the University of Exeter's Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies and a Distinguished Research Fellow at Tsinghua University. A leading scholar of Middle Eastern political economy, his work examines Gulf capitalism, class dynamics, and state formation. He is the author of Money, Markets, and Monarchies (2018) and Crude Capitalism: Oil, Corporate Power, and the Making of the World Market (Verso Books, 2024). His research has been widely published, and he holds a Political Economy Fellowship with the Independent Social Research Foundation, while also serving on several editorial and advisory boards. Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna

China has reaffirmed its commitment to resolving mutual concerns through equal dialogue and consultation with the United States, emphasizing that Washington's unilateral tariff hikes are disrupting normal economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, according to China's top commerce official.中国商务部高级官员表示，中方已重申希望与美国通过平等对话磋商解决各自关切，并强调美方单边加征关税的做法正对中美正常经贸合作造成破坏。In a letter sent on Wednesday to Howard Lutnick, the newly appointed US secretary of commerce, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao expressed China's concerns over US tariffs on Chinese exports, the Ministry of Commerce said in an online statement.据商务部的一份在线声明显示，2月19日，商务部部长王文涛向美国新任商务部长霍华德·卢特尼克致信，就美对中国输美产品加征关税表达中方关切。Wang said that economic and trade relations form a critical pillar of China-US ties. Both sides should strive to foster a fair and predictable business environment to support sustainable economic engagement, he added.王文涛表示，经贸关系是中美关系的重要组成部分。双方应努力营造公平、可预期的商业环境，以支持可持续的经济合作。The US government's aggressive tariff policy is bound to fail, as history has proved that wielding the tariff stick only leads to price hikes, exacerbates inflation and disrupts global trade, economists said.经济学家指出，美国政府激进的关税政策注定失败，因为历史证明，挥舞关税大棒只会导致价格上涨、加剧通胀并扰乱全球贸易。Highlighting that tariffs are duties ultimately imposed on US businesses and consumers, they said that rather than bring manufacturing back to the US, protectionism would isolate Washington in the world economy and politics.他们强调，关税最终是由美国企业和消费者承担的，保护主义不仅不会让制造业回流美国，反而会使美国在世界经济和政治中陷入孤立。Their comments came after US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he intends to impose auto tariffs "in the neighborhood of 25 percent" and similar duties on semiconductors and pharmaceutical imports. This is the latest of a series of US measures threatening to upend international trade.2月18日，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普表示打算对汽车征收“约25%”的关税，并对半导体和药品进口征收类似关税，随后相关人士发表了上述评论。这是美国一系列威胁颠覆国际贸易的最新举措。Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan, a professor of economics at Brown University in the US state of Rhode Island, said, "Economists don't typically agree on all things, but if you ask me what is one thing they do agree on, it's that tariffs are costly to the American consumer in the end."美国罗得岛州布朗大学经济学教授塞布内姆·卡莱姆利-奥兹坎表示：“经济学家通常不会在所有事情上达成一致，但如果你问我他们会在哪件事上达成共识，那就是关税最终会让美国消费者付出代价。”Trump imposed a 50 percent tariff on imports of washing machines in 2018. As a direct result, the value of washing machines jumped by around 12 percent, and US consumers paid around $1.5 billion extra a year in total for these products, researchers from the University of Chicago estimated in a paper published in 2019.2018年，特朗普对进口洗衣机征收了50%的关税。芝加哥大学的研究人员在2019年发表的一篇论文中估计，这一举措直接导致洗衣机价格上涨约12%，美国消费者每年为此类产品总共额外支付约15亿美元。Kalemli-Ozcan also expressed concern about the inflationary impact of the extra tariffs.卡莱姆利-奥兹坎还对额外关税的通胀影响表示担忧。The US consumer price index jumped 0.5 percent month-on-month in January, the biggest gain since August 2023. This was higher than expected, as Americans face higher costs for a range of goods and services, Reuters reported.据路透社报道，美国1月消费者价格指数环比增长0.5%，这是自2023年8月以来的最大涨幅。这一涨幅高于预期，因为美国人面临一系列商品和服务成本的上涨。Computer manufacturer Acer said that the price of its laptops would increase by 10 percent next month due to US tariffs.计算机制造商宏碁表示，由于美国关税，其笔记本电脑的价格下个月将上涨10%。"Tariffs (could) also lead to appreciation of the dollar, meaning it will be hard for US exporters to sell their goods to other countries, even in the absence of any retaliation from any country that it imposes tariffs on," Kalemli-Ozcan added.卡莱姆利-奥兹坎补充说：“关税还可能导致美元升值，这意味着即使受加征关税影响的国家不实施反击，美国出口商也很难将商品销售到其他国家。”Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, said a multifaceted rationale exists behind the aggressive US trade policy, citing reasons such as attempting to weaken China, pushing for compliance with US foreign policy demands and boosting US exports.哥伦比亚大学可持续发展中心主任杰弗里·萨克斯表示，美国激进贸易政策背后的动机是多方面的，包括试图削弱中国、迫使他国屈服于美国外交政策要求、增加美国出口等。"But Trump's strategy is bound to fail," Sachs said. "China will diversify its trade to the rest of the world, while the US will increasingly lose competitiveness of its own exports in third markets."萨克斯说：“但特朗普的战略注定失败。中国将在全球实行贸易多元化，而美国将在第三市场逐渐失去其出口竞争力。”Li Zhi, assistant dean of the China Institute for Development Planning at Tsinghua University, said, "Eight years ago, the US government tried to use the tariff weapon to make the US great again, but the result was soaring prices domestically, blocked manufacturing investment and disrupted global supply chains."清华大学中国发展规划研究院院长助理李治表示：“八年前，美国政府试图利用关税武器让美国再次伟大，但结果是国内价格飙升，制造业投资受阻，全球供应链中断。”"The trade war launched by Washington has proved to be of little use to help it reduce the deficit," Li said. "We need to learn how to compete and cooperate more gracefully."李治说：“美国发起的贸易战已被证明对其减少赤字几乎没有帮助。我们需要学会如何更优雅地进行竞争与合作。”Wang Changlin, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Trump is triggering widespread trade frictions with his tariff plans. "Such an approach will drive up inflation in the US, disrupt global supply chains, and accelerate the restructuring of global industrial, technological and energy resource landscapes. As a result, global economic growth is expected to slow further," Wang said.中国社会科学院副院长王昌林表示，特朗普的关税计划正在引发广泛的贸易摩擦。“这种做法将推高美国通胀，扰乱全球供应链，并加速全球工业、技术和能源资源格局的重组。因此，全球经济增长预计将进一步放缓，”王昌林说。Shi Hongxiu, a professor of economics at the National Academy of Governance, said: "The tariff policy reflects a decline in US influence in global trade, as it increasingly resorts to protectionism to shore up domestic industry. Such moves will trigger countermeasures from its trading partners and deal a blow to global supply chains."国家行政学院经济学教授时红秀表示：“关税政策反映出美国在全球贸易中的影响力下降，因为它越来越诉诸保护主义来支撑国内产业。此类举措将引发其贸易伙伴的反制措施，并对全球供应链造成打击。”Cheng Dawei, a professor at the School of Economics at Renmin University of China, said Trump called for "reciprocal tariffs".中国人民大学经济学院教授程大为表示，特朗普呼吁“互惠关税”。"But such remarks are unfair and contradict the laws of the World Trade Organizations," Cheng said. "Under WTO rules, special and differential treatment should be applied to developing countries. Trump's planned 25 percent tariff on all imported automobiles violates such rules."程大为说：“但这种言论是不公平的，并且与世贸组织的规则相矛盾。根据世贸组织规则，发展中国家应享有特殊和差别待遇。特朗普计划对所有进口汽车征收25%的关税违反了这些规则。”wieldv.挥舞，握，抓着（武器或工具）appreciationn.（价格，价值等的）上涨，增值retaliationn.报复；反击

If you work across time zones, borders, and cultures, this is the show for you. This is your host Leonardo, welcome to the international business podcast.   Today, we dive into the world of HR, exploring it from both a recruitment and company culture perspective. Automation and AI are ubiquitous in today's business landscape. What should job seekers be wary of? Companies are facing significant challenges in China, with layoffs continuing to occur. What is driving these changes? Furthermore, what are the most significant challenges and opportunities for HR professionals as businesses transition to digital operations? This and more will be discussed.   Use the promo code 8D1E2 to get 50% off your first month on Patreon. This offer is valid until February 28th. Join Leonardo on Patreon for:⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast Archive: 102 episodes (40+ hours). Podcast Bonus Episodes: New exclusive content. Early Access: Upcoming YouTube videos and newsletters. Thinking Process Journal: Insights into Leonardo's content preparation, including a curated reading list and personal reflections. Q&A: Submit questions for future episodes, and receive a shoutout when they are answered. Miriam Wickertsheim is a German national and holds a double degree in Asia Studies and Economics from Germany and Tsinghua University. She is General Manager at Direct HR, one of China's largest German speaking recruitment firms. She has spent a decade and a half living and working in China. She is a well-recognized senior leader in the HR Service industry and a frequent speaker at various prestigious organizations here in China. She speaks German, English and Chinese. She also wrote the book “Overcoming Superwoman Syndrome: a 10 step guide to inner peace and success”. You can purchase her book (Amazon) here. Ben Eden is an international bestselling author of "How We See Ourselves" and a sought-after leadership coach, speaker, and HR strategist. With over a decade of experience in organizational development, employee retention, and executive coaching, Ben has guided leaders across industries to overcome challenges, build high-performing teams, and achieve transformational success. As the creator of the Eden Model for personal and professional fulfillment, Ben empowers HR professionals to align their self-perception with their goals, unlocking their full potential as leaders. Known for delivering engaging presentations and actionable insights, Ben inspires audiences to cultivate impactful relationships, foster trust, and lead with authenticity. His work is grounded in a deep understanding of the evolving HR landscape and a passion for helping others succeed. You can purchase Ben's book (Amazon) here. Chloris Liu is an experienced International Executive Headhunter with over a decade of expertise. She recruits senior to executive-level positions in the general manufacturing and consumer technology sectors across East China for Michael Page, a UK-listed company. Her notable achievements include successfully placing over 30 senior positions (from manager to VP) for local and multinational companies such as Walmart, Alipay, Samsung, IKEA, and others, primarily in the APAC region.   Chloris has over six years of experience with a Singapore-listed recruitment agency, focusing on commercial function placements in the tech and industrial sectors. Her international experience spans five years in Guangzhou, four years in Europe and the US, and she currently resides in Shanghai. If you work across time zones, borders, and cultures, come on the show to share your story. ⁠Connect with the host Leonardo Marra

How do we become moral persons? What about children's active learning in contrast to parenting? What can children teach us about knowledge-making more broadly? Answer these questions by delving into the groundbreaking ethnographic fieldwork conducted by anthropologists Arthur and Margery Wolf in a martial law era Taiwanese village (1958-60), marking the first-ever study of ethnic Han children.  Jing Xu skillfully reinterprets the Wolfs' extensive fieldnotes, employing a unique blend of humanistic interpretation, natural language processing, and machine-learning techniques. Through a lens of social cognition, Unruly' Children: Historical Fieldnotes and Learning Morality in a Taiwan Village (Cambridge UP, 2024) unravels the complexities of children's moral growth, exposing instances of disobedience, negotiation, and peer dynamics. Writing through and about fieldnotes, the author connects the two themes, learning morality and making ethnography, in light of social cognition, and invites all of us to take children seriously. This book is ideal for graduate and undergraduate students of anthropology and educational studies. Throughout the interview, the term “Chinese” is used in the broad sense of cultural heritage. Jing Xu is a research scientist at the Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle. She holds a B.A. and M.A. from Tsinghua University, China, a Ph.D. in anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis, and received postdoctoral training in developmental psychology at the University of Washington. She pursues interdisciplinary research, bringing together anthropological and psychological perspectives to study how humans become moral persons. She is the author of two monographs: The Good Child: Moral Development in a Chinese Preschool (Stanford U Press, 2017) and “Unruly” Children: Historical Fieldnotes and Learning Morality in a Taiwan Village (Cambridge U Press, 2024). Yadong Li is a socio-cultural anthropologist-in-training. He is registered as a PhD student at Tulane University. His research interests lie at the intersection of economic anthropology, medical anthropology, hope studies, and the anthropology of borders and frontiers. More details about his scholarship and research interests can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

How do we become moral persons? What about children's active learning in contrast to parenting? What can children teach us about knowledge-making more broadly? Answer these questions by delving into the groundbreaking ethnographic fieldwork conducted by anthropologists Arthur and Margery Wolf in a martial law era Taiwanese village (1958-60), marking the first-ever study of ethnic Han children.  Jing Xu skillfully reinterprets the Wolfs' extensive fieldnotes, employing a unique blend of humanistic interpretation, natural language processing, and machine-learning techniques. Through a lens of social cognition, Unruly' Children: Historical Fieldnotes and Learning Morality in a Taiwan Village (Cambridge UP, 2024) unravels the complexities of children's moral growth, exposing instances of disobedience, negotiation, and peer dynamics. Writing through and about fieldnotes, the author connects the two themes, learning morality and making ethnography, in light of social cognition, and invites all of us to take children seriously. This book is ideal for graduate and undergraduate students of anthropology and educational studies. Throughout the interview, the term “Chinese” is used in the broad sense of cultural heritage. Jing Xu is a research scientist at the Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle. She holds a B.A. and M.A. from Tsinghua University, China, a Ph.D. in anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis, and received postdoctoral training in developmental psychology at the University of Washington. She pursues interdisciplinary research, bringing together anthropological and psychological perspectives to study how humans become moral persons. She is the author of two monographs: The Good Child: Moral Development in a Chinese Preschool (Stanford U Press, 2017) and “Unruly” Children: Historical Fieldnotes and Learning Morality in a Taiwan Village (Cambridge U Press, 2024). Yadong Li is a socio-cultural anthropologist-in-training. He is registered as a PhD student at Tulane University. His research interests lie at the intersection of economic anthropology, medical anthropology, hope studies, and the anthropology of borders and frontiers. More details about his scholarship and research interests can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/east-asian-studies

Listen to NYU Shanghai's Vice Chancellor Jeffrey Lehman and Tsinghua University's Vice President & Provost Yang Bin provide insight on the state of U.S.-China higher education exchange in a discussion moderated by CGTN's Senior Host Liu Xin. This dialogue was part of the 2024 U.S.-China People's Dialogue, which took place in Beijing on November 22, 2024.

How do we become moral persons? What about children's active learning in contrast to parenting? What can children teach us about knowledge-making more broadly? Answer these questions by delving into the groundbreaking ethnographic fieldwork conducted by anthropologists Arthur and Margery Wolf in a martial law era Taiwanese village (1958-60), marking the first-ever study of ethnic Han children.  Jing Xu skillfully reinterprets the Wolfs' extensive fieldnotes, employing a unique blend of humanistic interpretation, natural language processing, and machine-learning techniques. Through a lens of social cognition, Unruly' Children: Historical Fieldnotes and Learning Morality in a Taiwan Village (Cambridge UP, 2024) unravels the complexities of children's moral growth, exposing instances of disobedience, negotiation, and peer dynamics. Writing through and about fieldnotes, the author connects the two themes, learning morality and making ethnography, in light of social cognition, and invites all of us to take children seriously. This book is ideal for graduate and undergraduate students of anthropology and educational studies. Throughout the interview, the term “Chinese” is used in the broad sense of cultural heritage. Jing Xu is a research scientist at the Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle. She holds a B.A. and M.A. from Tsinghua University, China, a Ph.D. in anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis, and received postdoctoral training in developmental psychology at the University of Washington. She pursues interdisciplinary research, bringing together anthropological and psychological perspectives to study how humans become moral persons. She is the author of two monographs: The Good Child: Moral Development in a Chinese Preschool (Stanford U Press, 2017) and “Unruly” Children: Historical Fieldnotes and Learning Morality in a Taiwan Village (Cambridge U Press, 2024). Yadong Li is a socio-cultural anthropologist-in-training. He is registered as a PhD student at Tulane University. His research interests lie at the intersection of economic anthropology, medical anthropology, hope studies, and the anthropology of borders and frontiers. More details about his scholarship and research interests can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

How do we become moral persons? What about children's active learning in contrast to parenting? What can children teach us about knowledge-making more broadly? Answer these questions by delving into the groundbreaking ethnographic fieldwork conducted by anthropologists Arthur and Margery Wolf in a martial law era Taiwanese village (1958-60), marking the first-ever study of ethnic Han children.  Jing Xu skillfully reinterprets the Wolfs' extensive fieldnotes, employing a unique blend of humanistic interpretation, natural language processing, and machine-learning techniques. Through a lens of social cognition, Unruly' Children: Historical Fieldnotes and Learning Morality in a Taiwan Village (Cambridge UP, 2024) unravels the complexities of children's moral growth, exposing instances of disobedience, negotiation, and peer dynamics. Writing through and about fieldnotes, the author connects the two themes, learning morality and making ethnography, in light of social cognition, and invites all of us to take children seriously. This book is ideal for graduate and undergraduate students of anthropology and educational studies. Throughout the interview, the term “Chinese” is used in the broad sense of cultural heritage. Jing Xu is a research scientist at the Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle. She holds a B.A. and M.A. from Tsinghua University, China, a Ph.D. in anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis, and received postdoctoral training in developmental psychology at the University of Washington. She pursues interdisciplinary research, bringing together anthropological and psychological perspectives to study how humans become moral persons. She is the author of two monographs: The Good Child: Moral Development in a Chinese Preschool (Stanford U Press, 2017) and “Unruly” Children: Historical Fieldnotes and Learning Morality in a Taiwan Village (Cambridge U Press, 2024). Yadong Li is a socio-cultural anthropologist-in-training. He is registered as a PhD student at Tulane University. His research interests lie at the intersection of economic anthropology, medical anthropology, hope studies, and the anthropology of borders and frontiers. More details about his scholarship and research interests can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/chinese-studies

How do we become moral persons? What about children's active learning in contrast to parenting? What can children teach us about knowledge-making more broadly? Answer these questions by delving into the groundbreaking ethnographic fieldwork conducted by anthropologists Arthur and Margery Wolf in a martial law era Taiwanese village (1958-60), marking the first-ever study of ethnic Han children.  Jing Xu skillfully reinterprets the Wolfs' extensive fieldnotes, employing a unique blend of humanistic interpretation, natural language processing, and machine-learning techniques. Through a lens of social cognition, Unruly' Children: Historical Fieldnotes and Learning Morality in a Taiwan Village (Cambridge UP, 2024) unravels the complexities of children's moral growth, exposing instances of disobedience, negotiation, and peer dynamics. Writing through and about fieldnotes, the author connects the two themes, learning morality and making ethnography, in light of social cognition, and invites all of us to take children seriously. This book is ideal for graduate and undergraduate students of anthropology and educational studies. Throughout the interview, the term “Chinese” is used in the broad sense of cultural heritage. Jing Xu is a research scientist at the Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle. She holds a B.A. and M.A. from Tsinghua University, China, a Ph.D. in anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis, and received postdoctoral training in developmental psychology at the University of Washington. She pursues interdisciplinary research, bringing together anthropological and psychological perspectives to study how humans become moral persons. She is the author of two monographs: The Good Child: Moral Development in a Chinese Preschool (Stanford U Press, 2017) and “Unruly” Children: Historical Fieldnotes and Learning Morality in a Taiwan Village (Cambridge U Press, 2024). Yadong Li is a socio-cultural anthropologist-in-training. He is registered as a PhD student at Tulane University. His research interests lie at the intersection of economic anthropology, medical anthropology, hope studies, and the anthropology of borders and frontiers. More details about his scholarship and research interests can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

Email comments or guest ideas (to reply, include your email address)This episode features Giorgio Fortunato who leads Clean Energy and Power at Google in Asia Pacific. He outlines Google's dedication to clean energy, including its ambitious 24/7 carbon-free energy target by 2030. Giorgio explores the Asia Pacific region's unique challenges and opportunities, such as grid infrastructure development, diverse clean energy procurement strategies, and the crucial role of data transparency. He also shares specific examples of Google's successful clean energy projects across Australia, India, Japan, and Singapore, emphasizing the need for customized solutions to effectively address the diverse needs of each market.RESOURCES:1. 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Procurement in APAC: Pathways for Companies and Countries (BloombergNEF and the Global Renewables Alliance)2. The Role of High-Impact Utility Green Tariffs (ACEC and CEBA)3. New paths for clean energy in Asia-Pacific (G Fortunato)ABOUT GIORGIO. Giorgio leads Clean Energy and Power at Google in Asia Pacific. He is responsible for securing Google's data centre and operational energy needs in the region, while driving Google's efforts to achieve 24/7 carbon-free energy and net-zero emissions across Google's operations and value chain. His experience in the energy sector includes leading Schneider Electric's Cleantech advisory in APAC, co-founding the offshore wind startup Blue Aspirations, and holding leadership positions at Vestas Wind Systems. He also served as the National Energy Chair at the European Chamber of Commerce in China. Giorgio holds a master's in aerospace engineering from La Sapienza University of Rome and a dual-degree EMBA from Tsinghua University and INSEAD.FEEDBACK: Email Host | HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30-50 Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | Ep51 – Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G, Movement I (Allegro), BWV 1049 Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Aly Madhavji is the Managing Partner at Blockchain Founders Fund which invests in and venture builds top-tier startups. He is a Limited Partner at Loyal VC and Draper Goren Holm. Aly consults organizations on emerging technologies such as INSEAD and the UN on solutions to help alleviate poverty. He served as Senior Blockchain Fellow at INSEAD and was recognized as a “Blockchain 100” Global Leader. He is an internationally acclaimed author, publishing three books, and a columnist for leading Web3 publications. Aly served as a board member of Soluna Holdings (NASDAQ: SLNH) and on various advisory boards including the University of Toronto's Governing Council, which manages a $2.5B budget. He is a mentor with Orbit Startups, an elite accelerator program operated by the venture fund SOSV with $1.5B+ AUM and the Mobile Only Accelerator (MOX). Aly holds a Master of Global Affairs as a Schwarzman Scholar from Tsinghua University (清华大学), a Master of Business Administration from INSEAD (Singapore and France), and a Bachelor of Commerce with Distinction from the University of Toronto. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlockchainFoundersFund/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blockchainfoundersfund/?originalSubdomain=sg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alymadhavji/?hl=en Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVCRgXA7LaTDxsQ_b3J85bA Twitter: https://x.com/blockchainff?lang=en Website: https://blockchainff.com/

Aly Madhavji is the Managing Partner at Blockchain Founders Fund which invests in and venture builds top-tier startups. He is a Limited Partner at Loyal VC and Draper Goren Holm. Aly consults organizations on emerging technologies such as INSEAD and the UN on solutions to help alleviate poverty. He served as Senior Blockchain Fellow at INSEAD and was recognized as a “Blockchain 100” Global Leader. He is an internationally acclaimed author, publishing three books, and a columnist for leading Web3 publications. Aly served as a board member of Soluna Holdings (NASDAQ: SLNH) and on various advisory boards including the University of Toronto's Governing Council, which manages a $2.5B budget. He is a mentor with Orbit Startups, an elite accelerator program operated by the venture fund SOSV with $1.5B+ AUM and the Mobile Only Accelerator (MOX). Aly holds a Master of Global Affairs as a Schwarzman Scholar from Tsinghua University (清华大学), a Master of Business Administration from INSEAD (Singapore and France), and a Bachelor of Commerce with Distinction from the University of Toronto. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlockchainFoundersFund/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blockchainfoundersfund/?originalSubdomain=sg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alymadhavji/?hl=en Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVCRgXA7LaTDxsQ_b3J85bA Twitter: https://x.com/blockchainff?lang=en Website: https://blockchainff.com/

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Feng Zhang joins us to discuss China-North Korea relations in light of the growing Russia-North Korea relationship and deployment of North Korean troops to support Russia. Dr. Zhang discusses how the China-North Korea relationship has suffered in recent years, in part due to China joining UN sanctions against North Korea in 2016, the COVID-19 pandemic, and North Korea's involvement in Russia's war against Ukraine. Dr. Zhang explains that China has a waning influence over North Korea, evidenced most strongly through the recent further alignment between Pyongyang and Moscow. He notes that China still sees itself as a great power on the Korean Peninsula, striving for regional stability to ensure its own national security, but that China struggles to use its economic and diplomatic pressures on North Korea, fearing that it may antagonize Pyongyang against Beijing. Dr. Zhang notes that North Korea is widely viewed in China as an agent of chaos and Beijing does not want to be viewed as a member or leader in the “axis of upheaval” with North Korea, Russia, and Iran. Finally, given China's rising concerns about North Korean foreign policy and growing North Korea-Russia ties, Dr. Zhang predicts Beijing will try to play a bigger role in working with the incoming Trump Administration and other regional actors to curb North Korea's provocative behavior. Dr. Feng Zhang is a Visiting Scholar at Yale Law School's Paul Tsai China Center. He previously held positions at Tsinghua University, Murdoch University, and the Australian National University. He specializes in Chinese foreign policy, international relations in East Asia, and international relations theory. He is the author of Chinese Hegemony: Grand Strategy and International Institutions in East Asian History (Stanford, 2015). He co-authored two books with Richard Ned Lebow: Taming Sino-American Rivalry (Oxford, 2020) and Justice and International Order: East and West (Oxford, 2022). His new book on China's Policy toward Afghanistan since 1949 will be published shortly. His current project examines the causes and management of U.S.-China competition.  

Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, will lead a group of Taiwan youth to the Chinese provinces of Heilongjiang and Sichuan later this month to participate in an ice-themed major event and engage in other exchange activities, a spokesperson from the Chinese mainland announced on Wednesday.国务院台办发言人11日宣布，中国国民党前主席马英九将率台湾青年于12月下旬赴黑龙江、四川出席海峡两岸青年冰雪节活动并参访。This will be Ma's second visit to the mainland this year, following an 11-day trip starting from the end of March, during which he led a Taiwan youth delegation to Guangdong, Shaanxi and Beijing. The visit concluded with a meeting between Ma and Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.这将是马英九今年第二次访问大陆，此前他曾于3月底进行为期11天的访问，期间率领台湾青年学子访问了广东、陕西和北京。访问结束时，中共中央总书记习近平会见马英九一行。Last week, a delegation of mainland college students, including Olympic table tennis champion Ma Long and shooting champion Yang Qian, completed a nine-day visit to Taiwan.上周，包括奥运乒乓球冠军马龙和射击冠军杨倩在内的大陆高校师生访问团结束了对台湾为期9天的访问交流。Zhu Fenglian, spokeswoman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, confirmed at a regular news briefing that Ma's upcoming visit will occur from Dec 18 to 26. She welcomed Ma's visit and assured that all activities would be well-arranged.国务院台办发言人朱凤莲在例行新闻发布会上证实，马英九将于12月18日至26日来访。她对马英九的到来表示欢迎，并保证将妥善安排各项活动。Zhu emphasized that China has a long history, rich culture, vast territory and magnificent landscapes, making it a shared homeland for compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. She added that the youth on both sides represent the future of cross-Strait relations.朱凤莲强调，中国历史悠久、文化灿烂、幅员辽阔、山川壮美，是两岸同胞的共同家园。两岸青年承载着两岸关系的未来和希望。"We hope that compatriots on both sides, especially young people, will frequently interact and visit each other, inherit and promote excellent traditional Chinese culture, enhance exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and contribute to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," Zhu said.“希望两岸同胞特别是青年朋友常来往、多走动，共同传承弘扬中华优秀传统文化，携手促进两岸各领域交流合作，致力中华民族伟大复兴。”朱凤莲说。Hsiao Hsu-tsen, executive director of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, said in a news release that, amid global tensions, cross-Strait relations are more important. He emphasized that, as Ma has said, the more exchanges and profound understanding there are between young people across the Strait, the fewer conflicts there will be in the future.马英九文教基金会执行长萧旭岑在一份新闻稿中说，在全球紧张局势下，两岸关系更为重要。他强调，正如马英九所说，两岸年轻人之间的交流越多，理解越深刻，未来的冲突就会越少。During this visit, Ma and the Taiwan youths will participate in an ice-themed event in Heilongjiang, China's northeasternmost province, which will be attended by young people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait.访问期间，马英九和台湾青年将参加在中国最东北省份黑龙江举行的冰雪主题活动，两岸青年也都将参加。Zhu said the event, taking place from Dec 18 to 24, will include activities such as a short video exhibition, an exchange seminar with cross-Strait youths, and a tour of venues for the 9th Asian Winter Games.朱凤莲介绍，此次活动将于12月18日至24日举行，包括短视频展播、两岸青年交流座谈会、第九届亚洲冬季运动会场馆巡礼等多项活动。"Currently, it is expected that around 1,000 participants, mostly young people, will participate in the ice-themed activities," Zhu said.“目前，预计将有以台湾青年为主体的约1000名台胞参加冰雪节活动。”朱凤莲说。Just days ago, from Nov 27 to Dec 5, a delegation of 40 teachers and students from seven mainland universities, including Tsinghua University, visited Taiwan. The group engaged in exchanges with their Taiwan peers, visited universities, and toured historical and cultural sites, including the Taipei Confucius Temple.就在几天前，11月27日至12月5日，由清华大学等7所大陆高校40名师生组成的访问团赴台参访。访问团与台湾同行进行了交流，参观了大学，并游览了台北孔庙等历史古迹。Zhu noted that the visit was warmly welcomed and actively supported by various sectors in Taiwan. "The people of Taiwan have felt the youthful energy of mainland youths, represented by Olympic champions Ma Long and Yang Qian, and their sincerity and goodwill in understanding Taiwan," she said.朱凤莲指出，此次访问受到了台湾各界的热烈欢迎和积极支持。她说：“台湾民众看到了以奥运冠军马龙、杨倩为代表的大陆青年的青春风采，看到了他们了解台湾的诚意善意。”She cited several Taiwan children who expressed a desire to learn table tennis in the mainland after receiving signed paddles from Ma.她举例说，一些台湾小朋友得到马龙签名球拍后，表示希望有机会来大陆学习乒乓球。Meanwhile, the mainland delegation also experienced the warmth and friendliness of the Taiwan people and their genuine willingness to engage with the mainland, the spokeswoman said.与此同时，朱凤莲表示，大陆师生访问团也感受到台湾民众的热情友善以及和大陆交流的真情实意。Zhu said that the mainland group members received many handwritten letters, postcards and well-prepared small gifts from Taiwan people.朱凤莲指出，大陆访问团收到很多台湾民众手写的信件、明信片和用心准备的小礼物。"Many young people from Taiwan and mainland delegation members agreed to meet again next year, looking forward to more exchanges across the Strait," Zhu said. "Their actions and efforts have promoted cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, brought compatriots closer and demonstrated deep affection."“很多台湾青年和访问团成员相约来年再见，期待两岸有更多交流。” 朱凤莲说，“他们用自身行动和努力促进了两岸交流合作，拉近了两岸同胞距离，诠释了浓浓的同胞亲情。”The mainland will continue to support and promote cross-Strait youth exchanges, providing more platforms and opportunities for mutual learning and interaction so that young people on both sides can make greater contributions to the peaceful and integrated development of cross-Strait relations, according to the mainland official.朱凤莲表示，大陆将一如既往支持和推动两岸青年交流，持续为两岸青年互学互鉴、交流交心搭建更多平台、创造更多机会，让两岸青年为推动两岸关系和平发展、融合发展贡献更大力量。compatriotn. 同胞rejuvenationn. 复兴cross-Strait youth exchange海峡两岸青年交流

China is planning a fresh set of policies to propel growth in the equipment manufacturing sector, focusing on nurturing new growth engines such as new energy vehicles and low-altitude aircraft, amid the country's concerted efforts to promote industrial upgrading and enhance global supply chain resilience, said officials and experts.The move mirrors the directive to nurture technological innovation to boost the development of new quality productive forces and the establishment of a modern industrial system, which was mapped out at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Monday.The meeting, which was presided over by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, anchored China's key focal points for next year's economic development, as the nation is in a pivotal process of changing its development paradigm from quantity-driven to quality-driven.The vision is backed by China's ever-stronger equipment manufacturing capability, as reflected in the fact that annual production of new energy vehicles passed the milestone of 10 million units on Nov 14, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, making China the only nation to realize such an achievement.It took only six years for this figure to grow from 1 million to 10 million, showcasing the nation's unwavering commitment to innovation-driven development."Innovation stands as a pivotal force propelling the high-quality advancement of the manufacturing sector, and companies are increasingly assuming central roles in driving innovation," said Li Jinghong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a professor at Tsinghua University.To date, China has built nearly 10,000 digital workshops and smart factories, of which over 400 have developed into national-level intelligent manufacturing demonstration factories. Artificial intelligence, digital twins and other cutting-edge technologies have been applied in more than 90 percent of these demonstration factories, according to a report released at the 2024 World Internet Conference.In the first 10 months of this year, total output of high-tech manufacturing businesses grew 9.1 percent year-on-year, surpassing the average growth rate of businesses from all industries by 3.3 percentage points, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.Businesses are also stepping up efforts to promote green transformation. NBS data showed that the proportion of nonfossil energy consumption increased 2.6 percentage points in the first three quarters, compared with the same period last year, while coal consumption decreased 1.9 percentage points and petroleum use fell 0.9 percentage point."Despite China's rapid advancement in the manufacturing sector, challenges persist, notably in balancing innovation investments with operational demands," said Li, the CAS academician. "The substantial investments required for technological innovation exert significant operational pressures on companies, posing dilemmas between long-term innovation and short-term financial sustainability."Xin Guobin, vice-minister of industry and information technology, said at a recent conference that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's upcoming policies to further boost manufacturing are expected to strengthen the implementation of large-scale equipment upgrades and trade-in programs for consumer goods to stimulate consumption of major commodities like automobiles.Xin said that policies are also underway to proactively foster new growth drivers such as intelligent connected NEVs, low-altitude aircraft and service robots, as well as major technological projects such as machine tools and smart manufacturing systems."It is crucial to unlock the innovation capabilities of companies and make full use of the leading role of industry front-runners in research investment and the fostering of practical technologies. Further efforts are also expected to enhance the collaboration among businesses, academia and research institutes," Li said.Shan Zenghai, chief engineer and vice-president of the listed arm of construction equipment maker Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group, said that promoting the renewal of construction machinery equipment can foster new growth points for related businesses such as electronic components and software development, and further propel the high-quality development of the manufacturing sector.It is expected that policy support for the renewal of construction machinery equipment will be accelerated, while the transformation from traditional fuel-powered construction machinery to equipment powered by new energy sources will be encouraged, the market environment will be continuously optimized, and the coordinated development of the industrial chain will be promoted, he said.Zhang Xiaolun, chairman of China National Machinery Industry Corp, underscored the importance of machine tools as the foundation of the manufacturing sector. Despite China's dominance in global production and consumption of machine tools, a gap exists in high-end manufacturing in this specific sector, compared with international rivals. Efforts are required to foster a robust industrial ecosystem and propel technological progress, Zhang said.

In this episode, we explore building an AI-first company and engineering org with Rong Yan (CTO @ HeyGen)! We dive into the potential of HeyGen's interactive avatars, imagining how they can help engineering leaders scale their impact, foster team alignment, coach effectively, and accelerate decision-making. Rong shares insights on the structure of an AI-first company and optimizing for AI teams with engineering capabilities. Plus what it means to “lead with speed” and balance product quality and velocity in an AI-first company and key leadership principles, like why it's crucial to invest in your top performers and how to act as a productivity multiplier.ABOUT RONG YANRong Yan is HeyGen's Chief Technology Officer. He brings the company's technological mission of making visual storytelling accessible to everyone, to life. Rong has nearly 20 years of engineering leadership experience from companies including IBM, Facebook, Square, Snap, and HubSpot.Most recently, Rong was the VP of Engineering at Hubspot where he led the Data Intelligence and Automation product line and spearheaded the development of an intelligent CRM platform using data and AI. He was also the Director of Engineering turned Senior Director of Engineering at Snap, where he led a product engineering team of over 250 engineers across six locations, responsible for developing, optimizing, and maintaining core Snapchat features, including Camera, Messaging, Stories, Discover, Memories, and Identity.He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Tsinghua University and a PhD in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University.SHOW NOTES:Introducing HeyGen's interactive avatar & what this means for eng leaders (3:40)How a visual layer for AI agents could scale your leadership & build alignment in your teams and orgs (5:58)The different levels of communication flow within a company (8:17)How interactive avatars can enable interactions and coaching at scale (10:46)The possibilities of interactive avatars for personalized coaching, habit building, and behavior change (14:02)Insights on building an AI-first company (20:29)What the structure of an AI-first company looks like (22:05)How leading with speed works within an AI-first company (24:10)Navigating the balance between product velocity & quality (27:23)The impact of the “leading with speed” paradigm on hiring (30:34)The role of an engineering leaders is to be a productivity multiplier (32:40)How AI impacts productivity as an eng leader (34:43)Where to start when it comes to improving productivity (36:38)AI's role in blurring the lines between IC & management (39:48)Spend more time on your top people (42:45)Rapid fire questions (44:21)LINKS AND RESOURCESHeyGen - With HeyGen, businesses can simply write their script and generate their video. No camera, no budget, no headaches. We've helped over 45,000 companies and millions of people create, localize, and personalize videos at scale.This episode wouldn't have been possible without the help of our incredible production team:Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-HostJerry Li - Co-HostNoah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan's also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/

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Got a story to tell? An innovative idea to share? Fill out our guest nomination form, and let's chat!Host Jaime Hunt speaks with Shaun Carver, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the International House at the University of California, Berkeley, about the challenges, opportunities, and strategies for better supporting international students in higher education. The discussion sheds light on the cultural and economic benefits international students bring, the need to foster inclusivity and free speech, and how universities can adapt to societal and political changes to create a more welcoming environment.Key TakeawaysInternational students enrich learning environments: They bring unique perspectives that foster cultural understanding and prepare students for a globalized workforce.Political rhetoric impacts enrollment: Even without formal policy changes, unwelcoming political climates can deter international students from applying.Free speech and inclusivity matter: Universities should ensure students feel safe expressing differing viewpoints and engaging in civil discourse.Diverse support systems are essential: Institutions must focus on cultural exposure, community-building, and access to essential services for international students.A growth mindset fosters innovation: Encouraging students to step outside their comfort zones promotes intellectual curiosity and global leadership skills.Why Are International Students Important to Higher Education?International students bring a wealth of diversity to higher education, enriching campus communities with their perspectives, experiences, and cultural backgrounds. Shaun Carver emphasizes their vital role in fostering a global learning environment that prepares students for interconnected, multicultural workplaces.Beyond academics, international students significantly contribute to local economies. From tuition payments to housing and daily living expenses, their economic impact extends beyond campus boundaries. Shaun also highlights how many international students go on to lead innovative startups and global companies, particularly in Silicon Valley, underscoring the long-term benefits of their presence in the U.S.Despite these benefits, political rhetoric and visa uncertainties can deter international students, forcing institutions to miss out on their transformative contributions. Universities must address these concerns proactively to remain competitive on the global stage.How Can Universities Create Welcoming Environments?Creating an inclusive and supportive environment for international students requires deliberate effort. Shaun outlines three key strategies:1. Cultivating Free SpeechUniversities should encourage environments where all students feel comfortable expressing their viewpoints. At the International House at the University of California, Berkeley, 80% of residents feel free to share minority views without fear of judgment, serving as a model for fostering civil discourse on campus.2. Building CommunityPrograms like the International House's weekly diversity and coffee hour allow students to share their cultures through food, music, and storytelling. These events not only build a sense of belonging but also foster cross-cultural understanding among students from different backgrounds.3. Providing Practical SupportWhile universities may not handle visa or employment processes directly, they can offer workshops, mentorship programs, and community events to help international students navigate their new environment. Ensuring that students feel supported in both practical and personal aspects is key to their success.What Challenges Do International Students Face?International students often face unique obstacles, including navigating visa regulations, overcoming cultural barriers, and coping with homesickness. Shaun recounts stories of students who, despite immense financial and emotional pressures, strive to succeed in the U.S. education system.For many, even basic needs like food can become a challenge. Shaun shares how implementing inclusive dining options at the International House, like dishes from various global cuisines, helps students feel more at home. These small yet impactful gestures can make a significant difference in a student's overall experience.Additionally, divisive campus climates can make international students feel unwelcome. Institutions must work to ensure their campuses are places where students of all backgrounds feel safe, valued, and supported.What Can Universities Learn from the International House?For over a century, the International House has been a leader in creating inclusive, multicultural communities. Its model of hyper-diversity—housing students from over 80 nationalities under one roof—offers a blueprint for fostering cross-cultural connections. Shaun attributes the success of the International House to:Encouraging Growth: Students are challenged to step out of their comfort zones and engage with others who have vastly different experiences and viewpoints.Promoting Civil Discourse: Creating spaces where students feel free to express their beliefs fosters open-mindedness and intellectual humility.Sharing Best Practices: By collaborating with other universities, the International House seeks to expand its model to campuses worldwide, addressing the growing need for inclusive and globalized educational environments.Looking Ahead: The Role of International Students in a Globalized WorldAs higher education continues to globalize, institutions must actively work to support international students. Shaun emphasizes the need for universities to rebrand themselves as inclusive and welcoming spaces. Beyond rhetoric, this requires actionable steps to build communities where diverse viewpoints thrive.International students not only enrich the institutions they attend but also contribute to society and the global workforce in profound ways. Their courage and resilience in pursuing education abroad inspire us all, and their success benefits everyone.Guest Name: Shaun Carver, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the International House at University of California BerkleyGuest Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shauncarverGuest Bio: Shaun Carver is currently Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the International House at University of California Berkeley and has been in the role since August 2020. He served as Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs in the Rady School of Management, UC San Diego (2017-2020), and as Executive Director of the Hult International Business School (Boston, New York, San Francisco, Shanghai; 2013-2017), where he oversaw 750 students representing 82 countries. Before that, he served in leadership positions in institutions of international higher education in China (2002-2013) at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, Tsinghua University, and the Sino-British College of the University of Shanghai Science and Technology (USST).Shaun received his B.A. (High Technology Management), and an M.B.A. from California State University, San Marcos. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in education (Ed.D.) at the University of Southern California.Shaun's father is American and his mother British, thereby allowing Shaun to hold citizenship in both the United States and the United Kingdom. As a child, the family moved around often, within the U.S., and lived for two years in Ireland. Shaun traveled widely during his years in Asia, through China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Japan, and many other countries throughout the continent. He feels at home in cross-cultural situations.He met his wife, Bei Bei Zheng, in Shanghai.  Her family, originally from the seaport city of Wenzhou, is also international, with some members currently living in Italy. Their two children, LiAnne (age 8) and James Maxwell [Max] (age 6), are comfortable in multicultural environments, spending significant time with family in China, Italy, and the U.S. - - - -Connect With Our Host:Jaime Hunthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimehunt/https://twitter.com/JaimeHuntIMCAbout The Enrollify Podcast Network:Confessions of a Higher Ed CMO is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you'll like other Enrollify shows too! Some of our favorites include Talking Tactics and Higher Ed Pulse. Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.Attend the 2025 Engage Summit! The Engage Summit is the premier conference for forward-thinking leaders and practitioners dedicated to exploring the transformative power of AI in education. Explore the strategies and tools to step into the next generation of student engagement, supercharged by AI. You'll leave ready to deliver the most personalized digital engagement experience every step of the way.Register now to secure your spot in Charlotte, NC, on June 24-25, 2025! Early bird registration ends February 1st -- https://engage.element451.com/register

The United States appears to be taking a stand against developing countries looking for an alternative to the dollar, which some experts say could backfire.美国似乎正在采取反对发展中国家寻求美元替代品的立场，一些专家认为这可能会适得其反。On Saturday evening, US President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on BRICS countries — which include China and Russia — that do not use the dollar as their reserve currency.11月30日晚，美国当选总统唐纳德·特朗普威胁要对不使用美元作为储备货币的金砖国家（包括中国和俄罗斯）征收100%的关税。"The idea that the BRICS countries are trying to move away from the dollar while we stand by and watch is OVER," he wrote on his Truth Social website, referring to the bloc that also includes Brazil, India and South Africa, and newer members Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.特朗普在他的“真实社交”网站上写道：“金砖国家正试图摆脱美元，我们不会对此袖手旁观。”他此番表态直指包括巴西、印度、南非，以及新成员埃及、埃塞俄比亚、伊朗、沙特阿拉伯和阿拉伯联合酋长国在内的金砖国家。"We require a commitment from these countries that they will neither create a new BRICS currency nor back any other currency to replace the mighty US dollar, or they will face 100 percent tariffs, and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful US economy," Trump added.特朗普补充说：“我们要求这些国家做出承诺，他们既不会创造新的金砖国家货币，也不会支持任何其他货币来取代强大的美元，否则他们将面临100%的关税，并且准备告别向美好的美国经济出售商品。”Last week, the president-elect said he would impose 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico if they did not stem illegal immigration into the US, and would increase existing tariffs on China by 10 percent.上周，特朗普表示，如果加拿大和墨西哥不遏制非法移民进入美国，他将对这两个国家征收25%的关税，并将把对中国的现有关税提高10%。During his presidential campaign, Trump also floated 60 percent tariffs on all Chinese imports.在竞选总统期间，特朗普还提出对所有中国进口商品征收60%的关税。The Chinese embassy in Washington said on Nov 25 that China believes China-US economic and trade cooperation is "mutually beneficial in nature" and "no one will win a trade war or a tariff war".中国驻美国大使馆11月25日表示，中方认为中美经贸合作“本质是互利共赢”，“贸易战和关税战不会有赢家”。At a BRICS meeting in Kazan, Russia, last month, one of the main topics was a proposal by the host country of a payments messaging system called the "BRICS bridge "as an alternative to the Western-dominated SWIFT system, which was established in 1973 and is headquartered in Belgium.上个月在俄罗斯喀山举行的金砖国家领导人会晤中，主要议题之一是作为轮值主席国的俄罗斯提议建立一个名为“金砖之桥”的跨境支付体系，以替代西方主导的环球同业银行金融电讯协会系统（SWIFT）。环球同业银行金融电讯协会于1973年建立，总部设在比利时。Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a speech at the meeting, accused Western nations of "using the US dollar as a weapon" over his country's military conflict with Ukraine.俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京在会上发表讲话，指责西方国家在俄罗斯与乌克兰的军事冲突中“将美元作为武器”。"We are not rejecting or fighting the dollar. But if we are not given the chance to use it, what can we do? We are then forced to look for alternatives," Putin said.“我们不是拒绝美元，也不是反对美元。但如果我们没有使用美元的机会，我们能做什么呢？我们不得不寻找替代品。”普京说。Chen Qi, a professor at the Institute of International Relations at Tsinghua University in Beijing, told the Financial Times of London: "Non-Western emerging countries like China, Russia, India, or other countries, even Saudi Arabia, have the same kind of concerns about possibly one day being ousted by the United States from the SWIFT system. So if this substitute payment system comes out in the future, that would be welcomed by these (BRICS) countries."清华大学国际关系学院教授陈琪告诉英国《金融时报》：“非西方的新兴国家，如中国、俄罗斯、印度或其他国家，甚至是沙特阿拉伯，都有同样的担忧，担心有一天会被美国赶出SWIFT系统。因此，如果未来出现了这种替代支付系统，这些（金砖）国家将表示欢迎。”Ajay Srivastava, founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative in India, told the Times of India: "The US has a history of leveraging its influence over global financial systems, such as the SWIFT network, to impose unilateral sanctions. SWIFT — the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication — is essential for secure and standardized international financial transactions.印度全球贸易研究倡议组织创始人阿贾伊·斯里瓦斯塔瓦告诉《印度时报》：“美国利用其对全球金融系统（如SWIFT网络）的影响力实施单边制裁的历史由来已久。环球银行金融电讯协会（SWIFT）对于安全和标准化的国际金融交易至关重要。”"By blocking countries like Russia and Iran from accessing SWIFT, the US has effectively weaponized the global financial infrastructure, forcing other nations to find alternative payment mechanisms to continue legitimate trade."“通过阻止俄罗斯和伊朗等国使用SWIFT，美国实际上已经将全球金融基础设施武器化，迫使其他国家寻找替代支付机制来继续合法贸易。”Srivastava said "Trump's threat is unrealistic".斯里瓦斯塔瓦表示，“特朗普的威胁不切实际”。"Tariffs of this scale would harm US consumers by raising domestic prices, disrupt global trade, and risk retaliation from key trading partners," he said. "A global shift away from (the) dollar is a complex process driven by economic diversification, not easily deterred by threats."“如此大规模的关税会提高国内物价，损害美国消费者的利益，扰乱全球贸易，并有可能遭到主要贸易伙伴的报复。”斯里瓦斯塔瓦说，“全球去美元化是一个由经济多样化驱动的复杂过程，不会轻易因威胁而停止。”Michael Pettis, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote on X: "The US cannot both reduce its trade deficit and increase the global dominance of USD because these impose diametrically opposed conditions.卡内基国际和平基金会高级研究员迈克尔·佩蒂斯在社交平台X上写道：“美国不可能既减少贸易赤字又提高美元在全球的主导地位，因为这两者影响了截然相反的情况。”"Reducing the trade deficit would benefit American businesses, workers and middle-class savers. Increasing USD dominance would benefit Wall Street and the sanctioning power of the US government. The US must decide which constituency is more important."“减少贸易赤字将有利于美国企业、工人和中产阶级储蓄者。提高美美元的主导地位将有利于华尔街和美国政府的制裁力量。美国必须决定哪个部分更重要。”In another post on X, AI Day Trading, a stock-trading service, wrote that the tariff threat could backfire: "The US has a $433.5 billion trade deficit with BRICS. None of the BRICS partners or candidate nations (more than 50 countries in total) have significant trade deficits with the US, with Vietnam posting a $104.62 billion surplus in 2023.股票交易服务公司AI Day Trading在社交平台X上写道，关税威胁可能会适得其反：“美国与金砖国家的贸易逆差高达4335亿美元。而金砖国家成员或其候选国（共50多个国家）中没有一个与美国有重大贸易逆差，越南在2023年的顺差为1046.2亿美元。”"The US depends on BRICS for a wide range of physical goods, from machinery and pharmaceuticals to rare earth minerals, with the bloc accounting for 40 percent to 70 percent of production in these sectors."“美国依赖金砖国家提供机械、药品、稀土矿物等各种实物商品，而金砖国家占据了这些行业生产的40%-70%。”backfirev. 产生事与愿违的不良（或危险）后果，适得其反diametricallyadv. 完全地；作为直径地trade deficit贸易逆差；贸易赤字tariff war关税战

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened up 45-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 22,380 on turnover of 5-billion N-T. The market plunged on Wednesday losing more than 370-points, as foreign institutional investors increased short futures positions to hedge against potential risks in the spot market. Investor sentiment remained cautious after U-S President-elect Donald Trump's threats of tariffs on goods from China, Canada and Mexico - which pushed down large-cap tech stocks. While foreign institutional investors appeared cautious and selling was focused on tech heavyweights - as it was seen as the most effective way to drive down the spot market and profit from futures. Chinese Student Group Arrives in Taiwan for 9-Day Visit A group of 40 Chinese college students and faculty members have arrived in Taiwan for a nine-day trip at the invitation of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation. Foundation C-E-O Hsiao Hsu-tsen is describing the the visit as an exciting event at a time when the cross-strait relationship faces challenges and he believes a common dialogue between the two sides and can help improve relations. Hsiao is also thanking the government for allowing the visit to take place. The delegation is made up of students from seven Chinese universities and includes six-time Olympic table tennis champion Ma Long of the Beijing Sport University, and 2020 Tokyo Olympic shooting gold medalist Yang Qian, who studies at the Tsinghua University. Sunny Skies and Low Temperatures Forecast through Sunday And, The Central Weather Administration says a cold front has pushed temperatures down islandwide - and the current conditions will persist through the weekend According to the administration's forecast center, the lowest temperature in low lying areas this morning was recorded in Miaoli County's Sanwan Township, where the mercury dropped to 8.4-degrees. The mercury fell to 8.8-degrees in New Taipei's Shiding District and to 9.2-degrees in Hsinchu County's Emei Township. Meteorologist Daniel Wu says the current weather system will likely qualify as this winter's first "continental cold air mass" -- meaning that it will bring temperatures of 10 degrees or below in some low-lying areas, or possibly below 14 degrees at the Taipei weather station. G7 condemns Russia's "irresponsible and threatening nuclear rhetoric" after talks in Italy The G7 has condemned Russia's "irresponsible and threatening nuclear rhetoric" after two days of talks in Italy. It was the final meeting for foreign ministers from the group, which includes the U.S., U.K. and Japan, before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Giles Gibson reports from Rome. Canada Mulls Retaliatory Tariffs After Trump Threat A government official says Canada is already examining possible retaliatory tariffs on certain items from the United States. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if the countries don't stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across southern and northern borders. He said he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders. A Canadian government official said Canada is preparing for every eventuality (可能性) and has started thinking about what items to target with tariffs. The official stressed no decision has been made. That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _____. －－－－以下訊息由 SoundOn 動態廣告贊助商提供－－－－ 高雄美術特區2-4房全新落成，《惟美術》輕軌C22站散步即到家，近鄰青海商圈，卡位明星學區，徜徉萬坪綠海。 住近美術館，擁抱優雅日常，盡現驕傲風範！美術東四路X青海路 07-553-3838 -- 你想知道國際大事的幕後真相嗎？ 好奇各產業背後的脈絡是什麼嗎？ 不管你是對經濟、科技還是文化感興趣， 《新聞幕後》邀請各領域的專家，從產業內幕到全球大事，帶你深入了解更多產業故事！ 立即點擊收聽 https://bit.ly/4hURLSa

In this episode of Unearthed, co-hosts Joe Cavatoni and John Reade, Senior Market Strategists for the World Gold Council, are joined by Professor Hao Zhou from Tsinghua University to dive into the shifting dynamics of China's economy and its impact on the global gold market. Together, they discuss China's incredible economic transformation since 1978, the causes behind the recent slowdown in economic growth described by Professor Zhou as the three interconnected problems of: declining real estate, local government debt, and suppressed private industry. The trio also review how China's new stimulus package could get the country back on the growth trajectory, and to conclude, Professor Zhou gives his two cents on what's in store for the gold market in China.   [1:32] Professor Zhou discusses the Chinese economy from 1949 until 1978 and the characteristics of the market during those years.  [7:58] Professor Zhou discusses the declining real estate market and what that means for GDP. [14:47] Joe asks about the historical regional wealth distribution in China. [22:18] John asks whether the stimulus packages from the Chinese government will work and how long it might take for them to work.  [29:02] Joe asks Professor Zhou for his views on how investment in gold is playing out in the broader Chinese economy. Additional Resources

The G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro will help foster global consensus and bridge differences, creating a favorable environment for entrepreneurship that can help tackle today's global challenges and support sustainable development, said Gao Jian, director of the Entrepreneurship Research Center on G20 Economies at Tsinghua University.清华大学二十国集团（G20）创业研究中心主任高建表示，里约热内卢G20峰会将有助于凝聚全球共识、弥合分歧，为创业创造良好环境，从而帮助应对当今全球挑战、支持可持续发展。"The G20 is a broad international mechanism that includes both developing and developed countries, ensuring representation from various regions and continents. Each participant plays a unique role. Therefore, the annual G20 Summit and its agenda are indeed beneficial for global economic development," Gao said.高建认为，“二十国集团是一个广泛的国际机制，既包括发展中国家，也包括发达国家，确保了各地区和各大洲的代表性。每个参与者都发挥着独特的作用。因此，一年一度的G20峰会及其议程确实有利于全球经济发展”。"This year's theme — 'Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet' — indicates that in global development, every economy aims to create more employment opportunities, secure a good position in global trade, and avoid falling behind. However, this must not come at the expense of sustainable development, which requires addressing employment issues and the green and digital transition," said Gao, who is also professor at the department of innovation, entrepreneurship and strategy at Tsinghua's School of Economics and Management.“今年以‘构建公正世界和可持续星球'为主题表明，在全球发展中，每个经济体都希望创造更多就业机会，在全球贸易中占据有利地位，避免落后。然而，这绝不能以牺牲可持续发展为代价，其需要解决的问题包括就业、绿色转型和数字化转型。”清华大学经管学院创新创业与战略系高建教授说。"Only through global cooperation and joint efforts can we achieve sustainability. And in this process, companies need to update technologies, reduce carbon emissions and foster new innovation.“只有通过全球合作和共同努力，我们才能实现可持续发展。而在这一过程中，企业需要更新技术，减少碳排放，促进新的创新。”"Innovative entrepreneurial companies are essential for providing new solutions to solve these problems. For instance, China's globally leading electric vehicle industry, largely driven by startups, exemplifies this," Gao said.“创新型创业公司对于提供解决这些问题的新方案至关重要。例如，中国的电动汽车产业在全球处于领先地位，而这主要是由初创企业推动的。”高建表示。The Entrepreneurship Research Center on G20 Economies was established in 2017 to promote the implementation of the consensus reached by G20 leaders at the Hangzhou Summit the previous year.二十国集团创业研究中心成立于2017年，旨在推动落实二十国集团（G20）领导人在前一年的杭州峰会上达成的共识。In the G20 Entrepreneurship Action Plan adopted at the G20 Labour and Employment Ministers' Meeting in 2016, it pointed out that waves of technological change, economic globalization and industrial and demographic changes present new challenges and opportunities for G20 economies in both the short and longer terms. The plan urged for G20 members to redouble efforts to support a more innovative pattern of inclusive economic growth, with new engines of development and new pathways for job growth.2016年，二十国集团（G20）劳工就业部长会议通过的《二十国集团创业行动计划》中指出，技术变革、经济全球化以及产业和人口结构的变化，给二十国集团经济体带来了短期和长期的新挑战和新机遇。该计划呼吁二十国集团成员加倍努力，支持更具包容性和创新性的经济增长模式，为发展提供新引擎，为就业增长开辟新途径。Jointly established by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and Tsinghua University, the research center tracks and analyzes the progress of the G20 Entrepreneurship Action Plan and shares valuable entrepreneurial practices and experiences among G20 members.该研究中心由人力资源和社会保障部与清华大学共同设立，其研究主要包括跟踪和分析G20各成员国《创业行动计划》的进展，总结和分享各国具有借鉴意义的创业实践和经验。Since its inception, the center has hosted an annual G20 Entrepreneurship Roundtable to review and evaluate the progress of G20 members in implementing the entrepreneurship action plan.自成立以来，该中心每年主办一次G20创业圆桌对话，审查和评估G20各成员国在实施《创业行动计划》方面的进展。"Overall, G20 members are keeping pace with the times in entrepreneurship, especially in emerging industries like the digital economy and green transition. In terms of entrepreneurial policies, developed countries tend to have more detailed and systematic policies, while developing countries may lag in this aspect," Gao noted.“总体而言，G20成员国在创业方面与时俱进，尤其是在数字经济和绿色转型等新兴产业领域。在创业政策方面，发达国家往往有更详细、更系统的政策，而发展中国家在这方面可能相对滞后。”高建指出。"China, as a G20 member, has significant advantages in providing entrepreneurship services. For example, China emphasizes tailored policies for different groups, such as incubation services for young people, women and new university graduates, provided by social institutions. This is considered an advanced practice internationally," Gao said.“中国作为G20成员国之一，在提供创业服务方面具有显著优势。例如，中国强调为不同群体量身定制政策，如由社会机构为青年、妇女和大学应届毕业生提供孵化服务。这在国际上被认为是一种先进的做法。”高建说。"China's reform and opening-up policies are also conducive to global economic development and openness. As an inclusive nation promoting globalization, China's development benefits global entrepreneurs. Events like the China International Import Expo and the Canton Fair also stimulate international entrepreneurship," said Gao.“中国的改革开放政策也有利于全球经济的发展和开放。作为一个推动全球化的包容性国家，中国的发展惠及全球企业家。中国国际进口博览会和广交会等活动也激发着国际创业精神。”高建表示。global consensus全球共识entrepreneurshipn. 创业tailorv. 定制，使适合digital transition数字化转型

Join Professor Werbach in his conversation with Alice Xiang, Global Head of AI Ethics at Sony and Lead Research Scientist at Sony AI. With both a research and corporate background, Alice provides an inside look at how her team integrates AI ethics across Sony's diverse business units. She explains how the evolving landscape of AI ethics is both a challenge and an opportunity for organizations to reposition themselves as the world embraces AI. Alice discusses fairness, bias, and incorporating these ethical ideas in practical business environments. She emphasizes the importance of collaboration, transparency, and diveristy in embedding a culture of accountable AI at Sony, showing other organizations how they can do the same.  Alice Xiang manages the team responsible for conducting AI ethics assessments across Sony's business units and implementing Sony's AI Ethics Guidelines. She also recently served as a General Chair for the ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (FAccT), the premier multidisciplinary research conference on these topics. Alice previously served on the leadership team of the Partnership on AI. She was a Visiting Scholar at Tsinghua University's Yau Mathematical Sciences Center, where she taught a course on Algorithmic Fairness, Causal Inference, and the Law. Her work has been quoted in a variety of high profile journals and published in top machine learning conferences, journals, and law reviews.  Sony AI Flagship Project Augmented Datasheets for Speech Datasets and Ethical Decision-Making by Alice Xiang and Others  

Oil is everywhere. It's in our cars, it's in the fertilizer used to grow our food, and it's in the plastics used to produce and transport our consumer goods, to name just a few prominent uses. How did oil come to occupy its central position in the world economy? How did corporate power shape the uptake, pricing, and distribution of oil and petrochemicals? And how have changes in oil markets affected broader trends in the global economy? In Crude Capitalism: Oil, Corporate Power, and the Making of the World Market (Verso, 2024), my guest Adam Hanieh tackles all of these questions by tracing the history and diverse geographies of oil. His narratives weaves together links between oil, geopolitics, high finance, the evolution of corporate organization, and the environment. Adam Hanieh is Professor of Political Economy and Global Development at the University of Exeter in the UK. He is currently a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing. He is previous books are Lineages of Revolt (2013) and Money, Markets, and Monarchies: The Gulf Cooperation Council and the political economy of the contemporary Middle East (2020). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Oil is everywhere. It's in our cars, it's in the fertilizer used to grow our food, and it's in the plastics used to produce and transport our consumer goods, to name just a few prominent uses. How did oil come to occupy its central position in the world economy? How did corporate power shape the uptake, pricing, and distribution of oil and petrochemicals? And how have changes in oil markets affected broader trends in the global economy? In Crude Capitalism: Oil, Corporate Power, and the Making of the World Market (Verso, 2024), my guest Adam Hanieh tackles all of these questions by tracing the history and diverse geographies of oil. His narratives weaves together links between oil, geopolitics, high finance, the evolution of corporate organization, and the environment. Adam Hanieh is Professor of Political Economy and Global Development at the University of Exeter in the UK. He is currently a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing. He is previous books are Lineages of Revolt (2013) and Money, Markets, and Monarchies: The Gulf Cooperation Council and the political economy of the contemporary Middle East (2020). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Oil is everywhere. It's in our cars, it's in the fertilizer used to grow our food, and it's in the plastics used to produce and transport our consumer goods, to name just a few prominent uses. How did oil come to occupy its central position in the world economy? How did corporate power shape the uptake, pricing, and distribution of oil and petrochemicals? And how have changes in oil markets affected broader trends in the global economy? In Crude Capitalism: Oil, Corporate Power, and the Making of the World Market (Verso, 2024), my guest Adam Hanieh tackles all of these questions by tracing the history and diverse geographies of oil. His narratives weaves together links between oil, geopolitics, high finance, the evolution of corporate organization, and the environment. Adam Hanieh is Professor of Political Economy and Global Development at the University of Exeter in the UK. He is currently a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing. He is previous books are Lineages of Revolt (2013) and Money, Markets, and Monarchies: The Gulf Cooperation Council and the political economy of the contemporary Middle East (2020). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

Oil is everywhere. It's in our cars, it's in the fertilizer used to grow our food, and it's in the plastics used to produce and transport our consumer goods, to name just a few prominent uses. How did oil come to occupy its central position in the world economy? How did corporate power shape the uptake, pricing, and distribution of oil and petrochemicals? And how have changes in oil markets affected broader trends in the global economy? In Crude Capitalism: Oil, Corporate Power, and the Making of the World Market (Verso, 2024), my guest Adam Hanieh tackles all of these questions by tracing the history and diverse geographies of oil. His narratives weaves together links between oil, geopolitics, high finance, the evolution of corporate organization, and the environment. Adam Hanieh is Professor of Political Economy and Global Development at the University of Exeter in the UK. He is currently a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing. He is previous books are Lineages of Revolt (2013) and Money, Markets, and Monarchies: The Gulf Cooperation Council and the political economy of the contemporary Middle East (2020). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/world-affairs

Oil is everywhere. It's in our cars, it's in the fertilizer used to grow our food, and it's in the plastics used to produce and transport our consumer goods, to name just a few prominent uses. How did oil come to occupy its central position in the world economy? How did corporate power shape the uptake, pricing, and distribution of oil and petrochemicals? And how have changes in oil markets affected broader trends in the global economy? In Crude Capitalism: Oil, Corporate Power, and the Making of the World Market (Verso, 2024), my guest Adam Hanieh tackles all of these questions by tracing the history and diverse geographies of oil. His narratives weaves together links between oil, geopolitics, high finance, the evolution of corporate organization, and the environment. Adam Hanieh is Professor of Political Economy and Global Development at the University of Exeter in the UK. He is currently a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing. He is previous books are Lineages of Revolt (2013) and Money, Markets, and Monarchies: The Gulf Cooperation Council and the political economy of the contemporary Middle East (2020). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/environmental-studies

Oil is everywhere. It's in our cars, it's in the fertilizer used to grow our food, and it's in the plastics used to produce and transport our consumer goods, to name just a few prominent uses. How did oil come to occupy its central position in the world economy? How did corporate power shape the uptake, pricing, and distribution of oil and petrochemicals? And how have changes in oil markets affected broader trends in the global economy? In Crude Capitalism: Oil, Corporate Power, and the Making of the World Market (Verso, 2024), my guest Adam Hanieh tackles all of these questions by tracing the history and diverse geographies of oil. His narratives weaves together links between oil, geopolitics, high finance, the evolution of corporate organization, and the environment. Adam Hanieh is Professor of Political Economy and Global Development at the University of Exeter in the UK. He is currently a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing. He is previous books are Lineages of Revolt (2013) and Money, Markets, and Monarchies: The Gulf Cooperation Council and the political economy of the contemporary Middle East (2020). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/economics

Oil is everywhere. It's in our cars, it's in the fertilizer used to grow our food, and it's in the plastics used to produce and transport our consumer goods, to name just a few prominent uses. How did oil come to occupy its central position in the world economy? How did corporate power shape the uptake, pricing, and distribution of oil and petrochemicals? And how have changes in oil markets affected broader trends in the global economy? In Crude Capitalism: Oil, Corporate Power, and the Making of the World Market (Verso, 2024), my guest Adam Hanieh tackles all of these questions by tracing the history and diverse geographies of oil. His narratives weaves together links between oil, geopolitics, high finance, the evolution of corporate organization, and the environment. Adam Hanieh is Professor of Political Economy and Global Development at the University of Exeter in the UK. He is currently a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing. He is previous books are Lineages of Revolt (2013) and Money, Markets, and Monarchies: The Gulf Cooperation Council and the political economy of the contemporary Middle East (2020). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, in a show taped in Beijing at the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, I speak with Professor Da Wei about a new public opinion poll on China's perception of international security and review its important findings. We also discuss Chinese views on the Russo-Ukrainian War and the upcoming U.S. presidential election.2:11 – Da Wei's new podcast 4:05 – CISS's “Public Opinion Poll: Chinese Outlook on International Security 2024”7:46 – The poll's findings on pessimism about global security and the global influence of the U.S. and China11:56 – China's growing national confidence and growing pessimism about the U.S.-China relationship 18:26 – Paradoxical poll findings: proactive foreign policy stance vs. prioritizing domestic affairs, and involvement in global scientific cooperation vs. withdrawing in other areas of international agreement 24:30 – Why older respondents tended to be more pessimistic about China's international security situation 25:58 – Understanding negative attitude toward the United States and the effectiveness of diplomacy 30:17 – The belief that the U.S. goal is containment of China's development and the shift in view of America from a values-based country to a power-based country 36:12 – Chinese viewpoints on the Russo-Ukrainian war 39:22 – Da Wei's travels in the U.S. and the changes he has perceived 45:04 – The U.S. agenda to dissuade China from deepening its involvement with Russia 49:02 – How Chinese views on the upcoming U.S. election have changed since Kamala Harris' nominationRecommendations:Da Wei: Chen Jian's Zhou Enlai: A Life; for Chinese to travel to the U.S. moreKaiser: Chen Jian and Odd Arne Westad's The Great Transformation: China's Road from Revolution to Reform; for Americans to travel to China (and Beijing) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Taylor Fravel, Dr. George Gilboy, and Dr. Eric Heginbotham join us to discuss their recent article assessing China's defense budget. They challenge widely cited figures that estimate China's defense spending at $700 billion and provide an apples-to-apples analysis based on purchasing power parity. They assess China's defense spending is around $470 billion, about one-third of the U.S. defense budget, and detail what categories they included and excluded. The conversation explores the analytical shortcomings of current estimates, emphasizing the need for appropriate exchange rates and like-for-like item comparisons between China's and the U.S.'s defense budgets. They also discuss China's military priorities and modernization efforts and key factors that may determine the future trajectory of Chinese defense spending.    Dr. M. Taylor Fravel is the Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor of Political Science and director of the Security Studies Program at MIT, specializing in international security with a focus on China and East Asia. He is the author of Strong Borders, Secure Nation and Active Defense: China's Military Strategy Since 1949, with numerous publications in leading journals like International Security and Foreign Affairs. A Rhodes Scholar and Andrew Carnegie Fellow, he holds degrees from Middlebury, Stanford, LSE, and Oxford. Fravel also serves on the board of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and leads the Maritime Awareness Project.   Dr. George J. Gilboy is a senior fellow at the Center for International Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). George concurrently heads Woodside Energy's Tokyo office. From 2013 to 2018, George was chief economist and vice president of business environment in Perth, leading Woodside's corporate forecasting team. George lived and worked in China from 1994 to 2013 in roles with Woodside, Shell, Cambridge Energy Research, and Tsinghua University. George holds a BA from Boston College and a PhD in political economy from MIT.   Dr. Eric Heginbotham is a principal research scientist at MIT's Center for International Studies and a specialist in Asian security issues. Before joining MIT, he was a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, where he led research projects on China, Japan, and regional security issues and regularly briefed senior military, intelligence, and political leaders. Prior to that he was a senior fellow of Asian Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. After graduating from Swarthmore College, Heginbotham earned his PhD in political science from MIT. He is fluent in Chinese and Japanese and was a captain in the US Army Reserve. 

Relations between the United States and China have become increasingly tense over the past few years. Trade wars have escalated, and U.S. national security experts are bracing as China bulks up its military power, purportedly for a 2027 anniversary. If China invaded Taiwan, it would spark major conflict between the two nations. In this June panel from the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival, experts with varying perspectives debate how to interpret the countries' recent actions and speculate on where this relationship might be headed. London School of Economics professor Keyu Jin joins Matt Pottinger from research firm Garnaut Global, Tsinghua University economics professor David Daokui Li and U.S. Naval War College professor Andrew Erickson for a lively and informative discussion. Historian and Hoover Institution fellow Niall Ferguson moderates. aspenideas.org

In this episode of The Negotiation, Darren Touch, founder and CEO of the Canada China Forum, discusses his interest in international relations with China and his experience as a Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University. He shares his insights on the current state of Canada-China relations and the necessary steps to strengthen the relationship. Touch emphasizes the importance of people-to-people exchanges, educational programs, and language proficiency in building a new generation of leaders well-versed in China affairs. He also highlights the challenges of binary thinking and the opportunities for Canadians to gain hands-on experience in China and other parts of the world. Enjoy!Key Points:Developing a nuanced understanding of China is crucial for building a balanced and informed approach to Canada's strategy towards China.People-to-people exchanges and educational programs are key to strengthening the Canada-China relationship.Language proficiency and hands-on experience in China are valuable competencies for future leaders in international policy and diplomacy.Challenges include binary thinking and the need to overcome biases and stereotypes about China.Opportunities lie in expanding educational programs and encouraging Canadians to gain international experience.Leaving one's comfort zone and experiencing different cultures and perspectives is essential for personal and professional growth.

Professor Robert Temple is an independent scholar and author of a dozen challenging and provocative books, commencing with the international best-seller, The Sirius Mystery. His books have been translated into a total of 44 foreign languages. He is Visiting Professor of the History and Philosophy of Science at Tsinghua University in Beijing, and previously held a similar position at an American university.Robert has followed the study of plasma for decades and was personally acquainted with several of the senior scientists - including Nobel laureates - at its forefront, including Paul Dirac, David Bohm, Peter Mitchell and Chandra Wickramasinghe (who has co-written an academic paper with Temple).He has written for the Sunday Times, The Guardian, and was science reporter for Time-Life, as well as a frequent reviewer for Nature and profile writer for The New Scientist. He is available for interview, feature and events throughout 2022.https://robert-temple.com/index.htmlBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/earth-ancients--2790919/support.

Last time we spoke about the second Zhili-Fengtian War.  After the first Zhili-Fengtian War of 1922, the Zhili warlords took control of Beijing. Cao Kun bribed his way into the presidency as Zhang Zuolin retreated to Manchuria to rebuild his army. Zhang appointed key officials and boosted military production, significantly enhancing his army, navy, and air force. The catalyst for the second Zhili-Fengtian War in 1924 was the First Jiangsu-Zhejiang War. Zhang Zuolin declared war on the Zhili clique, accusing them of corruption and oppression. The war saw battles at Rehe, Shanhaiguan, and other locations, with both sides suffering heavy casualties. However, the Zhili forces were plagued by internal betrayal and logistical challenges. Feng Yuxiang's unexpected coup in Beijing further weakened the Zhili's position. Ultimately, the Fengtian army's superior strategy and coordination led to their victory, capturing key cities and forcing Zhili leaders to flee.   #106 the First United Front Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. The second Zhili-Fengtian war was by far the most intense war to date for China's Warlord Era. Perhaps up to 450,000 troops participated in battles stretching along the Great Wall Line from Shanhaiguan to Beijing. The casualties were reported to be around 30,000, but estimates for China's Warlord Era are notoriously flimsy. Ultimately it was won by Feng Yuxiang's betrayal against Wu Peifu. Feng Yuxiang's Beijing coup certainly turned the tide, and now he had emerged a major player on the scene. Feng Yuxiang went to work, expelling the former Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Puyi from the Forbidden city and placed Cao Kun under house arrest. Now immediately after Feng Yuxiang had taken Beijing, he began reorganizing his forces into the 1st National Army or better known as the Guominjun. Feng Yuxiang acted as its commander in chief with his co-conspirators Hu Qingyi and Sun Yueh as commanders of the 2nd and 3rd Armies. Now the Guominjun wer certainly an odd motley crew. The Guominjun's ideology was a blend of Chinese nationalism, progressive social reforms, military modernization, and ethical governance influenced by Christianity. Feng Yuxiang's leadership and vision shaped the faction into quite a unique force, striving to create a unified, modern, and moral China. Feng took care of his men's well being, he educated them, promoted their sense of nationalism. Within his territory Feng promoted education, built schools, and established social welfare programs. He believed that improving the living standards of the common people was essential for national strength and stability. He implemented a series of social reforms in the areas he controlled. These included land reforms aimed at reducing the power of landlords and distributing land more equitably among peasants. His Guominjun would become known for its efforts to combat corruption and inefficiency within its ranks and in the administration of its territories. Feng Yuxiang sought to create a more ethical and efficient government. Feng supported the modernization of China's infrastructure and industry. This included building railways, improving communications, and promoting technological advancements. The Guominjun was driven by a strong sense of Chinese nationalism, emphasizing the need to unify China and end the fragmentation caused by warlordism. They aimed to establish a central government that could restore national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Guominjun placed a high emphasis on military discipline and modern training methods. Feng Yuxiang's background in the Beiyang Army influenced his approach to building a modern, professional military force. The Guominjun's ideological alignment with nationalism and reform brought them into close cooperation with the Kuomintang. The alliance with the KMT was based on shared goals of unification and modernization, though it was sometimes strained by ideological and strategic differences. Because of the geographical distance between their spheres of influence they would be more or less isolated from each other and thus it made it difficult to coordinate actions. Feng Yuxiang had hoped by imprisoning Cao Kun and exiling Puyi he would gain popular support amongst the Republican and anti-Manchu in the Beiyang government. Feng Yuxiang also proclaimed the Guominjun troops to be the first in the history of the Republic to serve as a national military establishment rather than a personal army. However no one forget his acts of treachery, the coup d'etat certainly gave him a bad rep. One of the few successes he would have was persuading Dr Sun Yat-Sen to come over to Beijing to take part in the new government. With the collapse of the Zhili clique, a more tenuous balance of power emerged in Beijing. Feng Yuxiang's position in Beijing was weakened each day, because of the maneuvers of Zhang Zuolin. He had moved the Fengtian forces south of Manchuria, proceeding south of the Tientsin-Pukou railway. This effectively gave Zhang Zuolin control over East China from Manchuria down to the Yangtze Valley. Alongside this Zhang Zuolin reached an agreement with Duan Qirui to bring him into the new fold. A 5 day conference took place at Tientsin from November 11th to 16th, including the new triumvirate of Zhang Zuolin, Feng Yuxiang and Duan Qirui. They discussed the future of the Beiyang government. Feng Yuxiang quickly discovered he had little negotiating power beyond his dominance in Beijing and even that was tenuous as Zhang Zuolin pretty much surrounded them all. Feng Yuxiang found out his trump card, the promise from Dr Sun Yat-Sen that he would come participate in the new Beiyang government was useless as both Zhang Zuolin and Duan Qirui had likewise received the same promise from him. During the conference the new triumvirate agreed Duan Qirui would become a figurehead of the new government with a position called the chief executive. Despite Duan Qirui's status as the leader of the practically non-existant Anhui Clique, he was more palatable to the surviving Zhili clique warlords than Zhang Zuolin or Feng Yuxiang. They made sure not to make Duan Qirui a president or premier, his role was specifically meant to be temporary, this was done to lure Dr Sun Yat-Sen over to Beijing. Meanwhile Feng Yuxiang and Zhang Zuolin retained their territories and became the military leaders of the new regime.  On November 24th, Duan Qirui arrived to Beijing and assumed his new office. On December 9th the foreign powers recognized Duan Qirui's new government on the basis he did not alter their pre-existing unequal treaties. This was inevitable as Japan was the leading imperial power in asia and backed both Zhang Zuoli and Duan Qirui. He formed a cabinet without any Guominjun members. It would seem no one had forgotten Feng Yuxiangs treachery, but then again, his Guominjun had no officers with sufficient prestige to be nominated to any posts. Feng Yuxiang had little hope of exerting any control in the new government.  Feng Yuxiang responded the dire situation by resigning his post as inspector general and retired, stating he would spending his future in study and travel. Yet his Guominjun forces still controlled Beijing. Zhang Zuolin took a cue from his move by also resigning his titles, heading over to Tientsin. Thus Duan Qirui with no military power, personally under threat of Feng Yuxiang's forces in Beijing was facing a daunting situation. He had to try and maintain the peace between the two warlords while forming a government acceptable to the foreign powers. His government then decided to make Feng Yuxiang and Zhang Zuolin defense commissioners of the northwest and northeast respectively. Feng Yuxiang now would control Suiyuan and Chahar, setting up new headquarters in Kalgan. Feng Yuxiang's new position did not prove lucrative and it was not an adequate power base. His only real ally was the KMT, but he was far to isolated from them, thus he turned to the Soviet Union.Feng Yuxiangs socialist actions had attracted the attention of communists and indeed within his entourage were many communists. The Soviets were enemies with the Empire of Japan. The Empire of Japan backed Zhang Zuolin, so the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The Soviets basically saw Feng Yuxiang as a possible balance against the Japanese who were continuing to expand their influence in Manchuria. Dr Sun Yat-Sen came to the north alongside the Soviet Michael Borodin. Dr Sun Yat-Sen had pleaded with western nations for a long time to support his government with finance and arms, but none offered anything tangible.  Dr Sun Yat-Sen ‘s problem was his hard stance against the unequal treaties. All of the western powers knew, it was Dr Sun Yat-Sen's priority to get rid of the unequal treaties, thus they all refused to support his efforts. However there was a new nation that did not support the unequal treaties, in fact they even publicly stated so, the Soviet Union. Back in Autumn of 1920, Sun Yat-Sen met with representatives of the Commuturn in Shanghai. Sun Yat-Sen told them he believed Lenin wanted him to be the founder of the CCP, because Chen Duxiu did not have much influence with the people of China, unlike him, he was after all kind of a rockstar. After numerous attempts to gain support from Japan or the West, Sun Yat-Sen began to seriously consider cooperating with the CCP who were being supported by the Soviet Union.  In December of 1921, Sun Yat-Sen met with Hendriks Josephs Franciscus Marie Sneevliet, known as Marin, because why is his name that long haha, in Guilin. Marin was a official representative of the Commiturn, Sun Yat-Sen came to him expressing his admiration for the Russian Revolution and for Lenin. He stated that he wanted to learn more about the Soviet achievement, especially their new economic policies. In August of 1922, the soviet diplomat to China, Adolf Joffe was trying to settle issues regarding Outer Mongolia and the Chinese Far Eastern Railway, to which he had little to no success, but during the process he also met with Dr Sun Yat-Sen. Sun Yat-Sen brought up the idea of cooperating with the CCP, it sounded promising. For a few months the Soviets brainstormed and by the 4th congress of the Communist international decided to get the CCP to agree to such a thing. In July of 1922 the CCP accepted Marin's proposal to join the Kuomintang in an alliance. This became known as the Sun-Joffe Manifesto and what it resulted in was the First United Front.  In July the Soviets instructed the CCP to join the alliance, but there was a ton of push back. In Hanzhou, Marin met with Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, Cai Hesen , Zhang Guotao, Gao Junyu , Maring , and Zhang Tailei. Marin pointed out to them that the Kuomintang was a party of all classes who were trying to promote democratic revolution. The CCP joining the KMT would be in line with Lenin's outline on the international communist revolution. Many of the CCP leadership pointed out issues, like anti-communist elements in the KMT, but ultimately they all decided it was a good idea as the reality was, the CCP was only 300 members, they needed help to grow. Thus it was decided, some of the CCP leading figures would join the KMT, with the secret intention of persuading KMT members to join the CCP.  According to testimony from Zhou Fohai, a CCP member at the time who would later join Wang Jingwei's collaborationist government "At that time, the Soviets wanted to collude with Wu Peifu, so it first gave Wu Peifu the honorific title of 'enlightened warlord'. At that time, Sun Hongyi was close to Wu Peifu, while Li Dazhao was close to Sun Hongyi. They took advantage of this relationship and had a secret relationship with Wu Peifu. Li Dazhao went to Luoyang several times, and it seems that there were records in the newspapers at that time. His methods were really clever. Wu Peifu ordered Gao Enhong to appoint Communists as the chief inspectors of the four lines of Beijing-Hankou, Beijing-Fengtian, Jinpu and Longhai. The inspector of Beijing-Hankou was Bao Huicai, and the inspector of Jinpu seemed to be Li Minzhi... Before the Soviets was abandoned by Wu Peifu, it once had an affair with Chen Jiongming. Chen Jiongming... specially summoned Chen Duxiu to Guangdong as its education committee member Chairman of the National People's Congress. At that time, Chen Jiongming's rebellious deeds were already well known, and Guangdong was clearly divided into two factions, Sun and Chen. The Soviets naturally used its strength to shift the situation. So the Soviets colluded with him. Chen Jiongming paid 500 yuan a month to Chen Gongbo to publish the "Qun Bao", which was a result of their collusion. Later, when Chen Jiongming was hiding in Huizhou, Ma Lin and Tan Pingshan went to Huizhou twice to discuss the terms of cooperation. Who would have thought that Chen Jiongming would dare to bombard Guanyin Mountain and endanger Premier Sun. After this rebellious act, Chen Jiongming was despised by the Chinese people. The Soviets was afraid of the attack of public opinion, so it did not dare to openly ally with him. Abandoned by Wu Peifu in the north and isolated from Chen Jiongming in the south, the Soviets, in 1923, followed the orders of the Third International and tried to infiltrate the Kuomintang and carried out its conspiracy to destroy the Kuomintang. " On January 12th of 1923, the Soviets passed a resolution recognizing the First United Front. Sun Yat-Sen accepted the alliance, but with two reservations; number 1, China would not become a communist nation; number 2 that the Soviets would give up the unequal treaties the Russian Empire previously held over China. On January 26th Sun Yat-Sen and Joffe issued a joint statement, declaring the cooperation between the KMT, CCP and Soviet Union. Now its important to note, Sun Yat-Sen did not believe the Soviet system could or would be functional for China. He believed China's largest problem was reunification under national independence. The Soviets abolished the unequal treaties that the Russian Empire had made with China and declared Outer Mongolia was part of China resolving that debacle. The Soviets even stated they promised not to carry out a communist revolution within China. Sun Yat-Sen stated publicly he was willing to accept CCP members into the KMT. Now this was clearly only done in order to receive Soviet finances and arms, but secondly, he truly believed their membership would help strengthen the nationalist movement.  Many in the KMT were concerned with this venture. On February 9th of 1924, at Tsinghua University, Sun Yat-Sen was answering questions about the issue where he stated “Russia is Russia, and China is China. Russia has its own ideology, and China has its own ideology. In my previous speech, I mentioned Russia everywhere. I was talking about the organization of its revolutionary party, not its revolutionary ideology.” Now here comes Mr. Borodin. In September of 1923, Borodin was sent to serve as Dr Sun Yat-Sens political advisor, specifically responsible for facilitating the First United Front. Borodin spoke no Chinese, thus he conversed in English. He had a heavy midwestern American accent, which masked his Russian origin, helping him communicate with the largely anglophone and American educated leadership within the KMT. He was accompanied by Ho Chi Minh, yes the future leader of communist Vietnam.  Borodin showed up in early October to Guangzhou where he held some private talks with the CCP. The CCP had been complaining about how the KMT were quite anti-communist in general, how the alliance made no sense if it was agreed there would be no Communist Revolution pushed by the Soviet Union within China. Borodin told them the real purpose of the alliance was actually a reorganization effort and to infiltrate the KMT. "In the newspapers, I talked about the Kuomintang, but for us, what I said was actually the increase in the influence of the CCP... We must never forget that what we are actually doing is to stabilize the CCP. This goal should be remembered forever."  Now despite the new alliance with the Soviets, Sun Yat-Sen did not stop reaching out to the US and Japan causing Borodin headaches. In his report to Stalin, Borodin mentioned that on January 23, 1924, he talked with Sun Yat-Sen "I asked Sun Yat-sen again and again: How long will he hold on to the fantasy that the Chinese people may get some help from the United States, Britain or Japan? Hasn't he been waiting for such help for too long? Isn't it time to sum up the past full of illusions and failures and turn to a new path?" Then in late January of 1924, during the First Congress of the Kuomintang, Sun Yat-Sen expanded upon the Three Principles of the Peoples and this deeply concerned Borodin who reported to Stalin "Sun agreed to the revolutionary program formulated for the Kuomintang, which catered to us; but he disagreed to publicly say that he would establish a united front with us. For this reason, he did not fully trust us." Borodin also came to Sun Yat-Sen about his program stating “You are facing a choice. Do you want to move forward with the 1.5 billion people in the imperialist camp? Or do you want to move forward with the 1.25 billion people who are oppressed by imperialism? You should make a decision”. Although Sun Yat-Sen would accept many of Borodin's suggestions, ultimately it was Sun Yat-Sen calling the shots, and he butted heads often with Borodin. Borodin stated at one point to those around him "the American spirit was deeply rooted in his mind. Generally speaking, it was difficult to make Sun Yat-sen change his mind." By the end of 1923, Chiang Kai-Shek led Dr Sun Yat-Sen's delegation to the Soviet Union. Chiang Kai-Shek reported back to Sun Yat-Sen “The strategy and purpose of the Soviet Union's so-called ‘world revolution' is more dangerous to the independence movement of Eastern nations than Western colonialism.” Sun Yat-Sen replied that he believed Chiang Kai-Shek was over-worrying and that he “deeply believed that only by allowing the Chinese Communist Party members to be under the leadership of our party and under the unified command of our party can we prevent them from creating class struggles and hindering the progress of our national revolution. If our Northern Expedition is victorious, the Three Principles of the People can be implemented as scheduled. By then, even if the Soviet wants to sabotage our national revolution, it will be impossible. Moreover, the Soviet Union only recognizes our party as the only party leading the revolution in China, and strongly urges its CCP members to join our party and obey its leadership, but does not deny that China has no possibility of implementing its communism. Therefore, it still insists on its decision to ally with Russia and tolerate the CCP” Trouble soon brewed in June of 1924, many leading KMT figures wrote to Sun Yat-Sen accusing the CCP of raising the banner of anti-imperialism and anti-militarism causing the KMT to suffer scorn from western powers and Chinese nationalist scorn. Sun Yat-Sen knew of the problem, it was largely CCP students led by Chen Duxiu making a scene. He explained  "The Chinese young students headed by Chen Duxiu are self-righteous. They initially wanted to monopolize Russian relations and prevent Russia from interacting with our party. Peter used Russia's help to establish his own faction and compete with our party. If I suspect Chen Duxiu and implicate Russia, it will be exactly what Chen Duxiu is planning and help him succeed. If (Chen Duxiu and others) do not obey our party, I will abandon them." Sun Yat-Sen also tried his best to restrict the CCP to be in his own direct orbit. Chen Duxiu had been repeatedly criticizing Sun Yat-Sen's policies in his newspapers, so Sun Yat-Sen went to Borodin to correct the issue. “Since the CCP have joined the KMT, they should obey party discipline and should not publicly criticize the KMT. If the CCP do not obey the KMT, I will expel them; if the Soviet Union protects the Chinese Communist Party, I will oppose the Soviet Union.” Sun Yat-Sen honestly failed to see the threat that the CCP really posed. He truly believed the CCP joined the KMT was not a cooperation between two equal parties. He believed the KMT was China's only revolutionary party while the CCP were just a group of scholars who supported Leninism. He never really took them seriously, but he also made sure never to give them arms when they continuously demanded them.  As for the CCP, they regarded the KMT as quite backwards, many leaders in the CCP thought Dr Sun Yat-Sen was no different than the warlords. When Marin proposed to the CCP that they join the KMT, Chen Duxiu raised opposition arguing "the purpose and foundation of the revolution of the CCP and the KMT are different. The KMT's policies of alliance with the United States, Zhang Zuolin and Duan Qirui are too incompatible with communism. Outside Guangdong Province, it is still regarded as a political party fighting for power and profit. The Sun Yat-sen faction of the KMT has always been absolutely intolerant of the opinions of new members and cannot give them power". A lot of the CCP resented what they saw as Sun Yat-Sen appeasing the right while disenfranchising them. Once the First United Front was established, the Soviets took over management of the Chinese Eastern Railway and began occupying Outer Mongolia. Then money and arms began pouring in, military advisors came to help create Sun Yat-Sens Northern expedition. Sun Yat-Sen dispatched Chiang Kai-Shek to Moscow to investigate their politics and military, while Borodin was made the KMT's organization trainer.  In May of 1924 Borodin helped found the Whampoa Military Academy. There officers of the National Revolutionary Army were trained, the backbone of the KMT. They would all under the leadership of Dr Sun Yat-Sen's number two, Chiang Kai-Shek. The quality of the education was guaranteed by regular visits from Soviet Officers. Many future big names would graduate from the academy, such as Lin Biao and Zhou Enlai. Borodin also established the Peasant Training institute, where a young Mao Zedong would serve. Things were not at all rainbows and sunshine. On May 1st of 1924, a large celebration was held in Guangzhou for the Peasant department. Sun Yat-Sen gave a speech calling on everyone to fight for national liberation and to put the theme of class struggle in a secondary position. This certainly did not sit well with the CCP, whose members began calling for breaking the alliance and arguing the KMT would lose the support of the Soviet Union. Borodin happened to be away at the time, and when prompted, Sun Yat-Sen kept saying they would resolve the matter when he returned. Frantic telegrams were sent and by June 20th Borodin returned. On June 25th a meeting was held with the leaders of the KMT and CCP. Borodin agreed with the point that the CCP was a party within the party of the KMT, but also stated the KMT had to give some ground to the CCP if they wanted to keep favor with the Soviet Union. Suddenly a wave of anti communist statements were lobbed from prominent KMT members, such as Wang Jingwei. They further launched a petition to expel certain communists. On July 15th in retaliation, Chinese workers in Shamian went on strike. Despite these setbacks the First United Front remained firm. Mao Zedong would see an appointment as Minister of Propaganda of the KMT. His job entailed hunting down newspapers and anyone who distributed leaflets, demanding they come to the Propaganda Department for review prior. In the next episode, if not a future one, Mao Zedong's propaganda department would have a lot of work ahead of them. Now all the way back to when I mentioned Sun Yat-Sen and Borodin visited Feng Yuxiang. Borodin came bearing a similar deal to what the KMT/CCP had with the Soviet Union and at first Feng Yuxiang was uncooperative. Yet cooped up in his Kalgan HQ, Feng Yuxiang had no backers, he was very low on funds. Most importantly he lacked arsenal facilities. Feng Yuxiang had struggled to cope, hunting everyone for backers, but the Northwest was not easily accessible. When he made orders with private traders bound for coastal ports, they were simply seized by local warlords who controlled coastal areas. Without domestic capabilities or access to the sea, Feng Yuxiang was pretty much screwed. Thus he caved into the Soviets  An agreement was bought for Soviet financial aid and munitions by February of 1925, brokered by Borodin. From April to August, war materials began to pour into Feng Yuxiangs camp. The cargo was divided into two shipments, traveling over the trans siberian railway from Moscow to Verkhne Udinsk, then south over caravan trade routes to Maimaicheng. In 1925 it took 500 mongol carts to move the small arms, ammunition, rifles and field guns from Maimaicheng to Ulaan Baater, then over motor vehicles to Pingdichuan, to a station on the Beijing-Suiyuan railway all the way over to Fengzheng. It was a heavy haul to be sure: 5,000 cases of petroleum, 1,000 boxes of ammunition, 15,000 rifles, 15 million rounds of rifle ammunition, 27 colt machine guns, 630,000 machine gun ammunition, 1,000 entrenching tools, 30.000 hand grenades, and 100 poods of explosives. Another haul in 1925 included 64,000 rifles, 15.000 carbines, 72 million rounds of rifle and carbine ammunition, 189 machine guns, 6.45 million rounds of machine gun ammunition, 66 field guns, 18,000 revolvers, 5 million rounds of revolver ammunition, 50 field kitchens, 150 twowheel carts, and 16,000 swords. With a new supply line, Feng Yuxiang would distance himself from Zhang Zuolin. The triumvirate was becoming undone and a new war was looming. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. While it seemed a decent compromise had been established with the triumvirate of Zhang Zuolin, Duan Qirui and Feng Yuxiang, dark clouds were emerging. The Guominjun and Kuomintang were both getting in bed with the Reds and soon everyone would be mobilizing for another grand war. 

This week on Sinica, a conversation that I moderated on May 30th called “Assessing the Impact of US-China Rivalry on Ukraine and Taiwan,” put on by the Ukrainian Platform for Contemporary China. The main organizer was my friend Vita Golod, who is the chair of the Ukrainian Association of Sinologists. The panelists are: Dmytro Burtsev, a Junior Fellow at A. Krymskyi Institute of Oriental Studies, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.Da Wei, Director of the Center for International Security and Strategy and Professor at the School of Social Sciences at Tsinghua University. Emilian Kavalski, Professor at the Centre for International Studies and Development at Jagiellonian University in Krakow. I Yuan, Adjunct Research Fellow at the Institute of International Relations, National Chengchi University, Taiwan.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.