China Desk

Human rights advocate and author Benedict Rogers joins Steve Yates to discuss 30 years confronting the Chinese Communist Party’s repression—from Tiananmen to Hong Kong and Xinjiang. Rogers shares insights on China’s growing global influence, Xi Jinping’s authoritarian turn, and the moral cost of Western complacency. A powerful discussion on truth, courage, and defending freedom in the modern world...

In this powerful episode of The China Desk with host Steve Yates , UN Watch director Hillel Neuer exposes how China and other authoritarian regimes manipulate the United Nations from within. Neuer breaks down Beijing’s long-term strategy to dominate global institutions like the World Health Organization , the Human Rights Council , and other Geneva-based agencies — using influence, intimidation, a...

In this episode of The China Desk , host Steve Yates speaks with Tom Switzer , former senior fellow at the Center for Independent Studies and veteran journalist, about Australia’s evolving relationship with China and the United States. Switzer explains how Australia shifted from optimism about China’s integration into the liberal world order to a posture of strategic realism.   The discussion expl...

In this episode of The China Desk , host Steve Yates speaks with Weifeng Zhong — senior advisor at the America First Policy Institute and co-creator of the Policy Change Index — about his journey from Communist China to the U.S., how AI and information control shape authoritarian regimes, and why America must reclaim its fight for free expression. Watch Full-Length Interviews: https://www.youtube....

In this episode of The China Desk Podcast , host Steve Yates sits down with veteran intelligence officer and author Nick Eftimiades to explore the tactics behind Chinese espionage. Drawing on decades of experience at the CIA, DIA, and State Department, Eftimiades explains how Beijing uses a “whole-of-society” approach—spanning the Ministry of State Security, PLA, United Front, state-owned enterpri...

Former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Cella returns to The China Desk Podcast to expose the growing threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party at home and abroad. From Michigan universities tied to Beijing and smuggling attempts involving dangerous biological materials, to the risks of agro-terrorism against America’s food supply, Cella details how local and federal leaders are responding. The discussio...

On this episode of The China Desk Podcast , host Steve Yates speaks with Andrew Phelan—Australian entrepreneur and writer—about the rise and transformation of China from Deng Xiaoping’s reforms to Xi Jinping’s wolf warrior diplomacy. Phelan shares his personal experiences living and working in China, explains how offshoring hollowed out Western industry, and warns of Beijing’s strategy to “Delete...

Stay ahead of the shifting balance between the United States and China with China Desk Weekly . In this episode, host Steve Yates unpacks a striking New York Times story hinting at a covert U.S. special operation on North Korea’s coast. From secret missions in Iran to bomber flyovers during high-stakes summits, America continues to flex its reach. What do these signals mean for Beijing’s leaders a...

Peter Mattis, president of the Jamestown Foundation and former CIA counterintelligence analyst, joins host Steve Yates on The China Desk to unpack the Chinese Communist Party’s strategic intentions, intelligence operations, and United Front influence campaigns. From the roots of his career to lessons from Taiwan, Mattis explains how Beijing wields espionage, criminality, and political warfare to a...

China’s Rare Earth Gamble: Bret Manley on Energy, Trade & U.S. Security: In this episode of The China Desk Podcast, host Steve Yates speaks with Bret Manley, Executive Director of the Energy Fair Trade Coalition, about America’s dependence on China for rare earth minerals, the risks to U.S. national security, and what real fair trade looks like in today’s global energy market. From supply chain vu...

In this compelling episode of The China Desk, host Steve Yates speaks with leading experts Joel Wuthnow and Phillip Saunders about the rise of China's military power. Drawing from their new book China’s Quest for Military Supremacy, the discussion dives deep into the modernization of the PLA, the evolving role of the Chinese Communist Party in military affairs, and what it all means for U.S.-China...

In this explosive episode of the China Desk Podcast, former U.S. intelligence official and quantum security expert Denis Mandich joins Steve Yates to unpack the national security nightmare unfolding in plain sight. Mandich explains how China’s massive IP theft, covert operations in American universities, and advances in quantum computing could undermine U.S. power within years. From the race for p...

In this hard-hitting episode of The China Desk, host Steve Yates sits down with tech entrepreneur and policy strategist Rod Martin for a wide-ranging conversation on U.S.-China relations. From PayPal's early disruption to the dangers of authoritarian AI, Martin traces how America’s economic leverage—and spiritual clarity—can counter the CCP’s ambitions. They break down China’s demographic collapse...

In this episode of The China Desk podcast, host Steve Yates interviews Keyu Jin, professor at the London School of Economics and author of The New China Playbook. With deep academic expertise and personal insight as a Chinese economist, Jin unpacks the myths, realities, and misunderstood dynamics driving China’s modern economy. They cover the role of the state in China's growth model, shifting dem...

Steve Yates speaks with Kerry Brown, professor of Chinese Studies at King’s College London and author of Why Taiwan Matters. With decades of experience as a diplomat, scholar, and author of nearly 20 books on Chinese politics, Brown breaks down the complex geopolitical puzzle of Taiwan’s past, present, and uncertain future. Brown shares his journey from the UK to Asia, explains Taiwan’s hybrid ide...

Steve Yates sits down with David Lin, Senior Director for Future Technology Platforms at the Special Competitive Studies Project and former CIA analyst, to discuss the evolving U.S.-China technology competition. Lin shares insights from his 12 years in government service, including his time at the State Department and the CIA, and explains why he transitioned to the private sector to better tackle...

Award-winning journalist Barbara Demick joins host Steve Yates on The China Desk Podcast for a powerful and emotional conversation about China's one-child policy, forced adoption, and the story behind her latest book, Daughters of the Bamboo Grove. Demick, a former Beijing bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, shares her investigation into the brutal enforcement of population control and the hea...

In this episode of The China Desk Podcast, host Steve Yates welcomes Susan Crabtree, national political correspondent for RealClearPolitics and co-author of Fool’s Gold: The Radicals, Cronies, and Traitors Who Killed the California Dream and Now Threaten Us All. Susan shares her personal journey from a military family upbringing to a career in investigative journalism, highlighting her reporting o...

In this episode, Steve Yates sits down with Luke de Pulford, co-founder and Executive Director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (iPAC). From his early inspiration by William Wilberforce to launching an international coalition of lawmakers, Luke shares his remarkable journey in human rights, modern slavery advocacy, and China policy. They discuss: - The role of faith and conviction in c...

Isaac Stone Fish is the CEO and founder of Strategy Risks, a company specializing in assessing and mitigating risks, particularly related to China. A fluent Mandarin speaker with seven years of experience living in China, he has traveled extensively across the country. He authored America Second: How America’s Elites Are Making China Stronger (2022), examining the Communist Party of China’s influe...

My guests today are commissioners from the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, Randall Schriver and Kimberly Glas. Randall Schriver is the Chairman of the Board of the Project 2049 Institute and a partner at Pacific Solutions LLC. He is also a lecturer for Stanford University’s “Stanford-in-Washington” program, is on the Board of Advisors to the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA, and is...

Mark Clifford is president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong, the former executive director of the Asia Business Council, and a former board member at Next Digital. He is editorial chair of the Asian Review of Books, and served as editor in chief of both English-language papers in Hong Kong, The Standard and the South China Morning Post. An honors history graduate of UC Berkeley and a Walt...

Philip Lenczycki is a Daily Caller News Foundation senior investigative reporter, China watcher, and former professor of Mandarin and East Asian Civilizations. Twitter: @LenczyckiPhilip Watch Full-Length Interviews: https://www.youtube.com/@ChinaDeskFNW

Grant Newsham is a Senior Fellow with the Center for Security Policy. He also is a Research Fellow at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies focusing on Asia/Pacific defense, political and economic matters. Newsham is a retired U.S. Marine Colonel and was the first US Marine Liaison Officer to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. He also served as reserve head of intelligence for Marine Forces Paci...

Rushan Abbas is a Uyghur American activist and advocate from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. She is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Campaign for Uyghurs. Abbas became one of the most prominent Uyghur voices in international activism following her sister's detainment by the Chinese government in 2018. She testified in 2019 before the Senate Foreign Relations Comm...