All Things Policy America's Endgame and the China Challenge
Sep 3, 2025
April Herlevi, an expert on Chinese security and foreign policy, dives deep into the geopolitical chess game between the U.S. and China. She discusses how China’s pan-securitization impacts global tech and economic exchanges. The conversation highlights tensions from the Trump era and the need for robust dialogue, especially regarding Taiwan and the South China Sea. Herlevi also sheds light on the internal purges in the Chinese military and the evolving landscape of U.S. national security strategies amid these challenges.
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China's Pan‑Securitization Problem
- Under Xi Jinping China has broadened national security to include economics, food, water and environment.
- That broad securitization makes routine cooperation and dialogue harder and raises global tensions.
Military‑Civil Fusion Raises Dual‑Use Risks
- China's military‑civil fusion blurs civilian and PLA end‑uses, complicating export and dual‑use controls.
- The U.S. response treats more technology and economic exchange as security policy because end users are harder to determine.
2018 Pivot: Tariffs To Security
- Tariffs and concern over IP theft catalysed U.S. securitization of economic policy around 2018.
- The U.S. now frames many trade and tech issues through national security lenses because of perceived aggressive Chinese tech acquisition.