China in the World

Indonesia has been trying to find its footing as a major international player over the past decade. These efforts include trying to deepen investment and trade relationships with the People's Republic of China while skirting around differences over territorial claims and addressing Beijing’s rising prominence across Southeast Asia. Of concern as well is the pressure Chinese exports are placing on...

Caught between economic opportunity and security imperatives, South Korea finds itself navigating one of Asia's most complex relationships with China. Seoul has constantly sought to calibrate the management of economic gains and security concerns, but growing U.S.-China competition complicates its options. South Korea must consider its trade and investment partnership with China, political pressur...

Malaysia has developed a reputation for hewing closely with the PRC on economic matters in recent years. Yet, it had been a big beneficiary of the de-risking and China plus One strategies undertaken by various companies from earlier rounds of the U.S.-PRC trade war by being able to tap on U.S. capital and access the U.S. market. Malaysia also ongoing territorial disputes with the PRC in the South...

Vietnam has long had to carefully calibrate its relationship with, China, its giant neighbor to the north. The two sides have a history of cultural and economic exchange as well as invasion and occupation going back to antiquity. Today, the People’s Republic of China and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam have similar political systems and successful economies. Hanoi nonetheless seeks to break out...

In this episode, Ian Chong, a nonresident scholar with Carnegie China, discusses how Japan seeks to navigate its complex economic and security ties with the People’s Republic of China. Japan’s economy has become deeply integrated with that of the PRC over decades of globalization and cooperation remains important, but mounting concerns about coercion, pressure, and tension over regional territoria...

What are China’s interests in Myanmar? In this episode, Dr. Ian Chong speaks with Dr. Moe Thuzar and Dr. Shona Loong on the role China is playing in the ongoing civil war in Myanmar. They also discuss how Beijing relates to the interested parties inside and outside of Myanmar, and the cyber crime industry that has significant implications on China-Myanmar relations. Dr. Ian Chong is a nonresident...

What role has China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) played in Southeast Asia so far? In this episode, Dr. Ian Chong holds an in-depth dialogue with Dr. Ngeow Chow Bing, another nonresident scholar at Carnegie China; and Muhammad Habib, a researcher at the Department of International Relations, Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Indonesia. The three scholars discuss how the BRI...

What is the landscape of misinformation and disinformation in Southeast Asia, especially regarding the campaigns involving China? In this episode, Dr. Ian Chong hosts a conversation with Sutawan Chanprasert, founder of DigitalReach, and Ibrahim Suffian, director of Merdeka Center, on the disinformation campaigns observed in Southeast Asia, and how to address it. Dr. Ian Chong is a nonresident scho...

In this episode of the China in the World podcast, Dr. Ian Chong speaks with Dr. Ratih Kabinawa, adjunct research fellow at the School of Social Sciences at the University of Western Australia, and Julio S. Amador III, executive director of the Philippine-American Educational Foundation, on Southeast Asia and Taiwan. The three scholars discuss how tensions over the Taiwan Strait affect Southeast A...

China in the World is back with a special series of five episodes focusing on Southeast Asian perspectives on China. In the first episode, Ian Chong, a nonresident scholar at Carnegie China, discusses the South China Sea with Charmaine Willoughby, also a nonresident scholar at Carnegie China who focuses on alliances, maritime security, and security cooperation; and Chanintira "Neen" na Thalang, an...

In this episode of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle speaks with Dr. Ian Chong, non-resident scholar at Carnegie China and Associate Professor of Political Science at the National University of Singapore. The two experts discuss President Biden and Xi's upcoming meeting on the sidelines of the APEC Leaders' Meeting in San Francisco. The two also discuss the current state of U.S.-China re...

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the China in the World podcast, Carnegie China is launching a series of lookback episodes, using audio clips from previous interviews to put current international issues in context. For the fifth and final episode in this series, the podcast looks back on 10 years of US-China trade relations.  US-China trade ties have undergone significant changes since the l...

In this episode of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle speaks with Dr. Huong Le Thu, non-resident fellow with the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The two discuss Dr. Le Thu’s recent Foreign Affairs article on Vietnam’s “multialignment” strategy, the recent announcement of the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, China-Vietnam relat...

Amid renewed tensions in the South China Sea, Paul Haenle speaks with Dr. Isaac Kardon, Senior Fellow in the Carnegie Endowment’s Asia Program, about his new book, China’s Law of the Sea: The New Rules of Maritime Order. The two discuss Kardon’s book, China’s approach to international maritime law, the China-Philippines maritime standoff, and more. Isaac Kardon is a Senior Fellow in the Carnegie E...

In June, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded his first visit to China since the Biden administration entered office, and in July, Treasury Secretary Yellen and Climate Envoy John Kerry travelled to China to engage in discussions with Chinese officials. As the United States and China begin to restart high-level dialogues, there continue to be many unaddressed issues in the relationship...

For the 200th episode of the China in the World podcast, Carnegie China looks back on interviews conducted over the last 10 years, highlighting discussions with scholars and experts from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Over the last 10 years, Paul Haenle has hosted dozens of conversations, conducted both online and at Carnegie's office in Beijing, with Carnegie scholars from across...

After more than one year of conflict, the Russia-Ukraine War continues to drag on. Last week, China’s envoy, Li Hui, traveled throughout European capitals to discuss the potential for a “political settlement” of the Ukraine crisis. Meanwhile, Kiev has launched a counteroffensive in five areas along the front in Donetsk. In the background, China-Russia diplomatic, economic, and military relations r...

Although traditionally focused on economic engagement in the Middle East, in recent months China has indicated a greater willingness to engage in regional conflict mediation. The Saudi-Iran normalization agreement, brokered in Beijing, speaks to China’s growing involvement in regional political and security issues. Chinese officials have also expressed interest in de-escalating the Israel-Palestin...

In this episode of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle speaks with William C. Kirby, T.M. Chang Professor of China Studies and Spangler Family Professor of Business Administration at Harvard University. The discussion highlights Dr. Kirby’s new book, Empires of Ideas: Creating the Modern University from Germany to America to China (Harvard University Press: 2022). Kirby’s book chronicles t...

U.S.-China relations and East Asian affairs have evolved significantly over the last two decades. Nonetheless, many of the same questions continue to challenge policymakers in Washington. How should the United States grapple with a rising China? How should it engage militarily and economically in Asia? How does China factor into the United States’ Asia policy? In a new book, Hand-Off: The Foreign...

As the war in Ukraine drags on, China-EU relations face mounting uncertainties. Beijing has attempted to tread a fine line between maintaining its strategic partnership with Russia, while mitigating downward pressure on relations with the European Union. China’s 12-point position paper is the latest sign of Beijing’s attempt to portray itself as a neutral party to the conflict in Ukraine. On the o...

On this joint episode of the China in the World podcast and the Asia Chessboard, Jude Blanchette interviews Paul Haenle and two of his former White House National Security Council (NSC) colleagues, Michael Green and Faryar Shirzad, about U.S. policy toward China during the George W. Bush administration. The three experts begin by recapping economic and security ties between the United States and C...

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the China in the World podcast, Carnegie China is launching a series of lookback episodes, using clips from previous interviews to put current international issues in context. For the third episode in this series, the podcast looks back on 10 years of dealing with the North Korea challenge. Developments on the Korean Peninsula have undergone major changes sin...

The ASEAN Studies Centre at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute recently released its State of Southeast Asia 2023 Survey , which gauges the views and perceptions of Southeast Asians on geopolitical developments affecting the region over the preceding year. The 2023 survey reveals that Southeast Asia’s top preoccupations include recessionary pressures, potential military tensions, and a ‘slow and ineffe...

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the China in the World podcast, Carnegie China is launching a series of lookback episodes, using clips from previous interviews to put current international issues in context. For the second episode in this series, the podcast looks back on ten years of China-Russia relations, one year into the war in Ukraine. China-Russia relations have evolved significantly...