Is China Still Punching Well Above Its Weight?

Stephen Hsu is a Professor of Theoretical Physics and Professor of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. He is also a serial entrepreneur and has published on genomics, in addition to blogging on a wide range of topics from econometrics and geopolitics to mixed martial arts. Hsu joins the Podcast, where he and Richard begin by talking about the Russia-Ukraine crisis and American military power relative to that of China and Russia. What would a Chinese attempt to conquer Taiwan look like, and what would the US be able to do in response? This is followed by a long discussion on the strengths and weaknesses of the Chinese system and its differences with the democratic capitalist model, including the former's high level of reliance on standardized tests and institutions designed to evaluate and promote government officials. The conversation closes on the topics of genomics and embryo selection, including the state of the technology, its current uses, and cross-national differences in attitudes and regulations. A full transcript of the conversation is available here.

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Ezra Voegel, “Japan as Number One.”

John Dower, “War Without Mercy."

Dan Wang, ”2021 Letter.”

Dan Bell, “The China Model.”

Richard McGregor, “The Party.”

"DNA Dreams" (documentary film).

Richard Hanania, “The Inevitable Rise of China.”

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Steve Hsu, “Sustainability of China Economic Growth.”

Steve Hsu, “Les Grandes Ecoles Chinoises.”

Francesco C. Billari, Hans-Peter Kohler, Gunnar Andersson and Hans Lundström, “Approaching the Limit: Long-Term Trends in Late and Very Late Fertility.”  p. 163. (On Swedish Fertility, Extreme Births)

Steve’s Podcast, “Manifold.”