This episode explores the ins and outs of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) nearly two decades after its founding, as well as China’s evolving role within the organization. Our guest, Dr. Alexander Cooley, uncovers the current challenges and opportunities for the organization as the SCO’s membership and China’s foreign policy aspirations expand. Dr. Cooley analyzes potential future areas of contention and cooperation between China and other SCO member states.

Dr. Alexander Cooley is Director of the Harriman Institute at Columbia University and a professor of political science at Barnard College. He has written extensively on Eurasian and Central Asian politics, including opinion pieces for The New York Times and Foreign Affairs. Additionally, Dr. Cooley serves on multiple international advisory boards and policy committees.

This episode explores the latest public diplomacy efforts that Beijing has carried out in the East Asia and Pacific region to boost favorable views toward China. Through the lens of AidData’s ground-breaking report, Ties That Bind: Quantifying China’s public diplomacy and its “good neighbor” effect, our guest Samantha Custer analyzes the methods, objectives, and successes of China’s regional public diplomacy and political influence activities. Custer also delves into the implications of China’s state-sponsored strategies for the greater region and the field of public diplomacy.
 
Samantha Custer is the Director of Policy Analysis at AidData, a research lab at the College of William and Mary that produced the Ties That Bind report, in partnership with the CSIS China Power Project and Asia Society Policy Institute. She previously co-authored World Bank papers on open data and citizen feedback with the Open Development Technology Alliance and assisted former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright teach a foreign policy course. Additionally, Ms. Custer has advised multilingual education policy with SIL International and coordinated the advocacy efforts of the Asia Multilingual Education Working Group for UNESCO.

This episode explores China’s intensified activities and interests in the South China Sea in recent years. Our guest, Bill Hayton, unpacks the history of the various parties’ sovereignty claims, and discusses how China’s actions in the South China Sea have led to greater regional tensions and increased international criticism, including from the United States. He explains China’s militarization and coercive tactics in the South China Sea, assesses the legitimacy of China’s claims, and discusses the current as well as future role of China in the region.
 
Bill Hayton is an associate fellow with the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House, and has written extensively on Southeast Asian issues and the South China Sea. He has also worked for BBC News for 20 years and is currently a reporter and producer with BBC World News TV in London.

This episode of the ChinaPower Podcast is brought to you in conjunction with SupChina’s Sinica Podcast, hosted by Kaiser Kuo. He interviews Bonnie Glaser about China’s security environment, including the significance of the Trump-Kim summit for China, tense US-China trade relations, China’s regional economic and security influence, and the effects of Beijing’s militarization in the South China Sea. Ms. Glaser also expands on the relationship between the US and Taiwan under Tsai Ing-wen and the potential implications for cross-Strait relations. 

Kaiser Kuo is the host and co-founder of the Sinica Podcast, a weekly series that unpacks current events in China, and the Editor-at-Large for SupChina.com. Previously, Mr. Kuo worked as the Director of International Communications for Baidu.

This episode discusses recent tensions in the U.S.-China trade relationship, including the demands from each side as well as the implications of a U.S.-China trade war. Our guest, Dan Rosen, joins us to discuss the Trump administration’s approach to trade relations with China, the significance of the widening bilateral trade deficit, and the ideal outcomes for both countries. He also expands upon the growing intersections between U.S. economic and security policy in regards to China.
 
Dan Rosen is a founding partner of Rhodium Group with extensive experience analyzing China’s economy and U.S.-China economic relations. He is also an adjunct associate professor at Columbia University and is affiliated with a number of economics-focused U.S. think tanks. Dan was previously Senior Advisor for International Economic Policy at the White House National Economic Council and National Security Council.

This episode discusses the impact of China’s authoritarian system on its emergence as a great power. Our guest, Carl Minzner, joins us to discuss his book,End of an Era: How China’s Authoritarian Revival is Undermining Its Rise, where he argues that China’s stagnant government system is slowly erasing the positive changes of the reform era.

Carl Minzner is a professor at the Fordham University School of Law, where he specializes in Chinese law and governance. He previously served as Senior Counsel for the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. Additionally, he was an International Affairs Fellow for the Council on Foreign Relations and a Yale-China Legal Education Fellow at the Xibei Institute of Politics.

This episode dissects current dynamics between the US and China, addressing the reasons for increased friction and competition in the bilateral relationship. Our guest, Professor Da Wei, joins us to discuss how both countries view the relationship today and how these perspectives have changed as the US-China power gap has narrowed. He also analyzes the nuances in terminology used to describe China and its relationship with the US, and forecasts the likely future direction of US-China relations.

Dr. Da Wei is Assistant President as well as a professor at the University of International Relations in Beijing. He also serves as the director of the University’s Center for International Strategy and Security Studies. Previously, Da Wei was director of the Institute of American Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR). His research fields include US-China relations, American and Chinese foreign policy, and security policies.
 

This episode focuses on the recent restructuring of China’s government, which was announced on March 20, 2018 during the 13^th National People’s Congress. Our guest, Yanmei Xie, joins us to discuss the various aspects of this reorganization. She also analyzes the implications of these changes for Chinese foreign policy.

Yanmei Xie is a senior China policy analyst at Gavekal, a global investment research firm, where she writes about China’s politics and their impact on the Chinese and global economy. She previously worked at the International Crisis Group as a senior analyst focusing on the Asia Pacific and China’s influence in Africa.

This episode focuses on the proposed changes to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States’ (CFIUS) review process and what that might mean for Chinese investment in the United States. Our guest, Mario Mancuso, joins us to discuss how CFIUS generally evaluates the national security risk profile of an investment. He also analyzes how Chinese transactions may be perceived against the backdrop of intensifying strategic competition between the two countries. 

Mr. Mario Mancuso is a Partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP where he leads the firm’s International Trade and National Security practice. Mr. Mancuso has formerly served as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security and is the author of A Dealmaker’s Guide to CFIUS, which aims to help buyers, sellers, and other interested parties think through the CFIUS review process.

This episode focuses on China’s growing trade, investment, and diplomatic activities in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our guest, Dr. Evan Ellis, joins us to discuss China’s interests and influence in the region and the ways in which Beijing interacts with Latin American and Caribbean nations. Dr. Ellis also examines the perceptions of China’s activities in the region, and how the United States is responding China’s increasing involvement in its traditional sphere of influence.
 
Dr. Evan Ellis is a research professor of Latin American Studies at the US Army War College Strategic Studies Institute. His research focuses on Latin America’s relationships with China and other non-Western Hemisphere actors.