Orville Schell

Orville Schell, a renowned Sinologist and Director at the Asia Society, and Alexander Boyd, associate editor at China Books Review, dive deep into intriguing parallels between Mao Zedong and Donald Trump. They explore how Mao's psychological complexities influenced his leadership style and reflect on the Cultural Revolution's lasting impacts on modern China, including Xi Jinping's family. The discussion also touches on loyalty dynamics and the role of civil society in defending democracy, illuminating the echoes of past authoritarianism in today's political landscape.

Orville Schell, Director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations, shares his extensive expertise on China and U.S.-China dynamics. He delves into Xi Jinping's shifting worldview and the factors behind China's pivot towards self-reliance after years of globalization. The conversation also highlights the challenges of technological decoupling, the geopolitical risks tied to supply chains, particularly regarding Taiwan, and the intricate semiconductor landscape crucial for both nations' futures.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin loom over geopolitics in a way that few leaders have in decades. Not even Mao and Stalin drove global events the way Xi and Putin do today. Who they are, how they view the world, and what they want are some of the most important and pressing questions in foreign policy and international affairs.  Stephen Kotkin and Orville Schell are two of the best scholars to explore these issues. Kotkin is the author of seminal scholarship on Russia, the Soviet Union, and global history, including an acclaimed three-volume biography of Stalin. He is a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the Kleinheinz Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. Schell is the Arthur Ross Director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at the Asia Society. He is the author of 15 books, ten of them about China. He is also a former professor and dean at the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.  In part one of our conversation, we discuss the early lives of Putin and Xi and how history has shaped their worldviews. You can find transcripts and more episodes of The Foreign Affairs Interview at https://www.foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/foreign-affairs-interview.

Orville Schell, a veteran China scholar and the Arthur Ross Director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations, shares deep insights into Xi Jinping's worldview shaped by his formative years. They discuss why Mao Zedong offers more compelling literature than Xi, delve into China's reciprocity issues globally, and reveal U.S. officials' secretive reactions to Tiananmen. Schell also reflects on the evolving dynamics of U.S.-China relations and the significance of Taiwan in current politics, framing these discussions within historical and ideological contexts.

Orville Schell, China expert from the 1980s, discusses Deng Xiaoping's visit to the US, the Democracy Wall movement, and Tiananmen Massacre. He highlights the economic shifts, political changes, and societal transformations in China during the transformative decade of the 1980s.