The China-Global South Podcast Jane Perlez on the New Era of U.S.-China Competition and Rivalry
Dec 22, 2025
Jane Perlez, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and former Beijing bureau chief for The New York Times, delves into the intense U.S.-China rivalry that is shaping the Global South. She discusses the personalities of Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, revealing how their leadership styles influence relations. China’s foreign aid strategy, the frustrations of its Gen Z, and the challenges faced by journalists cover critical dimensions of this conflict. Perlez also highlights important trends in tech competition and China's growing influence in the Pacific.
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Rivalry Shapes Global Politics
- Jane Perlez sees the U.S.-China rivalry as the defining global trend reshaping geopolitics and the Global South.
- Her Face Off podcast explores personalities, technology, and domestic forces driving that rivalry.
Early Meeting With Xi In Washington
- Jane recalled meeting Xi Jinping in 2012 when many expected him to be conciliatory toward the U.S.
- She says those expectations were proven very wrong after Document 9 shifted China's ideological posture.
Xi Is More Human In Negotiations
- Direct meetings can show a different Xi: relaxed, engaged, and drawing on advisers in negotiations.
- Jane found Jake Sullivan's description challenged the purely remote, 'emperor-like' public image of Xi.