ChinaTalk

China/Russia + Why China's Making More Nukes

Apr 7, 2022

Tong Zhao, a fellow at the Carnegie Center in Beijing with expertise in China's nuclear program, sheds light on the intricacies of China's growing nuclear arsenal and its geopolitical implications. He discusses China's perception of NATO as an aggressor and critiques the technical illiteracy of policy experts. The podcast also examines China’s unique approach to nuclear deterrence and its conception of Russia as a rational actor in the context of the Ukraine conflict. Ultimately, Zhao emphasizes the urgent need for dialogue to prevent an arms race.

57:58

Creator website

Episode guests

Tong Zhao

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

4min

China's Complex View of NATO

7min

China's Nuclear Evolution: Threats and Strategies

18min

Nuclear Strategies: Navigating Complex International Dynamics

5min

China's Nuclear Perspective Amidst Global Tensions

17min

Bridging Science and Security: The Role of Physicists in Policy Making

3min

A Poignant Farewell with Musical Reflections

3min

Is a nuclear arms race inevitable? China has been building up its nuclear arsenal over the past few years. While it remains significantly smaller than the US and Russia’s, what does this mean for geopolitics against the backdrop of US-China tensions and the Russian invasion of Ukraine?

Tong Zhao (@zhaot2005) is a fellow at the Carnegie Center in Beijing who focuses on China’s nuclear program. Co-hosting is Schwarzmann Scholar Raven Witherspoon.

We also discuss

Why China sees NATO as the aggressor and Russia as the victim
Why policy experts’ lack of technical literacy is a big problem
How China understands nuclear deterrence
China’s argument for Putin being a rational actor
Whether there is any hope

Outro music: 七里香 Remix (original version by Jay Chou) by MACOVASEAS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVvpgNG0giM

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