China Global

In late August, China’s Ministry of Natural Resources released its new “standard  map ,” which includes not only Taiwan, but also parts of the maritime zones of the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia. It also includes land that China disputes with India—and even some Russian territory. To publicize the map and China’s claims, Beijing launched a “national map awareness publicity...

In 2001, Goldman Sachs economist Jim O’Neill coined the term “BRIC” to describe the fast-growing economies that he predicted would collectively dominate the global economy by 2050. The BRIC countries he was referring to were Brazil, Russia, India, and China. After a series of high-level meetings that included officials from the four countries, the BRIC grouping was founded in 2009. The following y...

Earlier this summer, there was an unexpected shakeup in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force. Commander Li Yuchao was removed along with his deputy Liu Guangbin and a former deputy Zhang Zhenzhong. All three men are reportedly under investigation for disciplinary violations by the Central Military Commission’s anti-corruption unit. Xi Jinping appointed Wang Houbin, former deputy command...

Technology is the focus of the intensifying competition between the United States and China, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the core. China views AI as a means to gain a strategic advantage over the United States and its allies. It intends to use AI to build a world-class military. Beijing also views AI as an enabler of surveillance and repression that can help to bolster its illiberal mod...

Critical minerals are non-fuel minerals or mineral materials essential to the economic or national security of the U.S. They have no viable substitutes yet face a high risk of supply chain disruption. Critical minerals are used for many different purposes, including the production of advanced electronics, weapons systems, manufacturing equipment, and cutting-edge medical devices. They are indispen...

Summary A new Foreign Relations Law took effect in China on July 1, 2023 that formalizes Chinese Communist Party leadership in all foreign policy matters. It puts China’s security and development interests and global rise at the center of its engagement with the world. The new law has been widely interpreted as providing a legal basis for Beijing’s struggle against what it says is a strategy of co...

Relations between the United States and China have slid to their lowest point since the 1970s. After President Biden and Xi Jinping met in November 2022, they instructed their senior officials to initiate a process to stabilize the relationship. Before much headway could be made, however, China sent a surveillance balloon to the west coast of the United States that ended up loitering over sensitiv...

On June 3, 2023, there was a near-collision between a US and a PRC destroyer in the Taiwan Strait. According to a statement issued by US Indo-Pacific Command, a US Navy destroyer, the USS Chung-Hoon, and a Canadian warship were conducting a routine south to north Taiwan Strait transit through waters where high seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply. The Luyang III, a People’s Liberation...

[01:50] Switzerland’s Policy toward China Today [03:48] Changes in Swiss-Chinese Relations [06:03] Switzerland’s 2021 China Strategy [08:17] Areas of Economic Cooperation [11:05] Switzerland’s Relationship with Taiwan [14:45] Switzerland’s One China Policy [17:32] Contending with Human Rights Issues [18:55] Huawei’s Presence in Switzerland [20:56] China’s Influence in Switzerland [23:42] Forecast...

Timestamps [01:30] Sinocentric Order in the Digital Sphere [06:51] China’s Digital Silk Road  [09:35] Global Rise of Chinese Digital Platforms [11:57] The Strength of Chinese Digital Platforms [14:04] The Digital Sector and Government Partnership [16:53] Dominance of Western Digital Platforms [19:08] Pros and Cons of Banning TikTok  [21:08] Chinese Crackdown of the Digital Sector [23:27] Looking F...

Timestamps [02:01] China and International Bailout Activities [04:33] China and the G20 Common Framework [07:34] Debt Service Suspension Initiative [09:42] Definition of a “Haircut” in Finance [10:00] IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings [12:37] Beijing’s Demands for Write-Downs [16:18] Japan, India, and France Establishing a Creditors Committee [18:43] Chinese Participation in the Paris Club [22:08...

Timestamps [02:14] China’s Implementation of Industrial Policy [05:20] Industrial Policy to Achieve Foreign Policy Objectives [08:02] Influence of Strategic Competition on Industrial Policy [10:42] Efficacy of Chinese Industrial Policies [14:17] Semiconductor Subsidies and Export Controls [19:06] Chinese Countermeasures to Export Controls [22:39] Assessment of U.S. Policy [25:58] Forecast of Compe...

Time Stamps [01:39] Background of The Decoding China Dictionary [04:30] Democracy with Chinese Characteristics [06:34] Differing Interpretations of International Law [08:32] Freedom of Religion Versus Freedom of Religious Belief [10:28] Foreign Aid and China as a Developing Country [12:01] Security in Chinese Parlance [13:55] Transparency and its Uses in China [16:19] Historic Revisionism and Dome...

[02:10] Chinese Government Awareness of Illicit Domestic Narcotics [05:30] China’s Scheduling of Fentanyl in 2019 [06:40] Difference Between Scheduling and Banning [09:50] Lack of Cooperation Between China and Mexico  [14:18] Chinese Counternarcotics Cooperation in Southeast Asia [19:04] Possible Steps for China [22:56] A Looming Fentanyl Crisis in China? [25:43] Multilateral Approach to Counterna...

[02:16] The 14 Grievances [05:56] Canberra's New Rhetoric [07:54] Self-Censorship [11:12] Decision Making Tightrope [13:00] Darwin Port Lease [14:00] Foreign Investment Review Board [18:00] AUKUS Announcement in Washington [20:13] Australia and the Quad [23:19] Within the Albanese Government [27:05] Australia on Taiwan [31:21] America's China Policy

[02:28] China’s Objectives & Success in Africa [06:02] China’s Political Model & Engaging Political Elites [12:27] China-Africa Support at the UN [14:47] Declining Chinese Investments [16:04] Public Opinion and US-Chinese Competition [22:19] Debt Strains on Relations [25:45] Chinese Propaganda in Africa 

[00:00] Topic and Guest Introduction [02:31] Information Collection Capabilities [07:25] Chinese Motivations [10:40] Reaction to Shot Down Balloon [13:59] Mil-Mil Dialogue [16:59] Leverage Over China [19:15] Guidance from Past Incidents [22:08] Risk Reduction Measures [24:47] Balloon Incident and Xi Jinping [27:32] Wartime Use of Balloons

[01:59] Xi’s Relationship with Kim Jong-un [05:12] 1961 Treaty on Friendship [09:48] Chinese Economic Assistance [12:33] Impact of US-DPRK Negotiations [16:02] Sino-American Divergence on North Korea [21:05] A Seventh Nuclear Test [25:30] South Korean Nuclear Deterrence

[1:42] Xi Jinping’s Public Diplomacy at the G20 Summit [4:30] Qin Gang’s New Approaches   [5:50] Internal & External Pressures on China’s Behavior? [9:59] China-Australia Relations [15:32] Allyship & Challenges in Southeast Asia   [18:27] US-China Relations [23:48] Indicators of Changes to China's Foreign Policy

[01:34] China’s Interests in the Middle East [03:25] Chinese Engagement During the Past Decade [05:54] Xi’s Trip to Saudi Arabia [08:22] Security and the Sino-Middle Eastern Relationships [11:05] Role of Multilateral Institutions [14:09] Perceptions of Huawei [18:12] Perceptions of Xinjiang [22:39] The Sino-Iranian Relationship [26:24] China’s Role in Conflicts

[1:40] China’s Approach to Energy Security [4:45] Dependence on Russia’s Energy [14:08] Oil Partnerships with the Gulf [16:41] Decarbonization & Energy Security Goals [19:41] China’s Overseas Energy Investments  [22:23] US-China Energy & Climate Change Cooperation

[2:20] UN Significance & China’s Objectives [8:25] China’s Veto Power [11:17] UN Security Council Reform [13:53] China’s Funding Contributions [18:13] China’s Leadership in UN Agencies [25:21] Influence on WHO & COVID-19 [28:47] China’s Future Role in the UN

[01:26] Criticism of Scholz’s Trip [5:18] Scholz’s Trip Aspirations [8:40] German and European Perceptions of the trip [11:33] Xi Jinping’s Gains & Sino-German Relationship [13:20] Germany’s China Strategy [21:38] Germany’s Changing Taiwan Policy

[1:41] Xi Jinping’s Political Report: Main Themes  [3:27] The International Environment and Implications [7:59] Taiwan [13:21] China’s Reform of the Global Governance System [16:23] The PLA and China’s Military Modernization [20:51] US-China Competition: Xi Jinping’s Approach Going Forward [23:48] Personnel Arrangements

[2:01] China’s Objectives in the Global Media Environment [5:22] Evolution of CCP’s Tactics, and Investments [8:22] Levels and Effectiveness of Chinese Media Influence [18:03] Approaches in Less/Non-Free Countries [20:02] Government, Civil Society, & Journalists’ Resilience [26:29] Erosion of Governance